# Forum Home Renovation Stairs, Steps and Ramps  How to restain and varnish timber staircase

## nurseedward

Hi everyone, Im new to this site.  
I want to change the colour of my wooden staircase from tan to mahogany.  It is very shiny and smooth and Im so afraid I will ruin it!  How do I strip back the varnish easily (I hate sandpaper with a passion!),  and what do I use to recoat?
Stain varnish combo
Or, stain, then use some sort of varnish coat separately? 
Any advice would be very welcome.  Thanks, Edward (Sydney)

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## Master Splinter

Strip to bare timber with sandpaper, sand to 150-ish grit, restain then revarnish.  There goes your next ten weekends solid.... 
You could try overcoating with a tinted varinsh to shift the colour, but it may turn out horrible...test in a 'this will be the first to be stripped' place.

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