The silvery stain color looks like a Varathane 3X "sun bleach" stain, which is their water base stains. I would start there.

You need a complete sand and the surface finish needs to be 150 grit for staining. Water pop and apply the stain. After you apply the stain. It's very important that the stain is completely dry, before applying a finish. Apply a water base finish over gray's, not oil or oil modified to prevent yellowing. Buff after two coats with 220 grit and apply a final third coat.

The two biggest brands in floor stain are Bona and DuraSeal, though DuraSeal has more stock gray color options. You'll probably have to bleach the wood to get it that light and I'd start with something around the color of DuraSeal Silver Gray. Definitely use a waterborne non-yellowing urethane over the top.

When wood turns orange it is because of SEVERAL reasons...covering it probably isn't one of them. Sorry to say but it comes down to chemistry.

1. What is the SPECIES of wood on the treads? Is it a wood that has TANNIN PULL? Tannins are yellow...if you have a species that creates tannin pull you will have a stain that *might turn

yellow. This depth of colour in this period of time is too much, too soon for tannin pull.

2. What is the FINISH applied to the tread? Oil based polyurethane? Oil modified polyurethane or water based polyurethane?

The OIL and OIL MODIFIED products turn YELLOW. And they do it with or without light. If you paint a white piece of paper with oil based or oil modified polyurethane the paper turns ORANGE or yellow. Guaranteed.

So...The depth of colour I'm seeing is to be expected from an OIL based polyurethane. It is far too orange for the oil modified.

To KEEP your light gray, the floor dude (ahem...some guy with a paint brush?) MUST USE water based polyurethane. Period.

If you want perfect coloured floors you need to work with a HIGH-END flooring professional = NWFA Certified Sanding/Refinisher.

www.nwfa.org

Look for one nearest you. Bring them out and tell them your story. They will fix it for you.

G & S Floor Service thank you for the detailed steps. That is exactly what I wanted to know.

Is Varathane a good brand to use?

So do you recommend using a water based stain with water based seal?

Mixing oil based stain with water based seal isn’t a good idea?

Johnson Flooring Co Inc thank you. I found this blog online that says DuraSeal is preferred professional stain and can be used with Bona Traffic HD seal.

about water based poly:

https://theflooringgirl.com/blog/best-water-based-polyurethane/

seems like the technology and the quality and durability of water based products is improving very quickly

here are some tips on gray flooring, this flooring blog is just about the only one I was able to find regarding gray floors:

https://theflooringgirl.com/blog/new-gray-blended-hardwood-stains-duraseal/

live_wire_oakfunny, love your photos. I don’t disagree that light gray floors are a fad, however, I like them so much better than real wood color. It is just a preference. I simply never liked brown color. I would do white marble floors or light gray porcelain tile everywhere if the surface would be warm like wood or vinyl. But my feet are always cold :) Doing light gray wood-like planks was my choice because it brightens up the space and gives our rooms clean fresh look. I prefer cool tone over warm tone. I understand that real hardwood flooring is timeless and adds value, but whoever buys the house from us can change the floors to their liking just like we did when we bought it.

ps- the hairy carpet stairs photo is the best!!!

SJ McCarthy I had my suspicions that the flooring company used the wrong products, however every time I had someone over and they saw the yellowness they asked if it is was covered for too long. Does covering it simply speeds up the process ...the yellowing chemistry?

We used water based paint to paint all the trim and cabinets in the house, because the painter suggested that oil paints yellow overtime. The layers of paint are like a sandwich, the yellowing starts from the lowest layer, the one touching the wood. And overtime it makes its way to the top layer that we can see. This is only a real issue with light colors, especially white. I assume it is the same for wood stain yellowing process? Or is it the seal that causes the yellowing?

1. I’ve been told that they used white oak treads just like those you can buy at home depot. I am not sure what tannin pulls are, I am still learning the terminology...
2. the previous company is refusing to answer what products they used

When you say must use water based polyurethane that means the stain color is polyurethane or the seal is polyurethane? I am learning here. Thanks for patience.

Going to NWFA was the best advice I’ve gotten in the past year!

I will look it up to get …ahem…”a professional” for an estimate.

I wish I can just get the same continuous floor connecting with stairs. I ordered the matching vinyl treads but it did not look right, so we did not installed it.

The LVP we installed is shaw floorte pro CROSS-SAWN PINE 720C PLUS DISTRESSED PINE. I am a huge fan of LVP.

