Hello World! So, as a lot of you know, I’ve been working on a huge staining project. It’s finally all done and ready for you to lay eyes on. The Banister:
Here’s what she looked like before.
Builder’s grade oak banister. Went to Lowe’s and picked up some Minwax Polyshades Bombay Mahogany. The Minwax Polyshades has stain and polyurethane combined so it is a one step process. In order to get the closest match to my door, I applied two coats.
I love how it makes the paint stand out a little bit more. It looks so much better with our door and our little hutch in the entryway. And, I so need to get those chairs recovered. What do you think? Do you like the darker stain? If anyone still wants to join the Make it Pretty Monday party, it is still live. Click here to go straight to the party. Anyhoo, wishing all a grand Wednesday. And, remember to be kind to one another.
Toodles,
Kathryn
Kathryn
Sharing this at these lovely parties
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Between Naps on the Porch
My Repurposed Life
wow! that looks awesome
i bet it makes you smile everytime you go upstairs and downstairs 
huggies***
smartmomma
I like the dark stain better! nice job!
I love the darker stain. It is so much richer looking! I love it and you did a great job-xo Diana
I like it much better darker, Kathryn! Makes a big difference, too!
It looks much better darker and really "pops" next to the white spindles. What type of fabric are you thinking of covering the chairs in?
Kristie, I'm not sure yet on what fabric yet. And, I really don't want to do this particular project. lol. Toodles, Kathryn
Your before pics look like what I have! You are giving me the push to do it! I love the dark stain!
WOW what a huge difference!! Love it stained darker!
Kathryn: Oh, my goodness, I can't tell you what a difference that makes. It was just beautiful before but now it is over-the-top beautiful. Good job..Happy Wednesday..Judy
I love it! What a great transformation!!
Wow, what a difference. It look's great.
so gorgeous, and sooooo much better! What did you use to strip it with? what a job!
Who needs art when you have a staircase like that? Just beautiful!
Gloria
Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
Sherry
Your banister looks amazing. The stain really gave it a rich tone. Thanks so much for stopping by today and leaving me sweet notes about the Flower Pot Thimble Necklace and the Put on a Happy Vase posts. Hope you have a great rest of the week!
Blessings,
Nici
Wow it looks amazing!
The banister looks awesome! I would love to attempt something like this but would have to do the stairs too…maybe one day. Great choice on the stain and it coordinates so well with the door.
It is stunning! What a transformation! Did you have to sand the whole banister? I am asking because this is on our "to do list" also, but we have been putting it off until cooler weather because we need to do the front door also. Thank you for the beautiful inspiration!
Thanks for sharing your banister! It looks incredible! So much richer to go along with your decor. Very, very nice!!
Thanks also for hosting each week! It is always fun to be here!
Have a great week, Kathryn.
Meegan
Your banister looks fantastic! I definitely like it better with the dark stain. Kudos to you. I know lots of work went into this project, but it was so worth it.
The dark stain against the white paint is a stunning contrast I really like this
I LOVE the darker stain, Kathryn!!
It matches your decor better and gives off a very rich look!!
Beautiful!
Hugs,
Debbie
Stairs look awesome. Would love to sit on them with coffee and read a lovely romantic novel.
Hi, I can't imagine how much taping you must have done for this project. I think it looks great. No fabulous! I am just shaking my head at the work involved. It makes it look like you repainted everything. Very smart move. Thanks for sharing. Ginger
The darker banisters make the entire room "pop"! Love it!
Ooh, I love your banister turned darker!! Thanks for giving the inspiration to try this on something I've been wanting to do.
i love it! funny how turning it darker made it so much more warm and inviting! you did good, girl! xoxo, tracie
It does look really nice and very striking! I don't envy that job though….we stained our deck this spring and all those spindles were a pain to paint! This looks like a lot of work but it paid off in the end!
Wow! Your right – the dark stain looks amazing and makes the white paint look very classic {for lack of a better word}. I really love it. It must have taken a long time and a lot of effort, but it really does look fantastic!
What an amazing difference a little bit of stain can make! It looks fantastic now!!
