Expert: Greg Scholl - 7/8/2009

Question
We recently had new maple stairs installed. Used painter recommended by stair builder and he basically painted on the stain. It looks terrible and is blotchy (leopard spots on veneer). I've got a quote to sand all the solid wood pieces but no one will touch the blotchy veneer given its only 1/16" thick. What is the best way to fix the veneer? Is there a stain remover you can recommend? How do I approach the sanding? Thanks

Answer
Hi Erwin, I'm surprised there's any veneer at all on a staircase...the best way is not to sand at all, but to strip the finish chemically. Then you won't risk damaging the veneer, and you probably won't have to sand much, if at all. Power sanding off a finish and/or stain will gouge the wood and will be difficult to do evenly, and you should expect that the finished sanding/stripping job will NOT render the stair case new looking, so then there will be another set of variables in getting it to look right. Also, trying to find someone to fix someone elses mistakes is always difficult, especially if you're asking them to strip an entire staircase, and it will be expensive!....and there's no guarantee all the stain will come out, especially if it's a reddish tone....did you have a sample done first? This is imperative to do with any color critical job. NEVER plow right ahead with a critical staining job without doing a test area first. Also, if you're staining a dark tone on Maple, you will have a hard time trying to eliminate the "blotchies", as this is the nature of the material. There are ways to minimize them, but it involves the proper types of stains,maybe a wash coat of sealer, possible "toning" and sealers and clear coats that will not be the realm of a Painter, typically, but the realm of a professional finisher. Going backwards is always a MUCH larger job than going forward in a measured and calculated way, knowing the path......wish I could help more, post back if need be- Greg