Lacquer or paint for wooden elements

Lacquer forms a hard, transparent film on top of the wood. Water-based, solvent-based and two-component lacquers differ in hardness, smell and how much they warm the colour, but all of them protect by sealing the surface. Oil and hardwax oil soak into the wood and harden in the fibres, leaving a thin protective layer that still feels like wood rather than film. Paint is an opaque film: it protects much like lacquer but hides the grain.

• Stair treads: a hard floor lacquer or a hardwax oil; paint is more common on risers and stringers.
• Worktops and table tops: oil for easy repairs, or a hard lacquer for the best stain resistance.
• Wall panels and other low-wear parts: almost any finish works, and the choice comes down to the look.

A stair wears along a narrow line in the middle of each tread and on the front edges. A good lacquer resists that wear for years, but once the film is worn or scratched through, greyish marks appear and the bare wood picks up dirt. An oiled tread wears more gradually and looks used sooner, but it can be refreshed before the wood itself is damaged.

Slip depends more on sheen and texture than on the type of finish. High gloss is slippery, especially in socks; matt and semi-matt finishes give more grip, and there are lacquers with anti-slip additives made for stairs. Grooves near the nosing or a runner add grip where it is needed most.

This is where the finishes differ most. On an oiled surface a scratch or stain can usually be sanded locally and re-oiled, and the repair blends in. A lacquered surface cannot be patched invisibly: the damaged area, usually the whole tread or the whole top, is sanded and lacquered again. Paint can be touched up, but on a worn tread the touch-up often shows.

Solid wood can be sanded several times in its life, which is one reason it is chosen for treads and worktops: whatever the first finish, it can be renewed. A thin veneer or a laminate face cannot.

Every finish changes the wood. Oil darkens it slightly and brings out the grain. Water-based lacquers keep the wood closest to its raw colour, while solvent-based ones warm it towards amber over time. Oak also darkens in daylight by itself, so a finish ages along with the stair.

For a different colour, the wood can be stained or tinted under lacquer or oil, or painted. Very dark and very light colours show dust and wear more than mid tones. Always approve a sample made on the same species, from the same batch and with the same sanding, because a colour chart on paper or on another wood says little about the result.

A finish is only as good as the surface under it. The wood must be dry, clean and free of glue, and sanded through progressively finer grits without skipping any, because the finish magnifies leftover scratches. Before a water-based finish, the grain is often raised with a damp cloth and sanded lightly again. Sharp edges are eased so the film does not break on them, and treads and worktops are best finished on all faces, so they take up moisture evenly and stay flat.

Most finishes are dry to the touch within hours but reach full hardness only after days or weeks, depending on the product, temperature and ventilation; the product data sheet gives the times. Until then, treat the surface gently: no rugs or tape, no heavy furniture dragged across it and no standing water.

Each finish needs its own routine, and the walking line of a stair needs it first.

• Lacquer: dry cleaning or a well-wrung mop with a neutral cleaner, felt pads under furniture, and a maintenance coat when the walking line turns dull, before the film wears through.
• Oil: cleaning products made for oiled wood; re-oil worn areas when they look dry, more often on stairs and worktops than on panels.
• Paint: gentle cleaning and touch-ups, and a full repaint when the colour wears through on the walking line.