Hello,
Thanks ahead of time for all your great advice.
I have a dark brown satin oak hardwood flooring already installed. We are now replacing our staircase with maple tread and newel posts along with poplar balusters. The idea is to stain the treads handrail and newel posts and paint white the trim and balusters.

The question is, what sheen should we do the treads stain and paint to look well with our floor.

We do want the treads to stain a darker brown black than our floor and the balusters white as that seems to give an elegant look.

We have a choice between satin, semi,or high gloss in each.

Thanks so much for your help

Collin

To achieve the dark color treads you desire in maple you will likely have to stain three times 4-6 hours in between applications. Sanding marks in maple REALLY show up after applying stain, when it is too late. Be sure and carefully inspect each tread and riser (unless you are painting the risers) for sanding marks. 120 grit should be your last sand on the treads. Most wood manufacturers of treads sand them to 120 grit. However, some get dirty and need a little sanding touch up prior to applying finish.

It is probable you will need a penetrating stain as opposed to a wiping stain.
Even then you may not achieve the darkness you want.

After staining is complete and very dry, you could then apply two coats of oil based floor finish sanding very, very lightly using 180 grit in between the first and second coat, careful not to sand through the first coat and allowing at least 12 hours between coats. Of course you must vacuum with powerful suction in order to remove all the dust before each finish application. Be thorough or you will be disappointed at the finish roughness upon drying.

The other route would be to use LOBASOL, high impact oil / color applying it as many times as necessary. The product is very thin with little danger of building too much. The color builds with each application because it is mixed in with the finish. The final sheen is a natural satin sheen as opposed to a glossy satin sheen.

There are many advantages to this product, including the fact that it is a 100% green product. It is a two part product used on commercial and residential hardwood floors. The finish gets as hard as anything on the market commonly used to finish hardwood floors. The fact that the stain is mixed in with the oil and hardener means once the last application is complete and evened out all you have to do is wait for the finish to dry, usually 8-10 hours between coats and twelve hours before walking.

One great benefit of the product is that it has greater foot slippage resistance than a standard satin oil floor finish, a fact that makes it very desirable for stair treads.

Another is you can apply it with a roller or cloth rags as opposed to a brush and paint pad. Be sure and let it sit after application for 60-70 minutes to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Whatever method you choose, be sure and achieve the desired result on other maple boards before doing any applying to the actual stair treads.

Again, maple is a most difficult wood to stain and getting it as dark as you may want should prove to be a challenge. You may have to try something different than I have proposed, possibly using a brush for the first and second applications leaving the product a bit thicker. Pay attention to how much darker the wood is following the second application with the brush. You may have to do all three apps with the brush. I wouldn't do any more than four coats. Don't apply too heavy, but not too light. It is important for the finish to be able to flatten. If too little finish is on the brush on application, the brush marks will not go away.

l would match the paint sheen on whatever you are painting to the sheen on your painted walls.

Good Luck.

LOBA-Wakol.com to read up on. Contact them for additional product info and a distributor in your area.