How to Choose the Color for Wood Stain
When you're building furniture, staining it is usually the last thing you do. If you choose the wrong color for the stain, you could be dissatisfied with that piece of furniture for as long as you own it. This is why the process of selecting the right stain should be carried out as painstakingly as the rest of the furniture-building process. Choosing the correct stain can also be important for wood floors and decks. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Determine approximately what color of wood stain will be most appropriate for the setting where the furniture will be located. You can try to match the new piece of furniture as closely as possible to the other wooden furniture in the room, or study a color wheel for ideas if the room doesn't have other wooden furniture. For example, if the room is predominantly decorated with cooler tones such as light greens and blues, consider a dark red stain as a complement, since red is opposite green on a color wheel. Or, if the room is predominantly decorated with warm tones like yellow and orange, choose a similarly warm stain of approximately the same value as the yellow and orange, so that it won't stand out.
If you are staining wood meant to be outdoors, such as a wooden deck or patio furniture, consider the natural surroundings as you choose a color. Look for a color that will coordinate with the color of your house.
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2
Collect samples of the type of wood that you'll be staining. You'll need 6-inch by 6-inch wood pieces to narrow down your choices, plus a few larger pieces of wood to help you make the final decision. If you built the piece yourself, this shouldn't be difficult. If not, acquire some unstained pieces from a hardware store or lumber yard.
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3
Purchase small amounts of a variety of stains in the approximate color that you chose in Step 1.
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4
Paint the stains onto the smaller pieces of wood to create 6-inch by 6-inch samples for each color you are considering. If you plan to use more than one coat of stain, apply as many coats as you plan to use, letting the stain dry between coats. Hold up the samples in the room where the furniture will go. Narrow down your choices to two or three favorites.
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5
Paint the finalist stains onto the larger pieces of wood, letting the stain dry between coats. Varnish each piece with the number of topcoats you plan to use, letting the varnish dry between coats.
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6
Hold up the large stained wood samples to the furniture you'll be staining and in the setting where it will be placed. If the stain on one of the samples looks good in the surroundings, you have a winner that you can use as your final stain.
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Tips & Warnings
Apply the stain and varnish in a well-ventilated area.
References
- Photo Credit Warm wood from old furniture image by giacomo scandroglio from Fotolia.com
