Noob Question - Finish for Stained Steps

[Robert LaChance]

Hello all,

I am a novice at wood and finishing, so please be gentle with me!

My wife and I have undertaken to redo our staircase. It was covered in carpet, but we have stripped that and have already sanded, pre-treated, and stained the existing steps. They appear to be southern yellow pine. Specifically, we have been following this blog as our "blueprint."
http://inmyownstyle.com/2011/01/my-foyer-staircase-reveal.html

We used oil-based Minwax regular stain. Which leads me to our next step: what to use for the finish? I did not just want to blindly follow the above blog and use the Zinsser poly. Instead, I would like to hear from you experts what would make the most sense for finishing these steps. Factors that are important to me: cost, performance, time, and smell. And by smell, I just mean the smell from oil-based products. I still can't use my oven or dryer because when I use them, a kerosene-like smell is created. The gas guy (and google) said that the oil vapors in the air (from all the staining) have caused this, and it will take a long time for it to go away. But if oil-based is the best way, then so be it... we'll find a way to make it work!

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful insight, and remember I have very little knowledge, so if you use too much industry-speak, I likely will not know what you are talking about! :)


--Robert

[Rich Engelhardt]

My wife and I have undertaken to redo our staircase. It was covered in carpet, but we have stripped that and have already sanded, pre-treated, and stained the existing steps. They appear to be southern yellow pine. Specifically, we have been following this blog as our "blueprint."Chances are, the Zinsser oil based poly they used is no longer available - which is a blessing of sorts.
I used that product and it was the nastiest smelling material I've ever used. Your concerns there are well founded.

For pine w/knots though, I'd recommend a coat or two of Zinsser Seal Coat prior to whatever finish coat you end up using. Pine knots have a tendency to bleed sap no matter how long the boards have been in place. The Seal Coat is a dewaxed shellac product and it will seal the knots. It will also seal in any residual odor from the oil based stain and pre-stain too.

Last floor I finished I used Varathane oil based poly.
It stunk pretty bad, but, it went on real nice after I thinned it down 10% w/mineral spirits.

IMHO - that was the last time I'll use a solvent based floor finish though.
All my research points to Bona water based finishes as being the best thing going these days for floors.
Home Depot should carry the Bona.

[Robert LaChance]

Thank you, Rich, for the good info! Looking at the Bona products, they do look like they would be perfect. But I see there are several different types. Any suggestions out there for which one might be best for this use?

If I am understanding the Bona products correctly, it looks like Bona Mega might be able to be applied directly to the stained wood without the use of a sealer. (But I am not sure if I can get this product as a residential customer.) Then, there is the Bona noncommercial products, FloorPoly and FloorPoly HD. It looks like that maybe these would require the sealer to be applied before the finish.

Any suggestions on which Bona product would work best? Thanks!

[Robert LaChance]

Also, I see that Bona makes sealers too: BonaSeal, Bona Amberseal, and Bona DTS. I've read the online information, and I can't tell if these are compatible with my oil stain. If they are, would it make more sense to use a Bona sealer for use with the Bona finish?

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'd stick with Zinsser Seal Coat - a dewaxed shellac - for a sealer regardless of the product used as a top coat.
The reasons being you've commented on an odor still coming from the stain and that the steps are pine.
The dewaxed shellac will kill any and all traces of the odor and in the event there's any sap in the pine, the shellac will seal that in 100% also.

The Bona sealer - or any waterborne material for that matter - won't kill the odor 100% and it won't be 100% effective in sealing in any possible sap the pine may have.

Pine is notorious for weeping sap for years and years.
Better safe than sorry.

Besides, Zinsser Seal Coat is a premium product anyhow so it's not like you're giving anything up to be safe.
Seal Coat should be fine under either Bona Mega or the Bona consumer product you can buy at Home Depot.
.