With all the questions I've been posting lately, some of you can guess that I'm gearing up for summer.

In the very near future I will be painting the stairs leading to my second floor bedrooms. I will be painting the treads and the risers white, then I'll attach a runner. I'm concerned about the painting.

In the past I have tried painting a wooden door that was stained many years ago. I put 3 coats of Kilz primer on it and then put 3 coats of Valspar High Gloss White. My problem was that the white paint kept on turning a light shade of brown. I can only assume the wet paint was softening the stain and allowing it to mix with the white.

I'm pretty sure that my stairs are red oak... possibly with a clear finish on them... and/or possibly stained. I sanded one with a palm sander and the reddish-brown color only lightened. It never turned into a "natural" or pine color. The risers look to have a few coats of a dull white on them. Possibly a flat white.

I sanded one of the risers with a palm sander and then put on two fresh coats of Valspar Semi Gloss White. It looks good, but I'm not sure if a light brownish tint is popping up in places. It may be my eyes playing tricks on me, but I'm not sure. Is there anyway I can avoid color bleeding through new white paint in this situation? Should I be using any kind of special paint for this task? Thanks.

mypaintbidfree

Hello Logan176,
Your efforts will pay off and it sound like your trying to do it right. Sanding is very important, cleaning and use a tack cloth to remove any dust should be the last step in preparation. Use a high quality stain/sealer primer, solvent is fine (you should not have to use three coats maybe two). Light sanding between coats tack cloth and a couple of coats of waterborne enamel with a good brush should stay nice and white for years. Allow each coat to dry before repainting. Remember, the right professional painter can save you lots of time and give you great, long-lasting results!
Enjoy your summer,
MyPaintBid, free estimate

logan176

Okay, I'm about to start the project, but now I think I'm going to go without the runner. I may paint the stairs dark brown or black and use white on the risers. What is water borne enamel? Is that the type of paint I should be using or is there another type?

mypaintbidfree

Sanding is very important, cleaning and the use of a tack cloth to remove any dust should be the last step in preparation. Painting of stairs could become very slippery and a non skid added to the floor & porch enamel will help. Cleaning of the stairs with a non skid is a little bit more difficult however, consider your safety first. Black or brown will wear on the edges faster and if you have bare wood now you may want to stain the wood black or brown and top coat using a waterborne urethane. Waterboarne finishes tend to be harder finishes and do not amber or yellow in time. That would be a key in using a white finish for your risers or stringers. You can also add a non skid to your stained finishes. Hope this helps.