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Thread: 2 Different Wood Types

  1. #1

    2 Different Wood Types

    Hello

    need a little advice. I made a sitting bench. The outside frames are made of cdouglas fur and the seats and back are pine. I realize now that if I stain the bench the clots will be very different. I would appreciate any suggestions to help me achieve a close color match.

    Thank you very much



  2. #2
    Philip

    You get to decide what looks nice, but just for the record, if the frame was a different color than the seats and back it could look OK, like a design element,

    You can color match on scrap pieces if that is fun for you. You should expect to play with this. It takes patience and a good eye for color. Available choices are NGR dye like Behlen Solar-Lux, oil stain like Minwax or colored varnish like Polyshades.

    The easiest way is probably to use Polyshades. The Doug Fir may be more reddish and the pine may be more yellow/orange. Pick different tints to balance those differences. Recognize that any unevenness is application will show as color differences because the color is carried in the varnish.

    If you want to use oil stain, I recommend that you washcoat the wood before you stain. Get some dewaxed shellac (SealCoat) dilute it 1:1 or 1:2 with denatured alcohol. Brush it on as evenly as possible and let it dry. That will reduce stain penetration and reduce blotching, especially in the pine.

    You can use a combination of oil stain followed by polyshades. If you do that be sure to wipe the oil stain well and let it dry well or it will run into the polyshades. Sometimes I seal the oils stain with dewaxed shellac before applying varnish.

    I realize that this may be more than you wanted to know. Color matching is an art that requires a lot of trial and error and experience.

    Doug

  3. #3
    Thanks Doug. I guess trial and error will be my direction. I liked your comment about the sides being different to create a different but possible good look.

    Thaks again
    Phil

  4. #4
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    Lots of people, me included, find Polyshades very challenging to use without getting overlaps that show. If you consider the polyshades test first, using large enough samples of your pine and doug fir to see the full effect. What you achieve in a small sample may not be similar to what is possible if you have to coat much larger areas.

  5. #5
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    Steve, wasn't it you that one time said something akin to "Polyshades being the worst thing that ever happened to a can"? LOL Indeed.

    OP, it indeed does take trial and testing to determine how best to color match these dissimilar (and similar at the same time) woods in your project. Contrast will be easiest. Matching will take some work And there's no assurance that a match today will still be a match a few years from now as time, oxidation and UV do their thing on each species separately.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    Celebrate the difference. Color matching will be an exercise in frustration.

    John

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    Celebrate the difference. Color matching will be an exercise in frustration.

    John
    J'accord 100%.

  8. #8
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    I may have said that but it initiated over at Wood magazine's late forum, likely by Steve Mickel or by Jim Kull.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Schoene View Post
    I may have said that but it initiated over at Wood magazine's late forum, likely by Steve Mickel or by Jim Kull.
    Ah...that makes sense. Of course, so does the saying...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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