Jeannine @ The Concrete Cottage
I absolutely prefer and LOVE the darker stain! Gorgeous!
Bombay mahagony from Minwax is one of my favorite stains. The rich color of your banister is beautiful and really warms up the room. Great job!! This is actually a project on my to to list as well and this just motivates me to get started on it even quicker. Thanks for sharing! Visiting from Between Naps on the Porch.
What a difference…I love it! Hugs, Penny
Looks great!!
Hi Kathryn: I love the darker stain on the bannister. It looks so much richer..Happy Tuesday..Judy
Holy cow! That looks Ah-MAZING! I love the darker stain, yes, definitely a good choice over the light. Well done!
Debbie
Just gorgeous, you did a fabulous job!
XO
Kristin
WOW! what a huge difference! SOOO much better!
My hubby wants me to do this to our bannister. Did you have to sand down first? I love your look. Now I want to do it to ours.
Did you sand the old finish prior to staining? I've been contemplating a similar job on our stairwell bannister, then painting the spindles white. Not sure if I'm up for the job or if I should hire it out.
Hello, new follower here! I would love to have you link up with my Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/clever-chicks-blog-hop-2-featured-post.html
I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick
Beautiful! What a difference that makes – so dramatic and lovely!
I totally LOVE the after!!!
Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!
The darker stands out so much nicer! Great makeover.
Fantastic color choice!
Kathryn, This rocks! Oh, I love it! Your beautiful staircase was begging for you to do this! Love it!!! Our foyer staircase banister is dark, but could be darker as in mahogany. I've got to check into this. Thanks for sharing, Helen
That really looks great! Love that rich, dark color and the contrast with the white spindles and trim. You did a great job. I would've spilled it all over the place! Thanks for sharing at Gettin' Krafty With It!
This looks amazing! I'm staining our new staircase banister in mahogany too. Makes such a statement. I love the woodwork on your stairs as well!
That railing is sooo pretty!! I love the contrast it brings into the room!
I featured this on my blog today:
http://christinasadventures.com/2012/10/sunday-features-93.html
And I pinned it too!:
http://pinterest.com/christinasadven/20-below-features/
Your banister turned out SO lovely. What a difference
Thanks so much for linking up to my link party last week. I hope to see you again this week 
Have a great day!
Shannon
Sewing Barefoot
This turned out great! I found your blog on Southern Lovely and I am your newest follower. I would love for you to follow me back so that we can continue to share ideas. Looking forward to more posts!
Sarah@
http://www.blissfulbucketlist.com
Hi! What steps did you have to take to strip the old finish? Taping, sanding, etc? I've got to do this!
Hi Amy! I didn't strip the oak stain off, just a light sanding. When going from a light stain to a dark stain, there is no need to strip completely. However, if you are going from dark to light, one would need to strip completely. And, I'm one of those freaks who does not tape because I'm a freakishly neat painter/stainer. To recap: light sanding, sponge clean, stain – 2 coats. Stand back and be happy. Toodles, Kathryn
amazing!!! you can barely see the oak banister! great job!
LOVE it!
gail
What a huge difference. I will be featuring this tonight at my Fall into Fall party that opens at 8pm EST. Please stop by and pick up an I've Been Featured button. Thanks.
Well, on my to-do list too…and I'm dreading it, but I really want to do this. Thanks for the inspiration and courage! It looks wonderful, Kathryn!
Great job Kathryn! I used the black polyshades on my kitchen cabinets
Sharing on my facebook page! 
~ Julie
WOW.. What a difference! Looks so grand now!
Hi Kathryn,
I love the way you did the banister. It is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing with Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party last week. This weeks Link Party is opened at
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/10/almond-sugar-body-scrub-and-wednesdays.html
from Wednesday until Sunday.
Hope to see you there.
Debi Bolocofsky
Adorned From Above
http://www.adornedfromabove.com
The dark stain looks great! Did you have to do any additional prep for this?
I think it is totally fabulous! What a job! You did an amazing job and I love it…it does make the ballisters just POP with the white…Lovin it darlin….TFS