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Thread: best finish for stair treads

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Chicago, IL
    Posts
    395

    best finish for stair treads

    can anyone recommend using polymerized tung oil for a stair tread finish? or is polyurethane the way to go? any other ideas?

    I am refinishing the stairs in my 1890's house... well, not I... but someone is.

    oh... the wood is Oak

  2. #2
    WaterLox (polymerized tung oil) would probably hold up fairly well, but will definitely amber the wood some.

    Might want to look into moisture cure polyurethane, which is a bulletproof floor finish and would be more durable than conventional polyurethane. It is stinky stuff but it dries fast!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    International Falls, MN
    Posts
    766
    Varathane makes a polyurethane made for floors. Really tough stuff. Make sure you use a couple coats.

    Quinn

  4. #4
    Try this, it contains Aluminum Oxide for scratch resistance.
    http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=65

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Southern Minnesota
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    1,442
    I second the varathane products. I have used most of them and they are easy to use and produce nice results. The floor poly is real tough stuff, I have used it on stair treads but it gets really slick if wet. So I do not recommend on stairs that might get wet unless you sprinkle down some grit right after brushing or spraying on the finish.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Mt. Pleasant, MI
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    2,924
    Floors are the only place I believe poly actually belongs. There are a ton of polyurethane floor products out there from DIY stuff to commercial stuff that takes care to lay down.

    I haven't noticed a huge difference between home center brands.

    If a pro is doing your finishing they will already have a favorite system they use. If they don't I would suggest looking somewhere else for a pro.

    Joe
    JC Custom WoodWorks

    For best results, try not to do anything stupid.

    "So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause." - Padmé Amidala "Star Wars III: The Revenge of the Sith"

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Quinn McCarthy View Post
    Varathane makes a polyurethane made for floors. Really tough stuff. Make sure you use a couple coats.

    Quinn
    I used the Varathane on a set of oak stairs that I did in my previous house. Easy to work with and turned out great. I think I did 3 coats on the treads and two on the risers. Also, I can't remember what sheen I used but it wasn't high gloss and it was not slippery at all which was surprising to me.

  8. #8
    Gloss finishes wear better than satin. That's because the additive they use to dull the finish actually weakens it.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    857
    I did my own stair rebuild and made walnut treads for it. I used minwax poly for floors. It looks fine and no problems at all but it has only been about 3 years.

  10. So, I am almost done with a wooden spiral staircase, and am trying to figure out what finish I should use. This thread's last reply was about 6 years ago. Has anything changed? Are there new finishes to consider? Is the water-based poly as good as the old VOC based stuff?

    The stairs will be installed near a pool, and it is reasonable to assume little feet will be wet when using the stairs. Should I add grit on the treads? Are we just talking sand here, or something specific? Or are the finishes not really slippery when wet?

    Many Thanks,

    Bob A.
    IMG_2673_2.jpg

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    8,973
    It depends on the look you want. If it needs to stay as close as possible to the bare wood look: Bona Naturale. Otherwise, the only things I use on floors, or stairs, is Moisture Cure Urethane, or whatever the newest version of Bona Traffic is. I'd never use a regular polyurethane. If using Bona, Naturale is usually the first coat anyway. I'm sure MCU is a no-go in California.

    The supplier I use for floor stuff is Horizon Forest Products. I didn't see MCU's listed on their website, but the last time I was in a store they had it. http://www.horizonforest.com/product-categories/finish/

    It used to be Long Flooring Supply, and they had their own brand of MCU that I used from the '70s to the mid '90s. They still have it listed, but I'm not sure if the formulation has changed. Every floor I did back then is still in use, including the one in our house I built in 1980. It's tough stuff. http://www.horizonforest.com/floorin...g-kote-finish/
    Last edited by Tom M King; 02-04-2016 at 1:48 PM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Shoreline, CT
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    I agree with the Bona products. They are waterborne and dry much faster and with less odor than the box store polyurethane. They are also in a whole different class as far as abrasion resistance goes. As catalyzed products they can link in ways not possible with the single part finishes.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    Very easy to work with too.

  14. #14
    Anyone know where to get Bona Traffic in quantities less than a gallon? I need to refinish our stair landing that is about 25 sq ft.

  15. #15
    Our stairs have carpet now but hardwood is in the future and I'm going to insist on some type of textured insert, adhesive strips, or whatever. I know how slippery our hardwood floors with poly finish are if they even get a splash of water on them.

    Erik
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

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