# Finishing Pine Stair Treads/Risers



## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

In general, I would avoid getting advice from blogs. The reason is they show what worked for them, but sometimes it worked _in spite of_ what they did, rather than _because of_ what they did. But since you read it and are asking for advice now, it's fine 

You can use an oil. Also, you can use a waterborne alkyd, which would be my choice. An oil primer is not necessary either. I just avoid oils when I can for obvious reasons. A high quality wood primer and then 2 coats of a waterborne alkyd will do you very well if you want an alternative to oil. After drying, it can take 30-60 days for full hard curing before it should get an abuse though.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

When you say "can" hope you do not mean spray can!
There's just no logical reason to use oil. Just a whole lot more clean up trouble.
Zinsser 123 primer and Alkyd or Enamel with give you a rock hard easy to clean surface.
Enamel dries faster, once it hardens it's tough to even sand it.
Pine treads are soft and will damage easily.
Replace them with oak and they will last several generations.
Got a real picture of your stairs?


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Just to clear up Joe's terminology:

By alkyd, maybe he means waterborne alkyd? Because "alkyd" means "oil".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkyd

Waterborne alkyds are water based paints with oil in them.

As for enamel, this is such a bad term, I wish it were stricken from paint terminology forever. I assume by "enamel" Joe means "acrylic", i.e. water based paint. But that's not true. The best connotation for "enamel" is probably "shiny". This is just further confused by manufacturer labels such as "flat enamel".

Then there is latex, which basically means acrylic - don't get me started....

Under no circumstances would I consider interior acrylic paint to form a "rock hard" surface. That is for the oils to do.


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## emmyshaw (Oct 14, 2014)

Oil based paints are much better to be used on high-traffic stairs. They are more likely to last than water-based paints.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I tend to use Ben Moore's Satin Impervo Water borne and it dries as hard as oil and is much easier to work with (as in clean up)


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## AlphaWolf (Nov 23, 2014)

Hey hope i can shed some light for you. 
Copy from jeff

Waterborne alkyds are water based paints with oil in them.
not true. We all know water and oil don't mix ill just leave that alone

As for enamel, this is such a bad term, I wish it were stricken from paint terminology forever. I assume by "enamel" Joe means "acrylic", i.e. water based paint. But that's not true. The best connotation for "enamel" is probably "shiny". This is just further confused by manufacturer labels such as "flat enamel".

Enamel is a fine term. It has nothing to do with the sheen at all. Enamel is just 1 of the many hardeners used in paints. Acrylic does not mean water based. Acrylic is a type of hardener as well but unlike enamel it does not dry brittle such as oil its meant to me more flexible.
Then there is latex, which basically means acrylic - don't get me started....

Latex means waterborne. 

Now on to your stairs oil or latex. In my honest opinion your best bet is Epoxy. you can get it from Sherwin Williams. I recommend Pre-Cat Waterborne. 

Pre-Cat just means pre catalyzed so you don't have to add 2 parts together just open the can and go to work. The joy of waterborne is it will be easier to clean up and smell less. This product will be stronger than any latex or random oil u buy from any store. This includes TremClad Rust Paints Exterior oils and so on. If you want more information on this paint just ask in your thread and ill give you any information u may need. Best of luck.


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

AlphaWolf said:


> Hey hope i can shed some light for you.
> Copy from jeff
> 
> Waterborne alkyds are water based paints with oil in them.
> ...




Im Assuming that Jeff is using the term 'oil' as a synonym for alkyd. 

What are you suggesting that a waterborne alkyd is? Clearly water and alkyd resins can and do mix, that's the whole point of modern coatings like Advance and NexTech. 



I suppose by "hardener" you mean resins. In general acrylic resins are waterborne and alkyd resins are solvent borne. Waterborne alkyds are simply waterborne coatings that contain alkyd resins. I have never heard the term 'enamel' used to describe any actual ingredient in paint, only as a term used to describe the finish characteristics of a dried paint film as in Jeff's link.


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## AlphaWolf (Nov 23, 2014)

That's makes no sense. As enamel comes in all sheens. Has nothing to do with sheen. U can get enamel in oil latex urithanes and more. Its a type of resin as u like to call it that causes it to go hard and more brittle than say an acrylic.


