Planning a finish to blend in with existing set

[Bill Brush]

Hi guys, I'm working on a bookshelf for my bedroom and I would like it to, if not match, at least blend in with our existing bedroom set. The existing set is a commercial Broyhill set, and it's very dark on the sides and face frame, and lighter on the drawer fronts. The color runs from very dark red, to deep red on the drawer fronts. I think the descriptive name was something like "black cherry".

The material I'm working with is red oak and red oak 3/4" plywood.

My basic stain is going to get me close with 2 coats. It's Varathane "Cabernet". http://www.menards.com/main/store/20...rge/223085.jpg

So from the basic stain, I'm mulling over where to go to darken it further and finish coat it.

My thoughts:

Garnet shellac - Would have to buy it, and brush it or wipe it on as I don't have any way to spray it. I'm not sure if it would wear well enough for books, but I suspect it would.

Clear spray rattle-can shellac - It wouldn't darken it all, but it would be quick and easy to apply, then maybe a dark walnut wax to darken.

Waterlox - I have a partial can of waterlox from my coffee table project, would darken it minimally but could also get the dark wax. I'm not sure I have enough however. It would definitely wear fine. Cure time and smell would be a negative for this one, but I have dealt with it before.

So, what are the thoughts of the Sawmill brain trust? I can probably get a picture of the bedroom set tonight if that would be helpful

[Prashun Patel]

The first thing to do is get some scrap stock upon which you can test.

Garnet shellac and Waterlox will make it more orange, not dark.

To make a stained finish darker you'd need to 'tone' it by tinting your shellac with a dark alcohol-compatible dye. The only one I know of that is easy to get is Transtint. I used Dark Walnut or Black. You just add it to the shellac and then apply. However, I find that toning like this is best done sprayed. Do you have access to spray equipment? Brushing on shellac is not fun; brushing on colored shellac is less fun, and brushing on colored shellac to match something else is least fun of all (for me). Toning can be done like air brushing whereby you sneak up on the color.

If you don't have access to spray equipment, you can purchase canned spray toners from companies like Mohawk or Behlens. I am sure Jeff Jewitt at Homestead Finishing can steer you toward respectable brands.

[John TenEyck]

W/O spray equipment it's a lot harder to adjust color with toners, as Prashun said. I think you are sort of stuck with stain and/or dye. I suggest you take a piece of what you are trying to match and a sample of your oak ply and hardwood to your local Sherwin Williams and have them mix you a custom colors of their BAC Wiping stain. They can make any color and the stuff works great. I've never used another stain that can darken wood so completely with one application. The only downside of using it is that you have to spray a sealer over it; you can't wipe or brush anything on it because it will pull up the stain and make a mess. But you can use rattle can shellac as a sealer, and you can apply anything you want over that, any way you like. If I didn't have spray equipment I would seriously consider a wiping varnish like Arm-R-Seal. Easy to apply with a blue paper towel and very durable.

If the stain colors aren't perfect, all is not lost. You can either go back and have them make an adjustment, which they should do for free, or you can apply a gel stain over the shellac sealer. I like General Finishes Gel Stains, and you can intermix the colors to make any custom color you want. So it might go something like this:

SW BAC Wiping Stain
Rattle can shellac sealer
Oil based gel stain or glaze
Oil based wiping varnish

And as Prashun said, do it all on samples until you are satisfied it works - twice.

John

[Scott Holmes]

Another approach would be to dye the wood first, to get the base color; then apply the stain over that. The walnut colored wax you mentioned will do nothing of lasting value or color. The wiping stain John recommended is a great choice.

[Steve Schoene]

Your commercial finish is a "cherry" of some sort--besides color I'd suspect it also has closed pores like cherry. Using red oak will never get very close to a match, even if you got the color exactly right, unless you go through the whole process of filling the pores. In red oak this is a arduous task, likely requiring at least two applications of pore filler. If I were wedded to the oak, I'd go for an entirely different sort of finish--perhaps even a medium to light in the wood finish. No pore filling would be needed, and you could get to any desired color by starting with a powdered water soluble dye to achieve the darkness and basic color, and then using one coat of a pigmented stain that is tinted to the same color but slightly darker than the dye. Remember to thoroughly wipe off any excess stain. This schedule would give depth to the grain without making it too dramatic. For the topcoats I would use several an oil/varnish mix, also with all excess wiped off.

There is absolutely no decorating reason for wooded furniture in a space to "match"--almost any reasonably natural wood tones with harmonize with any other, in my opinion. I just dislike "matchy-matchy" furniture." For example our master bedroom has two walnut dressers, but a curly English sycamore pencil post bed, several painted book cases, and differently finished walnut bedside tables.

[Prashun Patel]

"There is absolutely no decorating reason for wooded furniture in a space to match."

Unless they want it to match.

My own opinion (which the OP didn't ask for) is that there are times when matching pieces is appropriate.

Bill, I'm not sure i made a big enough point of it below, but you may want to mail order a couple pre-colored aerosol toners from Mohawk. They may be your ticket to tweaking the final color after having stained it close.

[John TenEyck]

I think Steve's point about red oak never looking like the original piece, even if the color is perfect, is valid. I was thinking the same thing; I'll bet it is some sort of close grained hardwood like maple, so even if the color matches it still won't look the same. Matching the "look" of an existing piece starts with choosing a wood that has the same grain characteristics, as much as possible. There are times when this isn't possible or economically feasible, but usually there is something close that won't break the bank. If the pore structure and grain patterns match, getting the right look is now "just" a matter of getting the right color, depth, and sheen. Still a challenge, but the two pieces will look the same if it's done well. They never will if you start off with an incompatible wood. Just my two cents ad it really depends upon whether the OP just wants the same color or wants it to be a "perfect" match.

John

[Bill Brush]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

All the info was a little overwhelming, but as always I learned a lot.

The key point is I want the piece to blend in, it doesn't have to be a perfect match, just close enough that it won't cause LOML to hate it. The grain isn't going to match as you suspected but that is just one of the many compromises I've accepted. I might have been just as well off to buy plain birch ply instead of oak as the grain would have been closer.

Since my initial thoughts were not going to work, and I already have the stain, I'll just give it 2 or 3 coats of stain and see what it looks like. If I hate it, or she does, I guess I'll sell it and make another.

I'm glad to learn that Sherwin-Williams will do custom color stain, that's a great option.