| Stair Finishes
Let me tell you about one of my favorite finishes for stairways. Most stair manufacturers, I think, would call this a "paint grade" stairway. I think of it as a traditional stairway. In this scheme, the newel has clear or stained finish to match the finish on the handrail and treads. The balusters are painted white as are the the risers, the trim stringers (or mop board). The beauty of this finishing scheme is that the stain and painted portions are alternating - stain, paint, stain, paint. There is something quite lovely about the way that a stained tread, a stained handrail or stained newel will "pop out" next to the other painted elements. The contrast is very pleasing to the eye - or at least to my eye. (Pic below left)
Compare this approach to a stairway that is completely stained. Now I'm not saying it is never appropriate to have a stain grade stairway, but in most cases I think you will agree that the "paint grade" version is more satisfying. In an all stained stairway, the elements are lost among each other because all is stained. On the other hand, in a paint grade stairway, the stained newel, tread and handrails are highlighted by the painted balusters, risers and stringers. I think you'll agree that the contrast of the elements help to enhance the whole.
This principle is not true of stairways only. Other architectural details are just as pleasing with this alternating technique. Consider this column detail (below) that I added when I knocked out a wall separating my living room from one of those useless front rooms so many older homes were designed with. I added the half wall just to make a visual separation between the two rooms. The columns are, in fact, load bearing - carrying the weight of the two ceilings. The mahogany columns have three coats of an amber shelac finish. I did not apply any stain. There is also a mahogany accent strip in the light box with the same finish. Everything else is painted a slightly off-white with a semi-gloss sheen. It's very nice if I say so myself. A glaze would be an added visual treat but I think I'll talk about that in another section. See Jeff Jewitt's book on applying great finishes.
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