stain matching job

[al ladd]

I have a dissatisfied client on a job where they wanted me to match an existing set of stained boxes with seven more. They told me the box was "cherry case with madrone burl center". They sent me a sample box. In fact it's made from a very light wood , I think maple, stained quite dark, more like a dark mahogany. I told them I don't have staining experience or skills, and that sapele was the closest thing in a naturally finished wood to their sample. I sent them a sample I made of sapele with figured sapele center cut from pommelle guitar-quality figured wood, so I had more thickness to make center veneered panel match frame elevation exactly. This was a request they made that was an improvement from their existing boxes, which had a significant and inconsistent elevation difference between frame and panel. They weren't happy with the sample's color, insisting I make the box from actual cherry (even though i told them it wasn't made from cherry), with madrone burl center. I could only find madrone burl of that size in commercial veneer, making the job very challenging to match the panel and frame elevation, but i did it.


But now they're unhappy with the lack of color match. I had stained the cherry somewhat darker with ZIP Guard all in one stain, trying to match the amount of stain I used on a darkened piece of cherry to match the sample box, knowing the cherry will continue to darken in coming weeks. I followed the staining with 3 coats of Sutherland-wells Gloss polymerized tung oil finish. But the client insists the finish is too light and wants it fixed.

I'm unwilling to mess with this more, as it's just not my baliwick. Anyone want to, or know know of someone who'd like to take this on? Client will pay well.

Below photos show sample box next to my sapelle sample, and then the cherry box, one of seven I sent them that they want darkened.
Untitled-2 copy.jpgIMG_1679.jpg

[Jim Becker]

You may need to spray a toner to gradually darken to the intended target. And...cherry is going to change color over time quite a bit, too. Nature of the beast. So you'll make it match now and in two years, it's going to look different, especially if it's not kept in a dark closet.

[John TenEyck]

I hope you've been paid for the boxes, Alan. Unless these are very good paying, repeat customers, I would cut my losses and tell them you can't do better than what you delivered already. Agreeing to use cherry knowing that the original was not made with it was a mistake. Next time, try to educate your customer. If they insist on a material you know will be a problem, then you have to decide whether the pay is worth solving those problems, or to walk away.

John

[al ladd]

Thanks for these replies.

They're an excellent repeat client. A problem here was the person I communicated with for this job didn't have the final decision making authority. Hierarchical decision making.... I tried hard to describe the issues with cherry, and steer them away, but i think the head honcho didn't really believe that their earlier boxes weren't made from cherry, as they were spec'ed that way.

I often have trouble saying no to people, especially friends and good customers.

I'll get paid for my work!

I'm sometimes envious of those who seldom or never do woodworking for income. It often spoils the pleasure.

[Lee Schierer]

Take the boxes to your house and sit them in a sunny area for about 2 weeks or until the color matches the "sample". I would advise them that because the original and the new are made from different woods, the color will not remain the same over time.

Or make one more matching box and suggest the sell the original box at their next yard sale.