Staining handrails help

19 years ago

Hi, I am having my wood floors re-stained and handrails to match. The flooring company does not do the rails- they left that to my painters. My painters have already sanded them down. Now we need to stain to match.

My question is: the flooring people are water popping my floor so do the painters also need to waterpop the handrails? If so, what is involved? Or if they just stain them they may match fine? I am using Minwax Red Mahogany 225. I don't know if I should get someone else in there to do this or this is a normal, easy task for a painter/handyman? thanks for any tips.

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Comments (4)

kmealy
19 years ago
Not everyone who is a painter/handyman is a good wood finisher. I have seen and repair many jobs by so-called painters that turned out just terrible. But there are some painters who will do fine. I have no way to know which you have. Whoever does this, make sure they can get it right. It is much cheaper to get it done right the first time than to have to re-do it. (As an example, a painter insisted he knew what we was doing and resulted in requiring the general contractor to strip out and rebuild an entire room of custom cut molding, doors, windows, and a wall of built-ins for a library.)

I have no idea what "water-popping" is, unless they mean raising the grain with water then sanding down. I believe this is unnecessary and a waste of time, as you should be sanding after the first coat or two of finish anyway.

In addition, Minwax 225 Red Mahogany is one of their darker stains that is quite heavy in pigments. So much so that the binders have a hard time holding it down. Read some of their cans to see that this color is singled out. If this does not make sense, just say, it can be tricky to get it to look right and not smear off with your top coats.

We're also assuming that the woods used for each are the same or somewhat compatible.

Is there no way you could get one of the more competent floor finishers to do a moonlighting job?
glennsfc
19 years ago
Kmealy,

Water popping is wetting the sanded wood...waiting for it to dry...and then applying the stain. This technique raises the grain and allows more pigment to be trapped by the wood fibers...giving a darker/richer looking result.

Good advice suggesting a competent floor finisher moonlighting job.

The poster ought to see actual samples before allowing the painter to touch stain to the thing.

I stained stair railing and bausters once that "bloomed" overnight to a deep orange. Aye!...the work required to fix that one was not a happy thing. Never used that brand of stain again!
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kmealy
19 years ago
Painter/handyman???

Here is a link that might be useful: Not all can do it
PRO
Stocky
19 years ago
Water popping ? that's the most assinine thing I've ever heard.
WHY would you want to subject you wood floors to water to raise the grain ?
I wish someone out there would learn how to mix a stain from pigment ! it's NOT difficult !
I love how people come up with "techniques" to do things, and they call themselves professionals.
For the love of god the last thing you'd ever want to do is subject your unfinished wood to water !
good luck with the water popping.