Although I agree with everyone who says that real wood is timeless and adds value, but I just hate real wood so much. It scratches easily, it fades, it is delicate, it is moisture-kids-pets sensitive... why deal with all of that when you can get more durable flooring virtually maintenance free.

I know people say that vinyl lowers the value of your property, but so does ugly scratched up hardwood flooring. And vinyl is not what it used to be. The technology is advancing and luxury maintenance free waterproof floors are getting more popular every year.

The company also makes this new product called "treadz" which is basically a vinyl veneer to put over an existing stair tread. They only make them with a very big round bull nose that goes ever a regular sized bull nose. I called the company and told them ...frankly, it is just hideous. If they would make a square shaped nose, not a round one, it would look better. Additionally, they don't have a good connection for the landings and last step... so you would end up with a double sized round bullnose on the steps and then a miniature nose on the landing and last step.. that just doesn't look right. Last time I talked to them, they were working on a prototype for this issue.

One thing I picked up from the flooringgirl blog website was that you should mix your own stain in order to match the floor color... therefore try white wash stain and black stain.

And I am not looking for a perfect match, just a very close color. Just like the wood planks aren’t all the same. Some are darker and some are lighter.

I’ve read not to use use a regular gray stain because they have too much

wood/warm tone in them and to achieve

cold light gray color you should mix white stain and black stain (7:1)

I've also read that professionals prefer Duraseal with Bona HD Traffic seal. Not Mirawax.

Once the product is selected, I should sand down the treads completely to raw wood, clean the steps, apply one coat of stain and then seal. The blog mentions that adding second coat of stain can make the color darker, you really only need one coat because that’s how the product is designed. The first coat penetrates the wood, and then polyurethane is designed to adhere to the stain. And if you apply a second coat of stain it will not penetrate properly, nor will the polyurethane adhere properly.

Is that correct? I also read that bona traffic is nearly impossible to apply correctly unless you’ve had training on how to do it.

Most of the wood refinishing companies don’t even touch water-based stains. Nevertheless they have very little or zero experience with light gray hardwood flooring. Light gray floors have been only trending for the last 5-7 years and majority of the homeowners still prefer dark flooring. Staining dark is a much easier process, and if the sealer yellows over time it won’t show or it won’t show as much as it would on light gray hardwood floors.

Kristi, we did use our vinyl planks up our stairs. Yes, the manufacturer's nosing is hideous and we were worried about exactly what has happened to you if we used another type of wood in our home. We sourced the aluminum nosing from Moduleo. (Europe and Australia are way ahead of North America in the use of LVP).

I love the look you have achieved with your risers and treads though, and wish you luck matching your stains.

Are you trying to attempt the refinish yourself or are you hiring a qualified pro?

lhmarmot Yes! I like your stairs. Very sharp! I prefer continuous floor and straight edges. I am European so I know all about how stairs are done elsewhere. That is exactly what I wanted to do, however, when I showed images of this to many flooring companies they gave me a deer in the headlights look.

In the States, very few people like to experiment and want to keep everything the same as they know it because if something is different they are worried it won't sell. They even think that having a stairnose is a must or code.

Whereas other countries don't even use stairnoses because it simply doesn't look good. I wanted to use DURASOL aluminium edges I think it is a German company. We used those on our tile but I couldn't get anyone to do it on stairs. The closest stair edging I found was too thick and commercial looking. We already had a contract with the floor company to do the job and when they brought those hideous vinyl stainoses to match the LVP I had to put my foot down. The best thing they could do is install real wood treads and stain it light gray but they messed it up anyway. I truly believe they used the wrong products.

At first it looked great, then it yellowed.

Was your Moduleo aluminum nosing specifically for those vinyl planks?

G & S Floor Service that is a good question. As a floor professional, what is a reasonable price to ask for 13 steps and 2 landings? Staining and sealing only.

Since they are already sanded down.

My current battle plan is to get some quotes. I already emailed two certified sanders/refinisher from the NWFA website. Surprisingly, there are only four companies in 50 miles radius. Is that something prestigious to be NWFA certified? And if they are certified, are they going to be extremely expensive?

Depending on the price, I would hire someone ...or depending on the steps I would possibly give it a try. I am just so worried I will mess up something and it will all peel off and I have to start all over again.

Million dollar question: how difficult is it REALLY... to stain the stairs yourself?

The difficulty factor comes in with hand tools to sand down the planks. And the planks have to be FINISHED with the right grit. Water popping is another step which you would have to learn. Then stain MIXING on the EXACT WOOD with the EXACT type of sanding and water popping (or no popping if it works out better).

You would have to learn the ENTIRE floor finishing business for a set of stairs. If you have several weeks of time on your hands and you have the extra wood left over from building the treads you can start your chemistry project. You will make (using your 5-6 extra planks you have lying around) a sample board. You will glue these extra planks down onto a piece of plywood lying around. You will then hand sand the sample planks using the three grit levels that you KNOW were used previously on your treads. You will then get out your 5-6 pots of stain (you will pay the full price for each pint). And you will start 'testing' patches. You will keep DETAILED records of which mixes you used and whether you water popped or not (which you learned during your spare time). You would write them down and number each and every patch you created.

Once you found the PERFECT mix...you would then find a water based polyurethane that has a great wear resistance. You will then replicate that on your treads...AFTER you find a polyurethane that suits your family's needs. High wear and slip resistance are EXTREMELY important on stairs.

I love the Loba 2K Supra AT. It is a 2 part product that is quite 'grippy'. It has the best anti-slip properties on the market. At $200/gallon it will be more than enough for your project. This product also comes in 1 Litre bottles. They run $80/litre or so. You could get away with 2 litres without a problem (13 steps is nothing for this product).

They you have to learn how to measure out enough Loba to coat the 13 treads. You will do this three times. Then allow to cure.

Again...this all depends on how much time you have on your hands. And how much you love to work on sample planks in your spare room. And how well you feel with mixing chemicals.

I always tell people to 'pay themselves' their hourly or daily wage for the ENTIRE process - including research (such as this forum). If you feel it will take you 2 FULL weeks of work (80 hours) to research, produce a sample board for your trials, learn all the techniques, and then create your samples and refine your technique, then apply everything you've learned you are welcome to figure out how much that will cost YOU to do it (ie. take time off).

And that doesn't count the MATERIALS you will need to purchase. The palm sander, the paper in several different grit levels (and their replacements...you will need several of each) and enough polyurethane for your project.

Personally I would hire someone to do it for me. It will be done in 3 days...including several colour patches for you to choose from.

And I'm someone who understands the PROCESS...but I'm super lazy AND I recognize the expertise it takes to get something done properly.

NWFA is a voluntary association of like-minded professionals who recognize the wood flooring world NEEDS higher standards in North America. Europe has had HUNDREDS of years of Guilds and Masters and Journeymen and Apprentices. North America does not. It is the wild-wild west and NO ONE is running the show. NO ONE.

Kristi, glad you put your foot down. Makes you wonder who thinks we would actually buy those? Nope the Aluminum edge was not specific to the planks - and boy did we get a pile of "deer in the headlights" looks too. Almost seems like Schluter should have something similar too, but when we put our floor in, 2 years ago, they didn't (I haven't looked recently). Had to have a German friend ship them to us as they do not sell in North America. Anything here was super industrial looking and ugly. I didn't want my stairs to look like a mall. The hoops we jump through to get the look we want...

If, you will have the stair treads sanded down and prepped for staining already. You might as well go all the way and apply the finishes. If, you hire someone to come out and apply the finishes. They would charge you for a sanding anyways. Simply because of a trust issue, regarding the quality of sanding. At least I would, I wouldn't want to be blamed for any flawed surface finish - roughness, swirls, and cross scratches. If, I am going to gamble. It would need to be on myself.

It is not that difficult to apply the finishes, once you figure out the mix you want to apply. Like SJ, mentioned, figuring out the product and mix will be time consuming for a custom mix.

The cost for your project will be a minimum of $1200 for a custom color. It would be a three day job. I would personally use gym paints mixed with stains. The paints are $150 per gallon for your small project X2 gallons, include stains, finishes and finishing supplies. That's half of the quote already.

As I mentioned earlier, use Varathane's sun bleach . It will be cheaper.

" DuraSeal is preferred professional stain and can be used with Bona Traffic HD "

That is correct. As mentioned above Duraseal has quite a few standard gray colors that can be used alone or mixed. They all come in a quick drying formula that is compatible with waterborne urethanes. It could be hard to find someone to do the work but the alternative is purchasing all the correct materials, which could easily mean buying large quantities of things that you'll only use a fraction of. If someone called me out of the blue and asked me to do a job like this I'd likely extricate myself from the situation. An independent floor finisher might be more accommodating but finding one with bleaching experience and the necessary color mixing skills could be a challenge.

Please stop with the bolding. It’s hard on the eyes, and it’s the Internet equivalent of standing in the middle of a crowded party shouting.

