How to Match Old Birch Cabinets
Matching wood stain can be challenging because no two boards have identical color or grain. It is more of an art than a science. When matching new wood to old, you also have to take into consideration the yellowing effect of varnish, as it will darken over the years. Your old birch cabinets were probably lighter when they were first installed, and the color has mellowed over time. Any good paint store can custom-match stain or paint for you, but if you have a little time to experiment, it's something you can do yourself. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Matching Stain
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Take the type of wood you are trying to match into consideration. Close-grained wood similar to birch (such as ash or maple) will be easier to match. You may get the color right by matching other woods, such as oak or mahogany, but because these woods have distinctive grain patterns, they will never look like birch.
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Remove a small cabinet door, and take it to a paint or home improvement store with you. Look through all the available stains, and pick small samples of the colors that appear to match the door.
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Stir the stain and saturate a small area of your wood sample. Do this in the same room as the birch cabinets--it's easier to get a true idea of how well the colors compare when working under the lighting conditions where your project will end up, according to the Minwax stain company.
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Experiment with thinner stain wiped quickly onto the wood for a lighter shade, and stain with heavier pigment left on the wood for several minutes before wiping down for more color. Dipping a paint stir stick to the very bottom of the can will bring up the pigment that settles there.
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Adjust the color as needed. It may need to have a little red or ocher added, or perhaps some brown or umber to make it less red. You can mix in the pigment from different stains, as long as they are all the same base (oil-based or water-based) or purchase some universal colorants from a paint or craft store.
Matching Paint
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Take your birch door to the paint store and look through all the store's color swatches to find some that match well. Take as many as you like--they are free.
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Tape the color swatches up on your old birch cabinets at home. Stand back and pick the one that seems to "disappear" against the wood. That will be your closest match. You or the paint store can adjust it by adding other paint or colorants, if necessary.
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Choose the sheen (gloss) of paint or varnish that most closely matches the cabinets. Sheen level affects how color is perceived; the same color in a flat finish looks different in a glossy one.
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Tips & Warnings
The stain color will have more richness and depth when varnished. To get an approximation of how it will look when finished, rub a little water or oil on your stain sample and hold it up to the old birch cabinets.
When matching stain, mix up enough for the entire project at once. Your other option is to mix up a small amount and then take it to the paint store for matching.
Add colors and "tweak" stain in very small increments. If you add too much at once, you can ruin the whole batch.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit birch background image by Vasiliy Koval from Fotolia.com
