It was 3 years ago right after we moved in this house, that I decided to tackle this project that I originally posted about here. In fact, click on that post from last year for all the details on how I did mine. If you have those light oak railings and banister on your staircase, you might want to do this too. It was a really easy project!
These top 2 pics are the Befores and you can see the dramatic difference that stain makes below. The beauty of Polyshades is that it’s stain and poly all in one. I did NOT sand, prime or do any prep to my railings, I simply brushed on the Polyshades to darken and deepen the color of the stain and I’ve been really happy with the outcome.
My foyer table has come a long way too. See how light the oak railing is in the above pic?
This is After: Polyshades Bombay Mahogany applied.
I was looking for contrast with the floors, so I’m fine with the 2 different tones of wood.
This color blends very well with my older vintage pieces of furniture in the living room too.
And I love the darker, richer depth of the stain now. I’m so glad I did this one! So, I’m digging this project up again, because I met a new blogger recently who was inspired by my post last year to do the same thing at her house.
(Kate’s foyer, BEFORE)
Kate at Centsational Girl, mentioned that my project had inspired her to do something with her plain oak railings in her house too, so she has just finished this project and I thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce Kate to those of you who have not yet met her. Kate lives in CA, has fantastic taste and a wonderful DIY blog that you will totally enjoy. So, click over to her railing project too. You will love her entire blog and be hooked like I am!
And, AFTER
Check out what Kate has been up to with wallpaper and moldings too. What a change! I just love it all. Notice how she painted the bottom of the staircase molding white too. Click over to Kate’s blog for all the details. She will tell you all about how she did it and the color stain she used. Now, I want to go back and make mine even darker!
Hope ya’ll will also be inspired if you have those light oak railings. This is a great way to get an instant update for just a little elbow grease.
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I think my dated oak cabinets are in for a surprise.
I hope to take some time soon and go back in time through all of your great posts.
This post couldn't have come at a better time! We bought an old mantle this weekend (and by "we" I mean the mister…and I was SHOCKED! In a good way.
and it needs to be darkened a notch or two. Sounds like it could be Polyshades to the rescue!
I LOVE IT!!!!
Beautiful!
I did the same thing to our stair handrail. Only mistake is that I didn't sand it first so the mahogany stain has worn off…now I have to redo it. This time I will sand first!!
Rhoda…this looks great! Where did you buy the Polyshades? You may have mentioned that in your post…I'll go back and check. Really looks great! Susan
I like your darker stain. Kates foyer is absolutely beautiful and WHAT a difference.
I like the darker stain too. It gives a much richer texture and look to your banister. Good job!
Rhoda, great way to update your bannister,they look great. Simple and hardly no cost other than the labor, good advice! Hugs Kathysue
Your railings turned out beautifully. I did the same thing to my kitchen cabinets last summer.
http://embellishedbayou.blogspot.com/2009/06/kitchen-cabinet-re-do-diy.html
Seeing both yours and Kate's dark handrail against a lighter hardwood floor has really calmed down the constant anxiety I've been feeling since we decided on a hardwood color. We want light hardwoods (like yours) and our handrail is stained darker (somewhere between yours and Kate's). Love your blog!
Keep up the great inspiration!
So, I took your advice and bought this stain b/c I hate my oak railings. I tested a spot and it is very sticky. It’s only been 2 hours so maybe I need to let it dry like the label says??
How long did yours take to dry and was it sticky? And one of my dilemas is the backside of the railing. It’s screwed to the wall and it’s pretty tight between the rail and the wall.
What are your thoughts, if you have a second???
Thanks,
Reid
I was just curious if after time the stain rubs off and if you have to re-apply? I’m just curious because I’d rather go through the extra step of sanding if it would ensure the color staying on the wood and not my kids hands or whatever else.
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