Staining and finishing square rail balusters before installation?
Hello fellows DIYers,
I was wondering if anyone had done all staining and finishing of plowed hand rails, square balusters and plowed shoe rail prior cutting and installing them?
What are potential issues that might arise using this installation method? balusters not fitting plowed channel? Visible nail holes, etc.???
I prefer doing it this way to avoid fumes from staining and finishing inside the house cause of small kids with allergies. My plowed guard rail, plowed shoe rail with squared balusters will be installed on a knee staircase wall inside framed opening (all drywalled ). I am planning to secure balusters with brad nails and glue inside the plow and attach fillets with glue to eliminate nail holes on finished product.
You comments/advise is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Replies
I almost always stain before install as I find it easier overall. When I sub out painting the painter usually prefers to stain in place. Both methods are perfectly fine as you install a stain matched filler after finishing. You will need a stain marker or a little stain on a rag for your saw cuts.
Prefinishing is so the way to do this. You'll save a lot of trouble.
What about applying clear protective finish of polyurethane? Can this also be done prior installation? Will polyurethane interfere with touch up process?
Thank you for clarifying that.
Absolutely. A lot of finishers will do one coat of poly prior to installation. After installation, they fill the nail holes with Color Putty or whatever they're using, then do the second coat of poly. This keeps the sheen over the putty the same as everywhere else and helps hide the holes better. Personally, I'd use de-waxed shellac such as Zinsser SealCoat as a first coat rather than poly. It dries fast and is less toxic. The de-waxed part is important though. Regular shellac has wax in it that can keep other finishes from adhering. For a finish, I'd use a wiping varnish/tung oil blend like Waterlox or Watco. It's a lot easier to use a wipe on finish on an installed balustrade then it is to brush on poly. You will have more odors from the wiping finishes though.