Before and After Gel Stained Stair Rail

It is FINALLY done. I can't believe it. It took me forever. This is the before. All the houses built after 1970 in the midwest seem to have this golden oak colored trim ALL over the house. Picture this rail with the peanut butter colored paint that was originally there. And that brass chandelier? Ugh, when I get my hands on the builder that's responsible for this. I'm sure he's at Home Depot buying brass ceiling lights (aka boob lights) by the case right now.
So I had to sand and sand and sand. The first whole day was sanding.

I basically took off the shiny finish, because the golden oak stain was so deep in the wood, it would not come off. And I'm not about to go chemically stripping this thing. So I worried how in the world to cover the top part, which I wanted to be deep brown, you know, the kind of brown that looks like years and years of lived in layers of deep. I tried a regular stain on part of it, and it wouldn't penetrate because the wood wasn't completely taken down to a raw stage. It was gummy and awful and I did a test patch and ended up sanding it totally off. So...gel stain was the answer. Minwax. Hickory.

I brushed it on and wiped it off according to directions. I loved the color it was before wiping it off and was bummed when I wiped it off and it was too light. So I brushed on a layer and didn't wipe it off. And then I waited 24 hours (like the can says) to let it dry. And it didn't dry. At first. I was totally panicking. Then, finally, after about 48 hours, it was totally completely 100% dry, like rub your hands all over it no tackiness at all dry. Awesome! Then polyurethane. And then...the balusters. Ugh. I thought they'd be the easier part because it's just paint. And it was easy, actually. It just took FOREVER. It didn't help that my intern is in full on potty training boot camp and every time I climbed up the later and dipped my paint brush into the paint, she yelled that she had to go potty, so I had to climb down and help her. Oh, and speaking of brush, I used the tiniest brush ever for the balusters because the curves are a bitch to paint and it's high gloss so every stroke shows. Ugh. Anyway, enough blabbering. Want the after shot? Here it is!!!

I'm ecstatic. It turned out so pretty. Please picture this with hardwood floors, by the way. That's next on the to do list. This summer.

I'm trying to show you the finished look without showing anything embarrassing in the room just in case I post this on Apartment Therapy and all the commenters see my brass chandelier and start freaking out like over-excited honey badgers.

Also, the handrail on the opposite wall is still golden oak. No idea what to do with it. Also dying to tear out the old fake berber carpet off the stairs. That should be an easy project, right? Ha hahaha.