Hi,

I’d like to refinish a stairway, but it has very poor access around the balusters. In fact the access is so poor that it is difficult to even vacuum the stairs where the balusters meet the treads on the open stringer side due to the upper level framing. I can’t imagine sanding the treads and balusters in place.

Is it common to remove the handrail and balusters in this case and refinish these pieces in the shop? What’s the best way to remove the handrail and balusters to give full access to the tread and then reinstall.

If it’s not good to remove them, how would you go about refinishing the stairway (treads, balusters and handrail)?

I tried to attach a couple of photos (400kb ea) to show how much access there is, but got the wheel/dial of death spinning foorever.

Looking forward to your feedback,

Kevin