Help with stain and wood options

[Ryan Grubbs]

Howdy. Soon I'll be starting my first project, finally!

My wife has been reaming me about a king size bed, so I reckon it's time to make it happen.

It will be stained natural wood with painted accents, but this is where I'm losing it! Not great with color pallets, so I could use some insight.

Considering hickory or walnut as wood choices. Trying to avoid the cost of the exotics, but still get a great looking piece.

This picture is the same blue like color I'll be using. Screenshot_20170921-172134.jpg

I'd appreciate some suggestions!

Ryan

[Jon Grider]

Hi Ryan, Maybe your wife could have some input on the color choices, many times women have a keener sense of color than men.
And btw, there are many accomplished women woodworkers on this forum. Out of respect for all, you may wish to edit your reference to "mol".

[Lee Schierer]

It will be stained natural wood with painted accents, but this is where I'm losing it! Not great with color pallets, so I could use some insight.

Considering hickory or walnut as wood choices. Trying to avoid the cost of the exotics, but still get a great looking piece.

With regard to your considered wood choices, Walnut generally is not a low cost wood and hickory doesn't take stain well. For painted construction, I use yellow poplar or soft maple.

[Ryan Grubbs]

I won't be painting the walnut or similar. It will be exposed.

Attachment 369148

[Stan Calow]

I've seen lots of similar pieces at Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, etc. I think Walnut is the perfect choice to contrast with the blue paint.

[Ryan Grubbs]

Walnut is the frontrunner. However, this IS my first build and I will screw up. So, I've eliminated the hickory, but came across rustic beech. I've read it's much easier to work with, very hard, and stains well. Would anyone weigh in on the wood? My apologies as I am new to this realm of craftsmanship.

[John TenEyck]

I've never used beech but from what I know it's hard, has a lot of seasonal movement, and doesn't stain easily. If you want stable, low cost, and easy to stain, I suggest poplar or maybe alder if it's available. Both are easy to work. Poplar is often called the poor man's walnut because it can be stained to look just like it, or cherry.

A trip to your local BM or SW's might help narrow the color choice for the painted portions, where poplar and especially soft maple would be a good choice, poplar being the lower cost but softer and more easily damaged, but also easier to work with. I went to my local BM recently to get help picking a gray color to go with 3 colors I already had in my half bath. After 10 minutes of my wife and I looking at many color chips, one of the guys there looked at my samples and on the first try found the perfect gray.

John