like your woodwork -- semigloss. you don't want to slip and end up at the bottom.

I like the dark finish in your example photo, where there's a dark door to make sense of it. only you can say whether (seeing) dust makes you crazy.

Think of it this way. The dirt/dust is there even when you have carpet - you just can't see it. Go for wood, - see the dirt/dust clean the dirt/dust. Only takes a wipe or two - not a biggie in my thinking.

I agree with Angel 18432. I just use a Swiffer Duster, start at the top step, and dust my way down. It picks up all the dust and if there are little doodads, I just keep sweeping those down to the bottom step. Then I use a damp paper towel to pick them up. It's totally worth the short amount of time and effort for the beauty of those stairs.

i swiffer down the back stairs and then herd the pile of cat hair and 'doodads' (love that term!) over to where i have a stick vacuum permanently plugged in, and vacuum up the mess. works fine. much more efficient than vacuuming the stairs.

but only YOU know if YOU are willing (and able) to keep after this task, or if it will always be a thorn in your side.

Totally agree, nnigrt! To each her own level of effort!

I just did an ebony stain on my french doors and window trim (red oak). I do it myself with 2 coats of black aniline dye, and then 2 coats of black stain my General Finishes. Then I give a finish coat of ebony finishing oil (matte) by Penofin. The result is a deep, rich black. You will not get that rich black by using Minwax! Like any dark stain, it will show dust and hair easier than a light colored floor.

I think it will look great next to your white and alongside your doors. It's only an extra few minutes to wipe them down. Like someone said, the dust and dirt are there regardless of the color!

Steps get dirtier than the floor. Are you able to clean them any other day? Are you ok with dirty steps? Do you have a house cleaner? Consider those things before you do it.

Ellsworth-Hallett, I agree about having the whole floor stained that dark. Tried it once, loved it, but never again! Stairs are not a lot of surface and I decided that the drama made up for the smallest bit of extra work. Dust and dirt accumulate no matter the floor finish. ::-\

Well you don't "wash" wood. Maybe get a spray cleaner meant for wood floors. Bona is one brand that I use. You could spray it on a cloth and dust the stairs in between the cleaning. It would be like dusting a table. maybe get a small brush to help get in the corners.

Same thing. Any floor cleaner that is meant for solid wood floors. Bona is a pretty well known brand. You can spray it on the wood and use any type of floor mop to go over it. For stairs, it's probably easier to just do it by hand rather than trying to juggle a long handled mop. don't use anything like Pledge because it will add a wax and make it very slippery

this is a Bona mop that is used to clean the floors .

I mop my wood floors with water and all purpose cleaner ..been doing it for 20years never had a problem with the wood

I have done dark stairs before and I would suggest using a Hardwax or penetrating oil. Because it doesn't form a film and penetrates the wood it won't show the dirt as much.

Hello. Curious to know how the steps came out with the Ebony color stain? Did you do the rails also?

Curious to know how they steps came out with the ebony stain? Did you do the railings also?