Question. What do you recommend for a treatment on bare yellow pine stair treads and risers? I keep getting pointed in the direction of shellac, but I would like to keep the color of the pine without making them too slick. It’s for my elderly parents.
Answer. I’m assuming these are interior stairs. If that’s the case, we’d recommend sanding them, both to clean off any dirt and to open the grain. I’d start at 80-grit, then 100, then 120. Vacuum up the dust. Apply a product called ‘sanding sealer’, then hit it with two coats of water based urethane. A foam brush is nice for smaller projects. Shellac is not the right product here. That’s more for furniture and woodworking projects. While it has been used for a floor finish, it is tricky to work with. To add any more ‘grip’ you’d need to apply something to the tread. However, because of the way a foot lands on a stair tread (basically straight and flat) I’d spend more time on making sure your parents have an easily graspable hand rail than trying to make the treads ‘grippy’. Please let me know if this is helpful. Send me photos or a video of the space and I can give you some more suggestions. Thanks for checking in with us.
If you have home improvement or DIY questions, send us a note on Facebook, Twitter, or send us an email!