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## AlphaWolf (Nov 23, 2014)

Either way off topic. I highly recommend u use pre-cat waterborne epoxy.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

AlphaWolf said:


> Either way off topic. I highly recommend u use pre-cat waterborne epoxy.


From what I was reading, it is not intended for use on wood surfaces


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## AlphaWolf (Nov 23, 2014)

I have used it on cabinets. Stairs just like he is doing. Wood doors. Wood trim. Nothing wrong with it at all. Most durable product all around for that type of work.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

AlphaWolf said:


> I have used it on cabinets. Stairs just like he is doing. Wood doors. Wood trim. Nothing wrong with it at all. Most durable product all around for that type of work.


Again, in Your opinion, not the manufacturers


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## Millertyme (Apr 20, 2010)

I used Ben Moore satin impervo on my stairs. It's an oil based paint. It's truly the best paint I've ever used. No comparison to the water based enamels out there. At least the ones I have used. I used this with a bit of penetrol and applied with a micro fiber roller. It looks like plastic it is that smooth. On a side note, i agree with alpha. I believe that enamel refers to the hardness of the paint not a sheen. Which is why it is often used on woodwork and high traffic areas


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## ront02769 (Nov 28, 2008)

Here das enamel seems to means any hard paint. That said, for years and years and years people bought water based or alkyd "gloss enamel" and used it to ain't the risers on their stairs and it was fine. Just did it two years back for my son, Benny Moore imperceptibly enamel white, lots of traffic plus 90 lb. Alaskan malamute no worries. Ron


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## AlphaWolf (Nov 23, 2014)

That why I recommended the paint I did. And I know I was right about enamel but ty for agreeing. As far as all the product we have told you all are very strong and will work. But once again the pre cat epoxy will be 3 times as hard and durable as any paint any 1 else recommends. I do this for a living I know what will work where and how. Paint recommendations on can are for safety measures to not be sued. Pre cat WILL work the best. Yes its not made to paint large excesses of sub traits that allow moisture in and out. But your stairs will be perfect. Once it drys and cures. Unlike latest or oil that dry from evaporation epoxy dries from a chemical side. It will be much harder easier to clean and mar resistant than any other product of its class. I'm only here trying to help. What a paint supplier said is fine but what it can do is 2 different things called marketing.


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## AlphaWolf (Nov 23, 2014)

If you want me to go into more detail of why it will work any why they say not to use it on wood I would be glad to.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

AlphaWolf said:


> That why I recommended the paint I did. And I know I was right about enamel but ty for agreeing. As far as all the product we have told you all are very strong and will work. But once again the pre cat epoxy will be 3 times as hard and durable as any paint any 1 else recommends. I do this for a living I know what will work where and how. Paint recommendations on can are for safety measures to not be sued. Pre cat WILL work the best. Yes its not made to paint large excesses of sub traits that allow moisture in and out. But your stairs will be perfect. Once it drys and cures. Unlike latest or oil that dry from evaporation epoxy dries from a chemical side. It will be much harder easier to clean and mar resistant than any other product of its class. I'm only here trying to help. What a paint supplier said is fine but what it can do is 2 different things called marketing.


There are a few of us here in that category and I don't think anyone else would disregard the manufacturers instructions and then tell the DIY's to do the same.:no:
I doubt that is all there is to it.


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

AlphaWolf said:


> That why I recommended the paint I did. And I know I was right about enamel but ty for agreeing. As far as all the product we have told you all are very strong and will work. But once again the pre cat epoxy will be 3 times as hard and durable as any paint any 1 else recommends. I do this for a living I know what will work where and how. Paint recommendations on can are for safety measures to not be sued. Pre cat WILL work the best. Yes its not made to paint large excesses of sub traits that allow moisture in and out. But your stairs will be perfect. Once it drys and cures. Unlike latest or oil that dry from evaporation epoxy dries from a chemical side. It will be much harder easier to clean and mar resistant than any other product of its class. I'm only here trying to help. What a paint supplier said is fine but what it can do is 2 different things called marketing.


The pre-cat epoxy paint is good stuff but most people can't get over the smell, or the price, :laughing: And BTW, it's substrate, not sub traits.


