Before (left) After (right)
So here are more of the before:
I stripped the stain on all the handrails it by applying Citrustrip on it and letting it sit for a few hours.
It is safe for indoor use and it supposed to be less toxic than some other strippers. After letting it sit, you are supposed to be able to use a flat edged tool and scrape it off. It worked ok on the flat pieces, like the top of the handrail, but was awful in the grooves. I only did the handrails and not the individual ballusters. Those were going to be painted white. I spent probably 9 hours stripped and then sanding. I sanded to get the remaining goo off and to smooth out the surface.
Looking pretty bare. Have never stripped anything, so it was hard to tell when I was ready for stain.
Eventually, I thought it looked good enough. I applied mineral spirits. Then went at it with Kona, a Rustoleum stain that I use a lot. After all the staining was done, I started painting all the spindles. They took about 3 coats of paint. I am really pleased with the final result!
Now I'm ready to pull up the carpet and do the stairs. That's on the to-do list.
