Staining stairs handrail - suggestions ?

[didireallysaythat]

So new stairs are in (no spindles yet) and the painter is coming in as I am useless at painting woodwork (I don't want to see paint brush marks). But now I'm thinking perhaps stain and then coat the handrail (maybe the newell too). Anyone done this and not regretted just getting everything covered in gloss ?

You could wax the wood instead with clear or coloured wax. Or use wood dye and wax it. You'd probably need to re-wax the handrail periodically. It depends how dark your hallway is - light coloured gloss or satinwood paint will make it look lighter than dark coloured wood.