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## AlphaWolf (Nov 23, 2014)

The price is the same as any high grade paint also typing on my phone so it auto corrected funny on me sorry. Smell is not that bad used way worse.


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## ric knows paint (Oct 26, 2011)

steppinthrax said:


> I have been doing some major re-painting of my home. In addition I have found this blog on people who tear their carpet out to find Solid wood Pine stair treads and risers. They then sand, wood putty and stain them to look beautiful. My wife and I hate carpeted steps because they are hard to clean and the new carpet looks like hell after 3 years of stepping.
> 
> Essentially the steps are ripping out the old carpet. Removing nails staples, sand with various grits and stain the steps.
> 
> ...


Hi Steppinthrax,

Where to begin?...where to begin? First, Minwax wood putty is fine. I think the one you're referring to is an acetone containing material that dries very fast and hard. It's a good idea to sand the board first to remove any rough edges, or splinters, around the nail holes allowing for a more flush application. Personally, I prefer to use Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty, but that's because I'm basically lazy (and it works great).

Second, Oil based Rustoleum (in a can) is fine for use on primed risers, although you have plenty of other choices - and each comes with it's own unique advantages, and equally opposite disadvantages. Oil based paints (in your particular instance, we are using the terms "oil" and "alkyd" synonomously), have the advantage of greater impact and abrasion resistance - but, are relatively slow dry, tends to yellow over time, and can be a little more labor-intensive when it comes to "touching up" dinged areas. Risers don't get walked on, so you may not need all the protection a product like Rustoleum Oil is going to offer. Risers will be kicked - and any paint (oil, alkyd, acrylic, water-borne, water-based, epoxy, pre-cat, post cat, and on, and on, and on)...(and on) will mark when kicked with hard shoes. Any of the products mentioned thus far will work, but I'd choose to use an acrylic for the simple reasons that they dry faster, clean up with soap & water, will stay white over the years, and - when necessary - touch up far better, and easier, than oil based paints or water-borne alkyds.

Now...the next part of my response is more directed to the discussion from the other responders regarding your post...

To begin, the terms alkyd, oil and enamel are not synonomous. I don't know where you live, but you're not going to be able to find a true oil-based coating nearby, and what you've selected (Rustoleum), is an alkyd. An oil/alkyd to be more technically correct. As it relates to paint, all alkyds contain oil (thus the reason many use the terms synonomously). 

A true oil based paint is just that. Oil. Straight oils aren't around very much anymore 'cause they take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to dry - and longer to cure. Linseed oil is the most common, but there are several others that are sometimes used depending on the environment. 

Water-borne alkyds are....(ready for this?)...alkyds (as described above) that are borne (carried/suspended) in water. They are not "water-based" paints with oil added (although, there are such products as alkyd modified acrylics, or alkyd modified latex, borne in water, but those aren't the same thing)...(confusing, huh?). Water-borne alkyds have been around since the 50's, but are now becoming popular in the architectural realm due to the constantly changing VOC targets. Water borne alkyds are alkyds borne in (primarily) water instead of (primarily) petro-solvents. Once the solvents (water & petro-solvents) evaporate, you have an alkyd coating on your surface with all the advantages, and disadvantages, of an alkyd coating.

Tis true that oil and water don't mix - unless you introduce emulsifiers that level the tension differences between the two. Thus the reason acrylics, vinyls and other "latex" type resins are sometimes referred to as "emulsions".

As JMays stated, enamels are not components . Enamel is a descriptive term that indicates the hardness and impermeability of a coating. It is very much a useful term in industry (although it has been way over-used), and should (and will) never be stricken from the industry vernacular. Enamel, as it relates to paint, is hard, and reasonably inflexible...limited in application to those substrates not subject to rapid or extreme expansion and contraction.

Latex kinda means "water-borne" - but "latex" does not necessarily mean "acrylic". There are many resins that can be described as latex. Latex_ is_ a marketing term, derived from the word "lattice" due to the micro-porous property of this coating that has the look of lattice when magnified.

