Now, this was a PROCESS but it was SO worth it!!! Since moving in, I have been itching to redo our dated blonde oak banisters. I finally scratched the itch and got to working on it. I researched online on what would be the best way to do it and got some ideas. I learned of a product called PolyShades which allows you to stain over top of the existing top coat without sanding. My good friend RoShawn had a can of it and let me use it. I cleaned the banisters and got to work on staining it.
After two coats, I wasn’t too thrilled with the color. It was turning out too red. I had a thought to rub Ebony stain over the PolyShades before it dried. It worked!! It darkened the color and sealed it! Once completely dry, I went over it with some rub-on Poly Urethane a few times to add the final coats. It took over a week to get it all done but it was SO WORTH IT!!! I love how the color turned out. It adds a since of richness to the home and more dimension! The only thing I would change is to sand the banister first so it would stick a bit better. But over all, we are just loving our new banister!!!
Before: Out of date blonde oak
With two coats of PolyShades
The Finished Product!!
