Question about maple staircases & removing the finish

[Chris Kalkowski]

I bought a house 9 months ago and the builder clear coated the maple railing before it was stained. They will be having a guy come out and evaluate it to see if they can strip it, sand it or just replace it. Is stripping they clear off or sanding an option. I think it will ruin the railing?

Help please.

[Steve Schoene]

It's certainly possible to strip the clear coat off without ruining the railing, though it will require care to avoid having to also strip and refinish the balusters. Sanding off the clear coat shouldn't ruin the railing either--the picture I see doesn't have intricate detail such as carvings that would be damaged by sanding, though it's a bit of a challange to remove all the clear coat evenly enough to take certain stains evenly it shouldn't be an insurmountable task. Either process will be expensive to do but probably more cost effective than replacing the railing, and should be able to give a good, acceptable result, though the cost comparisons do depend a bit on exactly how the railing is attached to the balusters.

[Chris Kalkowski]

Thanks for the reply. I am guessing they are going to tell me that it will be sanded while in the house.


Then there is a problem...........

[Steve Schoene]

Sure sanding can be done in the house. It needn't be a significant problem unless machine sanding without any dust collection is used. A high percentage of the dust can be collected, leaving very little to permeate your furnishings.

I don't think it would be reasonable to expect the stairs to be dismantled or replaced to change the color of the railings--that would involve major time and expense the way most railings are attached to the balusters. The same thing that makes stairs sturdy makes them hard to disassemble.

If it were such a major issue it could have been done before moving into the house. It's not like it was a hidden defect.

[Tim Sproul]

I bought a house 9 months ago and the builder clear coated the maple railing before it was stained. They will be having a guy come out and evaluate it to see if they can strip it, sand it or just replace it. Is stripping they clear off or sanding an option. I think it will ruin the railing?

Help please.

Sounds like a job for the Festool LS130 linear sander and a good vac! I didn't get the LS130 for refinishing, rather I got it for sanding shop made moldings and raised panels. The use of the sander is the same though...it is really good at sanding profiles since the pad only moves forward and back in a linear motion.

If you're looking to stain the bottom of the handrail, you'll need a detail sander to remove the clearcoat from the bottomside.