Before and after photos are some of my favorites when it comes to house renovations....that said, the following two pictures aren't really before-and-after, more like before and during. If you follow that. That's the same newel post, and while it looks almost black in the picture, it's really a deep, lovely mahogany that still shows the grain of the wood. Oh and all the missing spindles all the way up the staircase? You CANNOT TELL which ones are new and which ones are old - they all look spectacular. I can't wait to finally unveil the refinished stair treads - I haven't been able to see them yet, but I'm hoping the overall effect will be yummy.