Hi, All,
I’m remodeling a kitchen/dining area in a log house, and want to match the existing white pine trim as well as possible. The house is around 15 years old, so the trim has darkened quite a bit. Has anyone tried darkening new pine by exposing it to light? I know about applied methods like stain and orange or garnet shellac for approximating “pumpkin” pine, but I’m afraid once the new pine darkens, it won’t match the old anymore. Is there a way to do this so the various vintages of trim can age gracefully together?
Thanks,
DBurgess
Replies
In our log cabin, we have all colors of pine, from the 85 year old logs that are deep reddish, to newer trim that is more a maple color. To match the newer, I have used a light maple stain under varnish. If you don't need the full protection of varnish, you could try some trans-tint dye in blond shellac, or if the older pine is a honey gold, you could try blending some blond shellac with some amber (Zinsser off the shelf products). You can tune the color with a drop or two of trans -tint. I've done all of the above with good results, but prefer the shellac solutions as they don't leave blotching and wonderfully enhance the wood. If you don't want a gloss finish, let the shellac cure for a week or two and then rub it with 0000 oil-free steel wool lubricated with a bit of good quality furniture wax.
Also, the wood under the shellac will age slowly with light exposure, so all will be well.
J
Edited 3/7/2008 7:02 pm ET by Joe Sullivan
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled