Please help with stair stain!

5 years ago

After countless hours researching stain to cancel out the red/pink in red oak, we finally chose Carbon Gray. We tested on several samples and found a light coat with an immediate wipe gave the best result. we shared this with our contractor and the photo on the right shows the treads after flowing those directions. As you can see there are some “blotchy spots.” The photo in the left shows “correction“ of those spots but now the stain is darker overall and there are lighter blotches😫. I really could use some opinions please. We have waited so long for this addition and want things right. Thank you!

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Comments (5)

SJ McCarthy
5 years ago
Ok...first thing first...NEVER do two coats of stain. Sand down and redo. The splotch on the right is from someone sweating. Yep. Water opens up the pores of the wood and allow MORE stain to go into that spot. A damp rag sitting on the stair is a great way to get a splotch like this. Another is a sweaty knee. Or a sweaty palm (will look more like a hand than anything). Or sweat drops from the forehead. Or....you get the idea.

Your 'fix'...lightly sand the colour off and try again. The second attempt (the left pics) is absolutely not acceptable. Thankfully they messed this up so badly that they need to take this back down to raw wood. They attempted to add MORE stain with a second coat...which is a BIG NO-NO.

Good luck. This is why stairs can be triple the price of wood floor refinishing...that's assuming you have someone who knows how to deal with wood/stairs.
PRO
G & S Floor Service
5 years ago
Stair treads have small surfaces. Easiest fix is to redo the tread. Based on the left image, the entire set needs to be redone.
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millworkman
5 years ago
"The photo in the left shows “correction“ of those spots but now the stain is darker overall and there are lighter blotches"

I would have concerns that your "floor finisher" actually thought he could fix the stain by adding more. That into itself is scary.
PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
5 years ago
I wouldn't call that "correction" it's a "total screw up". Should have left it alone after the first coat, now you live with it... Re-do as others suggested... or Cover with some good quality Berber carpet.
PRO
Holm Renovations
5 years ago
So I did the same thing the first time I did my stairs. The problem was that I left "stuff" on them and didn't get it sanded completely. The spots that are darker are where it absorbed the stain, because nothing was preventing it from getting through. The lighter spots are from there being "stuff" still on them so the stain couldn't get through to the wood. So its uneven.

Unfortunately the other commenters are correct. If you add more stain, it still wont reach the wood if the old stain and shine is preventing it from getting there. You need to sand it down again, and make sure nothing is is on them before adding more stain. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but its the only way to completely get the even stain desired.