Hey guys, long time since I've been here, but I'm pleased to see the forum is going strong. Haven't been here because I haven't had much time for woodworking these last few years. But I'm working on a project, and running into a small problem.
I'm replacing the treads on the stairs in my 100+ year old house. The old treads were pine 1x, totally worn out, multiple coats of stain, paint, etc. They have to go. Since it's 10 years ago I bought the house, I finally decided to do the job. using pine veneered treads to match the other woodwork in the house.
Job is going great, and I've got the first few treads installed, but discovered my standard finishing techniques might not be the best choice. I used a pre-stain conditioner, stained, and applied multiple coats of poly. I figure the soft pine needs a hard film finish for protection. Multiple coats of varathane, sanded between coats, and treated the final coat by rubbing out with steel wool and wax, and a final treatment with a beeswax based cream wax.
Finish LOOKS great, very smooth, very slick, very dangerous on a steep, narrow stairway with inadequate handrails. How do I get a great looking finish without the treads being overly slick and creating a fall hazard?
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