Hi all,
I am replacing the carpet on our stairs with Mahogany treads.

I have stained them with Transtint red mahogany color. I have a couple questions:

1) Based on what I read, after I stained the wood with Transtint, I should seal the wood with a thinned down solution of dewaxed shellac. However, on this forum, people tend to use Zinsser right out of the can without thinning. Is there more advantage to do sealing this way rather than using a thinned down solution?

2) I would like to finished the treads with Bona Traffic semigloss, then cut to size just before installation. Would Bona finish be prone to chipping during cutting with table saw? The reason I would like to do this is I want to spray the finish on. This way, I do not have to worry about taping or be careful if I were to apply Bona traffic after the treads have been installed.

3) How well would Bona traffic be to be sprayed? Anyone use this method?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Xeu

Thinning shellac isn't necessary in your application.The purpose of thinning shellac for a sealer coat is to allow the wood grain to remain only partially open so that the wood can easily accept additional stain coloring. Sometimes , a thinned shellac is used to allow a coat of stain to penetrate soft woods more evenly.Pine and Maple are two good examples.

Pre finishing the treads and cutting may lead to chipping on the edges. Use a very sharp and good blade like a DiabloI've never sprayed Bona Traffic.I'm sure it is possible but I can't tell you if it will work or not.

I am doing the exact same process, staining and finishing my treads prior to install. Cut your treads face up with a sliding miter saw and you shouldn't have any chipping or splintering. Provided you are using an appropriate blade as indicated above. Cut face down on table saw to cut to length. Blue tape the face of your table saw to protect the finish.

Bona Traffic indicates no sealer is required. I understand sealer is used to seal the wood so the finish does not penetrate but if applying three coats of finish is sealer necessary?