"AL_z" wrote in message
...

Has anyone got any preferences regarding a clear finish for a wooden star
rail? I made the rail from pine and stained it with "old pine" stain. It
looks rather nice, but I think some kind of final finish might be in
order.

The firs time I did one of these, I used yacht varnish. I vowed to use
something different next time. I didn't like the feel of the yacht varnish
somehow.

What about some kind of wax? Or would that feel sticky to the touch? (I've
never experimented with wax finishes before.

I do have a tin of teak oil somewhere. That might be an option, yes?

Thanks

Al

In my experience this is a case for the diamond hard polyurethane: and,
conveniently, that comes in 'old/antique' pine: though try some first, as
I've noticed some are a nice brown colour, and others rather over the top
yellow. Especially if you have some nice grain on the stair posts - polish
it well with sanding paper first: comes up a treat. Eggshell is what I
generally use, but on those post tops some gloss shows off the grain to
perfection.

Ordinary varnish always feels tacky and picks up the dirt - especially on
those posts! -, but the diamond hard feels nice and dry and is fairly easy
to clean. You don't really want to wax or silicone type polish, unless you
particularly want the kids to use it as a slide: it is there for *grip*
after all: you don't want your granny to fall when she goes to grab the rail
with her gloves on.

S