Need help with the finish for a project

[Kerry McClure]

I'm new to woodworking and I just completed a nice coffee table project. Now I need to add a finish and I would like to duplicate what is on my dining room table but I don't know how. My dining table is from Ethan Allen and has a chocolate brown hand rubbed finish. It's got some transparancy in it and has slight variations throughout. I know this is not a lot to go on but does anyone have any ideas?

[Joseph N. Myers]

Kerry,

Pobably be tough to get the quality finish that manufactures get but to start, what type of wood(s) did you use, do you have any finishing equipment and you got to post pictures of both items. Otherwise, the Picture Police will get after you.

(Look under Off Topic for info on how to post pictures).

Regards, Joe

[Erin Stringer]

Hi Kerry,

Pictures would help a lot.

I don't know if EA would offer a stain to match your dining table but they might be able to help out. As far as the coffee table top coat goes, you may be able to use a shellac and polish or sand it to match the finish of the dining table. I think you can do quite a bit with it in terms of gloss levels.

Good luck.

Erin

[Norman Hitt]

As with any stain/dye, etc., you will have to get a couple that look like a close match to your dining table and then make some test splotches on some scrap of the same material you used to make the coffee table from.

As for the Top Coat, somewhere I got the impression that EA used Pre Cat lacquer, but not sure. Maybe someone here has that info and could comment on this, and what would be the best type finish material to try to match that finish without having to use Pre Cat, with all it's hazards?

[Jim Becker]

The EA finish is likely a multi-step layered system...and no stain as part of it. Much of the commercial furniture is layered with toners and glazes. There are exceptions, but that's what's most common these days. It's very difficult to reproduce in the home shop. Your best bet is to experiement with water-soluable dyes on scrap from the same wood as your project, including using your top coats on the samples. Keep careful track of the variations so you can duplicate the one that comes closest. You MUST keep the top coat in this process as it will alter the color of the dye. Toning can be done with shellac tinted with alcohol-soluable dyes if that is necessary for color correction, etc.