A job that no one likes is refinishing the spindles on the stairs. Years ago we decided to give our dull-looking natural-oak spindles a more stylish appearance. We painted the spindles white and stripped the handrail of the banister so it would accept a walnut-oil base stain. This new treatment really gave the stairs a new dramatic look.
We went for, and got, the Tara Gone with the Wind look, except in the one-tenth-scale subdivision version.
The entire task sounds easy enough and, what the heck, it shouldn't take that long either, right? Wrong.
The first thing we had to do was to fix the spindles themselves and the newel post at the bottom of the stairs. Over the years, as the children got bigger, they used the post to make their U-turns into the kitchen. With each year their added weight took its toll on the post and most of the spindles all the way up the 13 steps.
The challenge here was how to tighten them up. The stairs were covered in carpet and the newel post was inaccessible from below because of the finished ceiling in the basement.
At this point we also considered veneering the stairs with oak and using a runner or, alternatively, just replacing the carpet. Why, you ask? Well, the only way to fix the banister so it would last was to fix it properly. The constant wiggling had made the holes that the spindles sit in bigger, and some of the dowels inserted into these holes had actually been crushed, making them loose. The spindles farther up had simply been wiggled so often that the glue had just let go. Hence, one loose railing and one big job. Just walk over to your stairs and give the rail a shake and watch how far the movement travels up the stairs. See, I told you.
Simply regluing the spindles will not solve the problem. To do a proper job, the carpet needs to be pulled back and the spindles removed. Tip: To do this, the entire hand rail needs to be removed. Depending on the age of your house you may be in luck and find a metal plate running along the top of the spindles holding them in position. If it's an older house they may all be nailed into the hand rail and supported in position with wooden spacers also nailed in. That's even a bigger job.
To do a permanent repair you'll need to redrill the holes in the steps. (This makes the hole round again, but don't let it get too big.) Drill the hole so a dowel plug will fill it when it's glued in, making a tight fit. The length of the filler dowel should be flush with the top of the step, giving you a new surface to work with.
Sand off the old glue from the dowel on the spindle ends. These ends will probably be inconsistent in size. Before you drill a new hole to accept the spindles make sure the diameter of the hole matches the dowel portion of the spindle so when it's glued back in it is a nice, tight fit. Tip: You may have to use a variety of drill sizes and some spindles may need to be replaced or fixed. To repair any broken spindles, flush off the end the dowel came out of, find the centre point, redrill and glue in a new dowel that matches the others. When installing the spindles be sure to use a good quality wood glue.
As for the newel post, counter sink a #12 wood screw through the post and into the bottom step and plug the hole with a matching wood plug. Tip: Set this plug in dry, do not use glue. When the newel post starts to move again you can remove the wood plug and tighten the screws or even go to larger ones to keep it secured. Remember, this is where it all starts.
Before you start your repair it would be worthwhile to price out new spindles for the job or call a professional to quote on it. It may not be worth all the aggravation doing it yourself.
John Sillaots is the Host of In The Workshop on HGTV Canada. For more information and great ideas check out http://www.intheworkshop.com or http://www.hgtv.ca