Mix MinWax Stains?

[Ron Humphrey]

I am a neophyte to finishing and particularly staining, which I tend to avoid. I am making a stereo cabinet for my brother from Oak. He would like the coloration to be "dark brown with a reddish tint"

I have on hand MinWax "red mahogany" and "dark walnut". I also have TransTint brown and black.

The red mahogany appears too light and too red. Can I mix it with the dark walnut or add TransTint to it to darken it without issues?

I would like to use the materials at hand rather than buying another stain.

Any advice from experienced stainers would be helpful and appreciated.

[John TenEyck]

You can intermix the MinWax stains together in any proportions. If some combination of the two you have give you the color you want then you are done. Transtint dyes are not directly miscible in oil based stains, but often (though not always) can be added to them by first diluting it in acetone. You would add one part of Transtint to 4 parts of acetone and then add that mixture to your stain.

A better option is to go to Sherwin Williams and look at their BAC Wiping Stain brochure. Pick one that meets your color needs, or they can adjust the color of any of the stock stains to the exact color you want. Take a piece of scrap with you for them to play with, whether you buy a standard color or they mix a custom one. You will not regret spending the $25 for a quart of that product. It is the best oil based stain I have ever used and will produce really deep color in one application. Be warned, however, that you must spray a sealer over it; no brushing or wiping allowed. If you don't have spray equipment, you can use rattle can shellac for the sealer and then proceed however you want for the topcoats.

John

[Ron Humphrey]

Thanks John. I'll try some ratios and see if I can get what I like. I generally make small items and prefer to not color my wood, but will file your recommendation for SW stains for possible future use.

[Scott Holmes]

To clarify... You can mix "like kinds of stain" not oil based and water based.

The stuff John recommended is very good indeed.

[Ron Humphrey]

I mixed 2 parts “dark walnut” with one part “red mahogany” after sealing with Daley’s “Benite”.


That is as dark as I can get with what I have. It is not as dark as I would like, but is a rich reddish brown. I’ll try a second coat later today to see the extent to which it will darken.

This is all new to me as I usually don’t color my wood. Good experience for me.

Thanks for your help.

[John TenEyck]

If a second coat doesn't make it any darker, and it probably won't if you wipe it well, then switch to a gel stain of whatever color you want. You can layer coats of that until you get the hue you want.

John

[Al Launier]

At this point I would use the Dark Walnut as it would not only darken the color, but also retain the redish highlight from the previous stain. For your own peace of mind, you should try this on a piece of similarly stained scrap. I had to do this on a recent box that I had to several several times to get the dark with red hue. Reference http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?230144-Score!!!-I-think&p=2436255#post2436255

[Mike Wilkins]

I have used Minwax stains for years, and I do that very thing for a custom blend or shade that is not already sold. Just mix a small amount at a time and please make a trial run on some scrap of the same species of wood, and sanded to the same grit.

[Ron Humphrey]

The second coat of my custom mix looks pretty good. I've sanded and "benite" sealed the entire stand, ready to stain it all.

Thanks for all your input. It gives me confidence to move ahead with staining in general. I've been making small items out of nicely grained wood, typically all from the same board. I prefer to not stain, but for this large project (for me), I can see where staining will add consistency to the many variances in the shade of the material used from several different boards.

Thanks again for the help.

[Jerry Olexa]

You are OK to mix 2 of the same stains (MinWax in this case)...Mixing in a new formula could causes issues.