Decent stain to get pine close to light oak

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by sospan, Mar 29, 2016.

  1. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    I used to have some mixture in a bottle that a french polisher gave me that got pine to a fairly good light oak colour. Like most of us as its got older got thick and lumpy and doesn't work so well :)

    Had a look at most of the tins and wax but none seem to be a light oak these days most seem to take pine to a beech colour rather than anything near oak.

    I have to colour up some torus skirting, dado rail and architrave to match into some fitted wardrobes. Priced it up in the proper stuff but its just to pricey.

    Anybody have any ideas on a good product ?
     
  2. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

  3. chippie244

    chippie244 Super Member

    Have you tried thinning out the stain you have with meths.
     
  4. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Thanks,

    When i was looking came across the Morrels on wood finishes direct web site. The light oak has more of grey than
    Tried the old stuff with white spirit but I think that just split the binding in the mixture and its separated now. No idea what was in the original bottle or how he French polisher made it up. At the time he also gave me a jar of mahogany stain and some fantastic waxy bars that remove scratches from all sorts of finished timber.

    The colour I am looking for is somethng like the picture but most light oak seems to be a different colour. oak panel.PNG new light oak.PNG Trouble is with pine, I am starting out with yellow tinted timber which doesn't help.

    have considered taking a sample of the timber down to a paint shop to see if they can match the colour and just apply a few thin coats unprimed so the grain shows through and then just seal
     
  5. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

  6. chippie244

    chippie244 Super Member

    Shellac based stains and polishes such as French polish are thinned with meths not white spirits.
     
  7. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

  8. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    I'm old, sometimes forget to remember things I know :oops:. Hopefully overtime the bottle will settle and I can pour off the white spirit but I am not hopeful
     
  9. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

  10. Mr. Handyandy

    Mr. Handyandy Screwfix Select

    If you're mixing colours, you may find that pine stain with a small amount of walnut may get you a light oak colour.

    Mr. HandyAndy - Really
     
  11. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Ordered the Fiddes light oak, applied it and got a rustic oak colour.

    I have manged to produce some interesting colours so far nothing like what i want though. It has become somewhat of a quest to get the right colour.

    Only realised this morning Fiddes are based in Cardiff and have a colour centre which would make an interesting visit
     
  12. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Apologies, forgot to mention that, their 'Tinting System' is capable of matching over 20,000 shades, so if they can't sort your problem, then give up.:D
     
  13. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    As an update, I went to the Fiddes colour centre in Cardiff with a piece of "raw" timber and a sample of what I wanted to get to. It was a very interesting experience seeing the different products they had on offer and was very impressed.

    After a bit of trial an error we found that a light oak water based stain, dilluted 50/50 with water produced a near perfect match. Strangely diluting the other light oak stains didn't produce the same effect.

    During the experimention we tried there whitening solution that gives a limed oak effect. Whilst not what I wanted it produced some interesting colour shades that could be useful for other projects in the future.
     
  14. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    It sounds like you had a intresting day,thanks for update.:)
     
  15. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    Yes it was quite good spent about an hour talkng to the guys.

    Whilst I was there a steady stream of customers were coming from that national oak furniture company with a range of questions and issues. Couldn't believe they ask you to sign a multi page document and ask you to take out insurance to safeguard the timber against splitting and warping.
     
  16. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Insurance:eek:, well I''ve never heard of that before.
     
  17. sospan

    sospan Screwfix Select

    I couldn't believe it either, they advise their customers to take out insurance against the timber splitting or warping etc.
     

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