Staircase needs a smooth surface

[forp]

Hi all,
My previous post got mysteriously deleted so I am trying again. This is my first post as I am usually a lurker, so please bear with me.

I recently had my house rebuilt and the builder has recycled some old trunks from a garden for my indoor staircase. I love the look of it but it is hostile to bare feet when climbing it. It even rips socks.

I don't know what type of wood it is but I can find out if it helps. I tried sanding it with a grade 0 sandpaper manually, and it produced some dust. I assume it is quite hard. It helps a little but at the same time growing more splinters. I sand in the grain direction.

I have been reading and thinking, I am pretty familiar with clear epoxy which produce great results and it's quite strong. I plan to give the surface a quick sand. Then lay a thick layer of clear epoxy over it. This should make it easier to clean and also give it a better 'feel' when walking over it.

Please don't tell me to talk to the builder, otherwise I won't be here. I am a DIY person but I have limited woodwork skill still, I prefer to do the job. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Below are the pictures of the porcupine staircase...

[Master Splinter]

My initial thoughts...

If you sand them smooth, you are going to loose their weathered character, so be prepared for this. One of those nylon bristled wire brush things in a drill may be a better way to go, as it will be a bit less precise (following features) than 40 or 80 grit in a belt sander.

If you are going to epoxy them, coat all over otherwise moisture loss through one surface could lead to (more) cracking. Personally I think an oil coating such as Organoil or tung oil would be better than epoxy to keep a natural-ish look, and it's easier to maintain on timber that I think will keep drying for many years to come.

Also be aware that if they are real-from-a-railway sleepers they could still have creosote or other heavy duty 'death to all organic lifeforms' preservative treatment, which is not the sort of stuff you want to be dragging into your lungs or the rest of the house.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/f187/help-homemade-railway-sleeper-table-creosote-question-126177/
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f40/recycled-railway-sleeper-63181/
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f14/finding-chemical-contents-used-wood-9777/

[joe greiner]

IMHO, it would be unwise to make the walking surface TOO smooth, because of hazardous use, especially with wet bare feet, e.g. after showering. Whatever finish you use, I suggest deliberate roughening, or satin finish at best, to reduce the hazard. Similar advice applies to gloss-finish floor tiles in bathrooms.:oo:

Cheers,
Joe

[ian]

IMO you have two issues here

1) the sock trap
2) the uneven surface which when combined with stairs can be a killer -- I'd aim to fix this first

I think I'd pull the sleepers out and attack the top and front surfaces of each tread with a belt sander to get them even.
because of the wall, trying to sand the treads in place will be very difficult
I'd then fill the checks with epozy resin, clear or tinted
sand again
and then oil the treads
and reinstall the steps

[Gaza]

wire brush in grinder, followed by green pads by hand.


finish with oil applied by hand,

no need to fill cracks in you take the edge off them with the wire brush.

or get toughed glass to put over timber.

[forp]

Hi,

I can't disassemble the stairs as some parts are held by long screws and some stuck on with industrial adhesive. So epoxy is out since I can't coat them all over. So I have two choices now, which is the Organoil or Cabots CPF Water based. I like the Cabots CPF because of the shorter drying time(3hrs) between sanding and coats. I know it's not as hard as oil based coat but that's quick enough for me to do during this christmas holidays. So what do you think guys? Should I go ahead? Oh btw, Merry Christmas to you saw-dust breather.