Finishing Oak Stair Treads

[Steve W]

I'm in the process of making new, quartersawn red oak stair treads for our house. When doing floor work, I naturally think of using some sort of polyurethane finish, but am wondering if a rubbed-on finish such as Danish Oil might look better.

I would assume that the disadvantage of such a finish is that I'd have to periodically reapply another layer, as stairs are a high-traffic area. The "thing" with poly is that it will get all scratched and won't look great when that happens.

Should I just stick to poly or try an alternative? And, no, I don't want to use a runner: I sorta promised Scott I wouldn't do that to his oak.:gar-La;

 

[sushinutnc]

At the suggestion of my brother who had good results, I used minwax semi-gloss poly for floors on my stair landing. The treads are painted and have a runner, so I can't say how it would stand up along a full flight of bare treads.

The runner does not cover the landing. I made it from solid oak flooring at least 3 years ago, and I really don't notice any prominent scratches in the finish. The oak grain in the solid oak is so bold, I think it may just be hard to see any scratching from 6 feet away. (As compared to the engineered flooring I have throughout the 1st floor, where scratches are very easy to see).

I also top coated the painted treads with the poly, hoping to increase the durability of the latex paint. That has really worked well, given that almost all of the wear on the stair is on the runner itself. I can see some scratching in the poly, but it's barely noticeable (and remember, this is against a solid color undercoat and using semi-gloss).

BTW, I see Minwax has changed their floor poly product line a little.

 

[junquecol]

The stair treads in our house are 30+ years old and still look good. I varnished them originally with Pratt & Lambert poly. Probably in the next twenty five years, they will need another coat.

 

[sushinutnc]

The stair treads in our house are 30+ years old and still look good. I varnished them originally with Pratt & Lambert poly. Probably in the next twenty five years, they will need another coat.

Bruce-- do you know the sheen you used? When I did my landing, I used semi to attempt to match the sheen of the main flooring that was already down (engineered oak). I was assuming satin would show scratches the least (and gloss the worst). Comments?

 

[Bas]

I'm not a big fan of poly on furniture, but for floors and stair treads, I don't think there's anything better. Re-applying Danish Oil would also be problematic because unlike a desk or clock, you'd have to really clean the treads and get all the dirt off. Also, remember that with all the shoe abuse, any scratches you'd normally see in the finish will end up in the wood instead...so it wouldn't look any better.

 

[Glennbear]

I would go for the floor type poly, unless household occupants routinely walk about in hobnail boots I do not think scratching will be an issue. :wsmile:

 

[Jeff]

We used a water borne Industrial Grade Satin product from Bona. The finishers applied 1 coat of sealer and 2 finish coats to the new oak floors and stair treads after the initial prep sanding. The Industrial Grade is considerably more expensive than their regular household grade, but it's one of those "get it right the first time" projects.

http://www.bona.com/en-gb/Global/TopMenu/BonaSystem/Floor-care/

A gloss finish will show every little bit of scratching, etc.

 

[scsmith42]

I'm in the process of making new, quartersawn red oak stair treads for our house. And, no, I don't want to use a runner: I sorta promised Scott I wouldn't do that to his oak.:gar-La;

<grin> Thanks Steve!

My own 2 cents.... I like the Bona products that Jeff provided a link to. If you use an oil-based finish, there is a poly product called "moisture cure" which is one of the most durable products. The water based Bona finishes have a great reputation too.

Whichever route you go, be sure to use a "NON-YELLOWING" finish! Most floor finishes will turn yellow over time, which gives the oak a mustard looking finish, and it becomes quite noticable in 10 years or so. The non-yellowing finishes resist this change.

 

[Marlin]

Yea I am making my own tread right now, maple not oak. Poly was the only thing to go through my mind for final finish.
I will probabel use a semi-gloss. Will have to do a couple samples and then let the wife say.

 

[jhreed]

"and then let the wife say. " Marlin, you are a smart man!

 

[zdorsch]

When working with poly I usually do a couple of coats with gloss and then the final two coats with a semi-gloss or atin. If I remember correctly I picked this up from this old house. It had to do with a higher solids content in the gloss, but the desire for a final coat that was not "shiny".

Zach

 

[kooshball]

<grin> Thanks Steve!

My own 2 cents.... I like the Bona products that Jeff provided a link to. If you use an oil-based finish, there is a poly product called "moisture cure" which is one of the most durable products. The water based Bona finishes have a great reputation too.

Whichever route you go, be sure to use a "NON-YELLOWING" finish! Most floor finishes will turn yellow over time, which gives the oak a mustard looking finish, and it becomes quite noticable in 10 years or so. The non-yellowing finishes resist this change.

+1 and to further clarify, anything labeled as aromatic will yellow worse than an aliphatic polymer.

Also, be careful to follow all handling and ventilation instructions with your chosen product but especially a moisture cure urethane. These types of products are extremely durable but often have free isocyanate present which is hazardous and can be really irritate your body.

All told any premium urethane sold for hardwood floor use will work.

 

[danmart77]

Yea I am making my own tread right now, maple not oak. Poly was the only thing to go through my mind for final finish.
I will probabel use a semi-gloss. Will have to do a couple samples and then let the wife say.

Just a note of caution: If you like the semi gloss or satin look DO NOT use it as your base coat. Put the first layer down in gloss. Its better poly and the semi on top will knock it down.

As another reply mentioned- Pratt and Lambert poly. Good stuff. This is a little bit "longer varnish" than the Min Wax stuff. Over the years, I have found the P and W poly to yellow much less than Minwax products. Just my cut. On maple the clarity is key. Put the extra bucks up for the longer lasting clear finish you won't regret it.

 

[kooshball]

Just a note of caution: If you like the semi gloss or satin look DO NOT use it as your base coat. Put the first layer down in gloss. Its better poly and the semi on top will knock it down.

Just be sure that you test out any finishing options on scrap before you do the final area. Although a matte top-coat over a gloss base will result in a mostly matte finish, it will not have the same appearance as if you put two coats of matte down. You can fine tune gloss through the base coat as well as the top coat, so just be sure you are happy with the combination before you lay it down on the stairs.