Pre-cat epoxies are OK products. Most "pre-cats" are actually epoxy esters, and provide some advantages in certain situations - specifically, increased abrasion & chemical resistance. If it is a water-borne, pre-cat, epoxy - it is actually an epoxy modified acrylic. If it's solvent borne, it is actually (or usually) an epoxy modified alkyd.

Finally...Neither alkyd nor acrylic "dries" (cures, hardens) by solvent evaporation...actually that's not true. Solvent acrylic does. Acrylics (as it relates to latex) cures by coalescence, and alkyds cure by oxidation (solvent evaporation is only one step in the curing process). Epoxies cure by chemical cross-linking (part "a" + part "b" becomes "c"), and epoxy esters cure in similar fashion. But an epoxy ester film is processed within the host resins curing mechanism.

SH!T...I think I just out-did myself.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

SH!T...I think I just out-did myself. 

I do believe you did! But it is worth copying down somewhere to answer a multitude of questions that come up here( and elsewhere) THANKS:thumbsup:


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## ric knows paint (Oct 26, 2011)

chrisn said:


> SH!T...I think I just out-did myself.
> 
> I do believe you did! But it is worth copying down somewhere to answer a multitude of questions that come up here( and elsewhere) THANKS:thumbsup:


Thank you, Chris…this topic kinda ties in with our other discussion at PT. My stair risers and treads are kinda the same as the OP's - though my treads are carpeted, the risers are painted with Davis Perfection Satin White (HVLP applied).


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

Yep, the true linseed oil pants have been pretty much gone for a while. If memory serves I read they started to go towards a more solvent based paint in the early 1900's. Before that the old linseed oil pants would flake away much like a stain is supposed to. Once enough of it flaked away you just recoated it. The newer paints that were solvent based produced more of a film. They were cheaper and might look a tad better for a while but you had more chipping and had to be scrapped a lot more than before.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Welcome back Ric. and thanks


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## ddesigns (May 6, 2012)

Prime risers. Paint risers with white water based paint. Fill holes on treads with the wood filler you mentioned. Sand treads with a sanding pad if they are not in too bad of shape otherwise use a more aggressive palm or orbital sander. Wipe off treads with a lightly damp cloth. Let Dry. I use Minwax Poly for floors in waterbase. This is a great product. It will dry faster than oil and you will not have to deal with the fumes. You will need to put on at least 5 coats. It is much thinner than the oil but dries to a nice finish. Lightly sand with a sanding pad between coats. This is what I do in my houses. Pine treads are soft wood but if they are old and original to the house you might want to keep them. Replacing with Oak would be favorable but that is a lot of work. Good luck.


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## JMDPainting (Sep 7, 2009)

chrisn said:


> I tend to use Ben Moore's Satin Impervo Water borne and it dries as hard as oil and is much easier to work with (as in clean up)


I just used that very paint this week for the fist time in my 32 years painting. I have used the satin impervo oil before but not the water borne. The customer had bought it for the trim. I loved it. I was very impressed by how nicely it brushed on and how smooth it looked when dry. Seemed very durable as well. Excellent paint.


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## robertjmjrs (Apr 1, 2015)

*painting pine stair risers*

What do any of you think about using a clear epoxy coating. It is recommensed ok for wood but not wood floors because I think the clear is not UV proof.This epoxy is from Aeromarine products. It isn't cheap but it does go a reasonably long way because none of it goes off to evaporation. I do add about 15% acetone to get excellent wood penetration and believe that it probably does evaporate, but the product itself is low VOC, ok in Calif. and has no smell, unlike some horrible epoxys. There is a two to one mix of resin and hardener. This is the same stuff used on garage floors, on fabric to make fibreglas, and to pour thick clear countertops. 
I wanted something to use on redwood fence posts where they go into the ground / concrete and board ends where it weather rots. It dries so strong and penetrates wood so well that if two very wet pieces get pushed together, the flat parts become one piece. In taking them apart, one piece will lose about 1/4 in of wood ripped out. I am installing the third set of posts and many boards for my redwood fence around my house and want these to be my last. I ended up painting the entire new posts, 2 X 4 rails, and the redwood kick boards because they looked so beautiful. It takes painting over perfectly, and can be used to coat over a non loose existing paint.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Robert you may be better off starting a new thread. Sometimes people see the date on old ones and don't go there.


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