I infrequently use stain, preferring the natural wood tones. However, I am now building a piece that needs to make an existing set, now I need a stain color. I know that Mohawk Finishing Products(where I get most of my finishing supplies) and Sherwin Williams will color match, BUT, it is expensive and I have to buy a much larger quantity than I need. So, other than eye-balling it, any other suggestions? If I were to go to Home Depot and have them color scan a door, can that be translated into a similar NGR stain? Is there another method that you have used that works. All I will need is a quart or two. Thanks for your help.
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If you google color wheel for woodworking, you will find a rotating wheel that will allow to select what you have and sort out where you want to get it to. Should help reduce the steps. I think I paid $10 to $20 for mine not that long ago.
If you have a PPG paint store near you, I have used my local one many times and they have been amazing as to how close if not right on they can be. Hope this helps
You don't say what kind of project or wood or if the stain is dark or light. But eyeball is the best bet. I always mix my own and do many samples on scrap wood. If this is something that you don't have scrap to play with always start light with a neutral color then tint and darken a little at a time until you get it right.
The trick to mixing your own stains is having a lot. Oil based, water based,universal pigments etc.thinners ,dryers,sealers and you end up with a whole dedicated space, I have most of a shed with finishing supplies. To start go to your favorite supplier and get a small can of every stain on the display. I date all my cans so if something is really old I replace it. Get graduated vessels, eyedroppers ,measuring spoons etc. A gram scale can be useful and a notebook to keep track of ratios and then start mixing samples. It can take awhile if you need to really match something that already exists.
Once upon a time hardware stores and paint stores offered a real job and people kept those jobs for years but it doesn't seem so anymore. Now you go to the counter and it's some 20 year old that has most likely never done more than read the back of a can, if even that. The next time you go to that store its someone else. The expert advice is a crap shoot at best! There may be a paint store near you that in the early morning there are lots of trucks with ladders on them and guys lined up wearing white overalls, that is probably the best bet if your looking to have it done and maybe finding someone that knows what they are doing.
Ive started to veer towards a glaze over a stain. Its a lot more predictable. You don’t mention if you are using a film or penetrating finish. I like mixol and sealcoat. Dries fast and sands off easy if needed. Can then be topped with a clear drying film finish.
Samples are the only way to go. But a sample with stain or a pigmented oil might react many different ways. Suspending the color in a film is very predictable.