How Can I sand my stairs without too much dust?
I pulled up the carpet off 17 steps plus a very small landing. Removed all the staples. The stairs are yellow pine. Would like to sand them and just polyurethane the treads (no stain) and paint the risers and stringer. The price to have a contractor do this is way more than I can afford. Can I hand sand these on my own without creating too much dust everywhere? If so would they look ok or would it look like a really bad job? Part of the stair wall is open and overlooks living room.. or should I spend the money to have a contractor come in and do it fairly dust free?
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You can rent a sander with a vacuum already attached to it to minimize the dust. It sounds like a very straight forward project that you could handle.
The DIY stores carry these sanders-Home Depot & Lowes.
Fyi, a pro makes lots of dust, toon. All you have to do is buy plastic sheeting on a roll (paint store) and tape the plastic to create a wall between the bannisters and the room. Lay the cover at the bottom and top of the stairs and any other exposed areas. Rent an electric hand sander (looks a little like a flat square iron, with a tail). Lowe’s, Home Depot and other home improvement stores rent these by the hour or day, or buy one. Have your vacuum ready with a clean filer and a replacement.
Practice using the sander on something outdoors, because these thing can go fast and loose until you are confident. Then you are the boss. Get a few of the face masks, too, for your sanding, staining, sanding again, and sealing. Keep all kids and pets out of your way (the park or zoo or a ball game?) so you have the dust contained. Then do your beautiful thing. Clean the stairs with your vacuum and water with just a little vinegar to get the dust out of corners, cracks, and around bannisters. With enough energy, you could do the entire job in two full days, or one, with the right helper.
Best wishes ☺️ And be sure to post on Hometalk!
Keep a shop vac handy or a dust buster to suck up dust. MY ex was a professional but also self taught and learned a lot from trial and error. A damp rag kept handy will be a big help too. Go with the flow and save some big bucks! Its not hard just a little time consuming. Think how proud youll be when your done! I hope that helps