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wooden handrails - advice
- Thread starter Julial
- Start date
Schoolmarm
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I deleted my comment as it wasn't informed advice. :roll:
JoceAndChris
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'marm! :shock: Your advice is always bang on, even though you aren't a professional!
Undaunted by 'marms sudden burst of unwarranted shyness I'm going to wade on in here with a lot less right than she.
French polish is lovely, lovely lovely, but extremely hard to do. I've watched Dad spend hours and hours doing it and even his is not that great I have to say. If your staircase is a key feature of the entrance I'd pay a professional. It would cost a lot ( I paid around 150 for a dressing table top, there must be 3 times as much work in a staircase, at least ), but it would be really beautiful.
Failing that, you could rub down what's there- we need a pic of what's there to really advise- and then apply a nice beeswax polish. This would be a similarly shiny finish that would build with time.
If you want a quick fix, I heartily recommend Liberon spray wax, in a can. It transforms wood in seconds.
Undaunted by 'marms sudden burst of unwarranted shyness I'm going to wade on in here with a lot less right than she.
French polish is lovely, lovely lovely, but extremely hard to do. I've watched Dad spend hours and hours doing it and even his is not that great I have to say. If your staircase is a key feature of the entrance I'd pay a professional. It would cost a lot ( I paid around 150 for a dressing table top, there must be 3 times as much work in a staircase, at least ), but it would be really beautiful.
Failing that, you could rub down what's there- we need a pic of what's there to really advise- and then apply a nice beeswax polish. This would be a similarly shiny finish that would build with time.
If you want a quick fix, I heartily recommend Liberon spray wax, in a can. It transforms wood in seconds.
Schoolmarm
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:lol:
I originally said, what about french polishing it then realised I didn't know if it was an authentic finish for stairs. :roll:
I originally said, what about french polishing it then realised I didn't know if it was an authentic finish for stairs. :roll:
jocelyn plummer
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Beeswax and elbow grease, by far the best!
Nigel Watts
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I dont know what the correct or approved methods are, but in my case (1840 townhouse with mahogany rail) I found that just leaving the rail after cleaning it up a bit achieved a good result.
If you sand the rail it will go very pale and if you then seal it will stay pale. If you leave the wood exposed to air and handling by people walking up and down it will darken nicely and develop its own patina, and you can wax with beeswax if you like. A bit "shabby chic" perhaps, but personally I prefer this to an over finished very shiny look. French polish doesn't like moisture very much, so I wonder how it would cope with lots of sweaty hands touching it?
If you sand the rail it will go very pale and if you then seal it will stay pale. If you leave the wood exposed to air and handling by people walking up and down it will darken nicely and develop its own patina, and you can wax with beeswax if you like. A bit "shabby chic" perhaps, but personally I prefer this to an over finished very shiny look. French polish doesn't like moisture very much, so I wonder how it would cope with lots of sweaty hands touching it?
JoceAndChris
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I must disagree with you very strongly there!