Thanks William, I think I am going to give that a try. I just found out
today that staining maple isn't a grand idea because maple doesn't stain
well (apparently will end up blotchy?). We did the floors in water-based
Varathane so having the stairs match would be fine. I tried sliding
across our hardwood floors this evening and it wasn't as slippery as I
thought. :-) Good call on the low-sheen though, I think I might do satin
for the stairs instead of semi-gloss (like we did the floors), for some
reason I think it would be even less slippery?

William Brown wrote:

I had good results with a low-sheen waterborne urethane. The steps
don't seem at all slippery. I didn't sand them really smooth and I
think the grain I left helps.

blue wrote:

Just about to sand and finish the stairs going from the main floor to
the upstairs bedrooms. The stairs are maple I believe (seems to be the
same wood as the rest of the house which is maple). My first thought
was to simply sand and Verethane but I can see this being a slippery
surface for stairs and with a child's bedroom upstairs, this is out of
the question. I realize I could simply add a carpet runner, but prefer
not to.

What other alternatives are out there that would provide me with
similar protection to Verethane but wouldn't be as slippery? I
wouldn't mind doing a coloured stain, but will this provide the wear
protection that stairs need? I read on some web site that "Minwax's
Polyurethane products have been tested for slip resistance", anyone
had any experience with this brand and slipperiness?

Suggestions welcome.




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In Saskatoon.
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