Hi,
Following a loft conversion I have some new stairs - the banister wood is n= othing special (light coloured / pine) but I think I'd like to keep the woo= d effect by varnishing rather than painting over.
I've started by filling gaps with wood filler, next I'll sand down but from= there I don't know whether it would be ok to varnish right away or if it's= advisable to stain/oil or whatever first. I think the light pine colour is= fine as it is, as is the contrast level of the grain, so my instinct is no= t to stain. But then I've only ever painted woodwork before now so I'm not = sure if there are pitfalls to avoid here.
All advice welcome.
Cheers,
Colin.