How to finish a handrail
I am finishing up in my central hallway. I replaced steps and risers, replaced missing spindles, stripped the mahogony handrail, etc. Now I am trying to figure out how to finish the handrail. My contractor put some mahogony stain on part of the handrail to supposedly even the color variations of pieces of the handrail,…
I am finishing up in my central hallway. I replaced steps and risers, replaced missing spindles, stripped the mahogony handrail, etc.
Now I am trying to figure out how to finish the handrail. My contractor put some mahogony stain on part of the handrail to supposedly even the color variations of pieces of the handrail, which was a mess. I had him sand it off and now I am back to mahogony. I am interested in having a nice finish that reveals the wood, is fairly sturdy and not at all glossy.
My contractor says put polyurethene on it, no sealer. My staircase guy says put two coats of sealer on it, sanding it, and then add a coat of lacquer for a protective finish but not shiny look.
I am tired of mistakes, in fact I am just tired and want to get this thing done right without having to be done over. AGAIN.
As always, your help and feedback is very appreciated. Thank you.
The shellac acts as a primer/sealer. The varnish alone tends to raise the grain, so you’ll end up sanding between coats.
donatella…please send me an e-mail…KCorey616@aol.com
Again, I’m sorry to be so late in replying. I have always used shellac as a prime coat. Call me…718-499-5698
Ken, I hope you are still looking at this log, can you tell me if shellac without a varnish topcoat looks OK. Is it better with the varnish?
what do you think? Thanks, Donatalla./
Sorry to take so long in replying…Shellac (the oldest of all finishes) is a natural finish made from the lac bug. It is alcohol-based, so it dries quickly…about 10 minutes. Varnish is also a very old finish, but takes longer to dry…4 hours to 12 hours…depending on the manufacturer (look at the directions on the container) The best brands a “Varathane”, “Old Masters”, or “Sikkens”. All of thses are probably still available from Janovic in N.Y. Please, don’t use polyurethane! Poly is a much newer product and has that “plasticy” look. It is not as durable as varnish, and can peel with age.
Tung oil (there are 2 types) and Danish wood finishes (there are a lot of colors) are nice, but they require constant touch-ups (depending on the usage). I don’t remember if Danish wood finish is still available in New York…there was a V.O.C. question a few years back…check with Janovic for the answer.
The shellac/varnish reco is good and will give you a beautiful finish. If you want something a little less labor intensive, consider satin tung oil–very similar to the Danish oil.
The good thing about both these products is that they’re super-easy to use (wipe it on with a rag)and you can put on another coat whenever you think the finish is looking a little worn. I put fresh coat of tung oil on my mahogany handrail about once a year. I also used it on the spindles/balusters–again, easy to do with a rag.
Good luck.
Regarding the testing of handrail material, the handrail for the central staircase is the original, so I have to test on the actual railing, which is mahogany. The new railing/bannister which will be in my duplex will be oak and not very expensive, so I will definately want to do something different and can certainly test on some of the scraps. One of the concerns that I have about the original is that it is naturally dark and once upon a time, this thick sturdy bannister was in a much bigger space, (before the parlor was walled off from the hallway), so it is a little bulky for its current space and I didn’t want it to look to black, shiny or in your face, like a big black shiny log, which is where it was headed at first.
I appreciate your comments. Don’t worry about the “snarky” thing — I HAVE been breathing a lot of fumes, and I AM tired, and can definately benefit by any help you have for me. I am always grateful to my fellow brownstoners. Thanks.
I have always used Watco danish oil when the wood is very attractive and I want a very natural finish – The oil soaks into the wood and you can builds a very soft luster by applying multiple coats, and rubbing it in. Nothing bothers the finish, as I used it on a mahogany dinning table top that gets daily use and is exposed to water, alcohol, lemon juice an a myriad of other substances and it has held up very well and still looks good 5 + years later.
At the risk of sounding snarky or sarcastic (which is not my intention in this case), can I make one suggestion? Regardless of whichever finish you choose, your contractor should have raw scraps of the wood remaining after the installation. You might wish to use a few of said scraps to try various finish choices on before you go whole hog on the railing itself. You might even consider taking the scraps to an old school paint store and asking them for their advice. Home Depot won’t do be useful but an old timer will be able to point you in the right direction.