Tread Staining Idea

[Meanie]

I am planning to add treads and risers to a set of stairs and thought of an idea, though somewhat unorthodox.

The bottom of the stairs starts from the living room/hall and the floor is Oak stained Honey Maple. The stairs lead to the bedroom with a Hickory or Red Mahogany Oak floor. I often thought of staining the treads Honey Maple and risers RM or vice versa but also thought about starting with the bottom tread and riser with Honey Maple and slowly increasing the darkness to the Red Mahogany. The problem is I have no idea how I would accomplish that or even if I really would want it. I just thought it may be pretty cool looking.

Think this is a weird or cool idea and think it's doable?

[Swingman]

Keep in mind that the lighter the color of the riser, the easier it is to see in low light conditions, and the less of a tripping hazard.

[Leon]

A couple of years ago we had lite ceramic tile on the first floor and light carpet on the upstairs and same on the stairs.

We went with dark hardwood steps and at the top a lighter laminate at the top, my wife's quilting studio. the risers are painted the same color as the trim. You cannot see the color change at the top of the stairs from the bottom.

[John McCoy]

Meanie wrote in news:nm911r$hf8$ [e-mail]:

I think it's a cool sounding idea...but I think at best it would be a royal pain, and at worst impossible to get a consistant graduation of stain colors. Easier to do with paint, but still a pain.

I also like the idea of maple risers and mahogany treads. I think that would be a good way to tie in the two different color schemes.

John

[BenignBodger]

Oh, I imagine that it would be doable, if a bit of a PITA, if you had a strict protocol and stuck to it. Start with a couple of graduated syringes and a number of plastic cups (the medicine dosing sort would work) equal to the number of distinct shades needed. The largest number would equal the number of risers+stairs. For the sake of argument, assume 20 although any number could be made to work and that we need 10ml of stain for each piece. Using a syringe measure out 10ml of stain A into the first cup then 9.5 into the second 9 into the third, and so on and so forth. Starting at the other end of the line and working backward with a new syringe measure out

10ml of stain B in to first cup and 9.5 into the second and so on. Now stir the contents of each cup using a clean stick for each. Now start staining and don't lose track of which cup is which. This could be made to work with any number of intermediate shades.

I never claimed that this would be easy, just the opposite actually, but it is certainly doable with accurate measurement. And there is no guarantee that any of the intermediate colors would look good but, hey, its only time and money.

[John McCoy]

BenignBodger wrote in news:nmb90q$hkf$ [e-mail]:

It's unlikely that any set of stains would work out linearly like that. It's far more likely that the middle shade would take something like 30% mahogany, and 70% maple, given that mahogany is a more intense colour. So there'd be a lot of trial and error to discover the right proportions.

Dyes might be a bit more predictable than stains.

And of course, all that presusposes very uniform wood, which takes stain consistantly, rather than some pieces taking more (and being darker) and others less.

As I said, somewhere between a royal pain and impossible.

John

[Meanie]

I think the riser one and tread the other will be the method I use. I agree with the graduating idea being a pain.

[Meanie]

Interesting approach but I agree with it being a pain. Considering the price of the treads, I'll opt for them being one color and the risers being the other.

Thanks

[Meanie]

Thanks

[Radey Shouman]

Suppose that the riser were two pieces glued together, say 30% (by width) mahogany and 70% maple, with the same transparent finish. Linearly vary the ratio from top to bottom. Or the OP could go completely nuts and use 3 pieces, 15% mahogany, 70% maple,

15% mahogany ... Would still be a bit of a pain, but more predictable.