I have a home I purchased that has a flat banister and top rail that leads up a staircase and around a loft. 
It looks like it may just be Oak, but not sure, that was coated with some sort of light coating when it was made.  My guess is perhaps a spray laquer finish, but not sure either.

It is a bit worn and the finish is starting to “wear” through in a few spots, and it just looks very “pale” and not very interesting.

I want to “Refinish” the banister and top rail to a “warmer” look, and was looking for suggestions on how to best do this.

I am attaching several photos that show the existing banister in a few places and a few close-ups.  

Here was my current plan, but I am certainly open to comments and ideas:

1) Sand down the entire banister using random orbital sander and a detail sander down to the bare wood.  I’m going to hook the sanders to my shop-vac to reduce dust.
2) Clean off  the sanded down wood with “CitriStrip” stripper to make sure to remove any final old finish that may still be left in the pores (not sure this step is necessary).
3) Use a good Wood Filler to fill any small gaps/holes.
4) Use a wood stain to stain the wood a bit warmer color.  Not sure yet if I am going to use a oil-based stain or a water-based stain.  I may go with water-based just so I don’t stink up the house and because they dry much quicker.  If I go water-based, I’ll probably use General Finishes since I tend to find their quality much higher then MinWax.  Looking for pros/cons on oil vs. water based stains for this application.
5) Apply a top-coat of some sort of varish or poly.  I don’t want anything too glossy or “fake” looking, but I want some reasonable protection, so I was thinking of going with General Finishes Enduro-Var Satin.  It’s a high-quality water-based varnish.

Note:  This is just a personal home and not a lot of traffic, so I dont’ need super strong coatings.

Here are some photos.

Any idea what type of wood this may be?

Let me know your thoughts and suggestions.

Regards,

Michael