Best coating of Oak Stairs

[revelation]

Hi all

 

We are having an oak staircase going in. But the stair won’t be treated. After they go in we still have trades coming in including boarding and skimming. So we’re concerned about the stairs getting stained or marked.
 

We wanted to immediately paint/spray the the stairs with a clear coat of something so it brings out the oak but also protects its. And we’ll also cover the stairs with some  protective material too. 
 

What would be the best stuff to use for this purpose that’s long lasting and will look good?

 

 

 

[nod]

5 hours ago, revelation said:

Hi all

 

We are having an oak staircase going in. But the stair won’t be treated. After they go in we still have trades coming in including boarding and skimming. So we’re concerned about the stairs getting stained or marked.
 

We wanted to immediately paint/spray the the stairs with a clear coat of something so it brings out the oak but also protects its. And we’ll also cover the stairs with some  protective material too. 
 

What would be the best stuff to use for this purpose that’s long lasting and will look good?

 

 

 

I boarded and plastered ours myself But still chose to fit the oak staircase afterwards 

It’s very difficult not to damage oak with wet trades 

 

Like many on here I used Osmo oil for all oak 

[joe90]

2 hours ago, nod said:

I boarded and plastered ours myself But still chose to fit the oak staircase afterwards 

It’s very difficult not to damage oak with wet trades 

 

Like many on here I used Osmo oil for all oak 

I did the same ?, if you get plaster/cement in wood grain it’s almost impossible to remove.

[nod]

31 minutes ago, joe90 said:

I did the same ?, if you get plaster/cement in wood grain it’s almost impossible to remove.

I agree Joe 

They get absolutely destroyed 

[recoveringbuilder]

Buy yourself a cheap staircase from howdens or jewson (£120) it will be money well spent and don’t fit your oak one until everything is done, trades won’t look after it like you would and it’s bound to get damaged.

[nod]

26 minutes ago, recoveringbuilder said:

Buy yourself a cheap staircase from howdens or jewson (£120) it will be money well spent and don’t fit your oak one until everything is done, trades won’t look after it like you would and it’s bound to get damaged.

That’s exactly what we did 

[revelation]

My builder said I’m better off skimming up to the oak string.  So it’s got a nice finish, so you’d advise getting it skimmed up first. 
 

Then installing the staircase, so how would it be finished along the edge? Caulking? Will that crack over time with movement? 
 

 

[Redoctober]

2 hours ago, revelation said:

My builder said I’m better off skimming up to the oak string.  So it’s got a nice finish, so you’d advise getting it skimmed up first. 
 

Then installing the staircase, so how would it be finished along the edge? Caulking? Will that crack over time with movement? 

 

 

Hi @revelation our oak staircase was fitted after the skimming / plastering  had been done like others above. Some images to show that the finished product was just as good as if done the other way round. Ours has been in place for over 2 year snow and there are no signs of cracking etc. The second image shows the section under the stairs leading to the understairs cupboard. Hope this helps.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by Redoctober
tidy up

[Bitpipe]

6 hours ago, recoveringbuilder said:

Buy yourself a cheap staircase from howdens or jewson (£120) it will be money well spent and don’t fit your oak one until everything is done, trades won’t look after it like you would and it’s bound to get damaged.

 

+1, our oak stairs went in 6 months after we moved in. other advantage is there is no guesswork on the FFL top and bottom so they should fit!

 

It's not just wet trades, dropped tools etc will create dings and scratches.

 

Our engineered oak flooring went in ahead of painting as skirts etc needed to be fitted. I covered it in 3mm corex but it still got damaged - paint spills, knife marks (where the decorator had cut the corex away so he could paint the door frame and a big deep scratch from god knows what. Only evident when protection lifted and all trades long gone.

 

 

[revelation]

Thanks for all the advice all, we will get the plaster/skimming all done before hand.  We will try to delay things for as long as possible to get the stairs in.  Once we do we will clean and seal with Osmo asap and then will get them wrapped and covered as best as possible.  

 

I will be painting and fitting skirts myself, but the second fix for electrics and plumbing still need to be done.  We have had a loft conversion so have 2 staircases to contend with.  

[Bitpipe]

11 hours ago, revelation said:

Thanks for all the advice all, we will get the plaster/skimming all done before hand.  We will try to delay things for as long as possible to get the stairs in.  Once we do we will clean and seal with Osmo asap and then will get them wrapped and covered as best as possible.  

 

I will be painting and fitting skirts myself, but the second fix for electrics and plumbing still need to be done.  We have had a loft conversion so have 2 staircases to contend with.  

 

Try and encourage your 2nd fix trades to take boots off at the door if possible. Grit and stones in treads will likely penetrate your protective layer and scratch the wood.

[revelation]

On 17/02/2021 at 14:21, Bitpipe said:

 

Try and encourage your 2nd fix trades to take boots off at the door if possible. Grit and stones in treads will likely penetrate your protective layer and scratch the wood.

 

I have had issues before in this situation, where they say they need boots on 'health and safety" which I guess is a fair point.

 

 

[Bitpipe]

9 hours ago, revelation said:

 

I have had issues before in this situation, where they say they need boots on 'health and safety" which I guess is a fair point.

 

 

 

Yes, your health and safety based on the smell of some trades feet

 

[jack]

You can buy bulk plastic overshoe protectors for not much. 

[revelation]

20 minutes ago, jack said:

You can buy bulk plastic overshoe protectors for not much. 

 

True.. that will deal with dust but not massively with stones etc in the shoe tread.

 

Regards

[jack]

1 hour ago, revelation said:

True.. that will deal with dust but not massively with stones etc in the shoe tread.

 

For sure, but somehow you need to come up with a solution that allows for protection while ensuring safety.

 

That said, I couldn't get most trades on my site to wear even basic safety gear. I think maybe 20% of them (mostly the frame builders) wore steel-toed boots. Most refused to wear masks or hearing protection even when using insanely loud machines. I even had one guy shake his head when I tried to hand him eye protection while he used a diamond saw to cut concrete. Crazy. 

[revelation]

10 hours ago, jack said:

 

For sure, but somehow you need to come up with a solution that allows for protection while ensuring safety.

 

That said, I couldn't get most trades on my site to wear even basic safety gear. I think maybe 20% of them (mostly the frame builders) wore steel-toed boots. Most refused to wear masks or hearing protection even when using insanely loud machines. I even had one guy shake his head when I tried to hand him eye protection while he used a diamond saw to cut concrete. Crazy. 

 

I appreciate the advice, I have two main builders who are fairly sensible as far as the right foot gear, ear protection and eye protection when needed.  I am hopping that all my plumbing work, plastering and first fix electrics are done before the stairs go in, then try to manage the rest.