What you want can be done. To do it correctly, with the experienced pro that you need, will cost as much as the vinyl floor you’ve already done. I‘d suggest using the stair nosing provided by your manufacturer. Nosings on stairs are required

ProSource Memphis I did not realize what bolding means. When I write it is the default that my typing starts with. Thanks to you I just noticed it . You don't like it,...don't look at it, don't read it, don't comment on it... Good thing we can find trolls on any online forums. I will go back and edit all my comments, so I don't irritate anyone. I don't want to get in trouble with the online police. Peace out!

G & S Floor Serviceyou are correct. Thank you for your input. I already had a company telling me what you said about the sanding part. They would not accept anybody else’s sanding (preparation) process. They said it can be +/- $3500 and they are confident they can match the color. Other company quoted me $3000.

Sigh...I'm afraid your quotes are within reason for the project. What are your plans to recoup money from the first contractor to cover this?

The only thing I could add is to ask them if they'll do it on a T&M basis and if so, what's the hourly charge.

SJ McCarthythank you for your very long process description and NWFA suggestion.

With all the risks that proper preparation requires I think I just have to dodge the bullet and pay someone to do it. It really isn't just applying the stain with a brush kinda thing.

I emailed seven companies. Four from NWFA and three from neighbors' recommendations.

Just few moments ago I had one of them here to look at the stairs.

He is certified has all the proper training and certifications.

He seemed knowledgeable and explained all the steps. He will have to re-sand. It will be a 3-4 day job depending on how many stain coats are needed. He uses DuraSeal stains and Bona Traffic HD water based seal and has training to work with those. Each coat needs 24-48h to dry. Then he will have to do another 2-3 coats of the seal.

His professional opinion was also that the stairs did not turn yellow because of the covering, but they turned yellow because the previous company used an oil based poly. They might have also applied the seal when stain wasn't dry enough. He is almost certain that the amber coloring from the photos is oil based. He never heard of floors turning yellow because they were covered.

That being said, he told me I have a good chance winning a small claims court. That the photos should be sufficient. The stairs were first finished in March, we covered the newly stained steps with protective brown contractor's paper, since there was still construction and painting happening. In July we discovered that there is yellowing present. Since July I've been contacting the company to fix it. They refused because they claim that it is not a warranty issue since it is our fault that we covered them, and that is what caused the yellowing.

However, the best changes in court would be with two expert opinions. What I should have done was getting an inspector's report and document the yellowing properly. My mistake was sanding the stairs down before finding a new company. Now I cannot get an inspector to examine it. The reason I had my trusted carpenters to sand down the entire yellowed staircase was because our remodel has finished, and I didn’t want a yellow staircase in the house. I was also worried someone else wouldn't be as careful, and do more damage on brand new painted baseboards and stair skirts. Most importantly I knew sanding it down completely will be a huge mess and didn’t want all the dust on our stuff. I wanted to move into a clean house. Now, there will still be sanding just not as much as the heavy sanding. Even the walls were covered in sand. It was awful...

Johnson Flooring Co Inc thank you for all your suggestions. I was very happy to hear that the floor refinisher I had over today also uses DuraSeal & Bona. I will ask him about T&M once he gets back to me with his price. He also offers 2 year warranty. Which is better than 1 year. You are absolutely correct about buying the material, testing etc... I think this houzz discussion really helped me to understand the process and what it takes to do it right. It is not as easy as it sounds.

I found a certified wood refinisher that is going to charge me $1600 which is way more reasonable than $3300-$4000 range. He is charging $100 per step and $150 for each landing. I am going to give him a shot a hopefully agree on a date sometime in next month. Thank you all for helping with this process.

Awesome! So glad you kept looking!

It was definitely thanks to you SJ McCarthy that I learned about the NWFA!

lhmarmotI am still intrigued with the the moduleo profiles. I wish I could go that route but I've decided to give staining another a try since the stairs are already set up for it. However, if there will be another issue with it in 6 months or 5 years I am definitely going to do the vinyl all the way without nosing.

My question is how did you manage your treads be up to code? The floor guy told me it is not required to have stair nosing but your tread has to be minimum 10.5'' W for comfortable depth. Just like concrete stairs don't have nosing but they are comfortable size.

My LVPs are one of the widest, yet they are only 9'', which would required to put two pieces together and have a beveled edge (line connecting two planks) on the step and it would not look the best.

Yet, the stair profiles for the vinyl are so sleek and modern. Best solution out there: