I am remodeling my kitchen and using walnut for the cabinets. We just purchased new Pella windows which are made of pine and would like to have them match the dark walnut cabinets. We hired a local painter for the job. He used a walnut gel stain on the windows. The results aren’t awful, but the color isn’t uniform throughout the wood.
What is the best way make the pine have the appearance of walnut? Should we have used a dye first to even out the color? If a dye is the way to go, can we use over the stain that’s already on, or do we need to sand it all down and start from scratch?
John
Replies
John,
A dye would have been a good start to get the background color ( maybe a deep golden brown). You could then deepen it further with the gel stain. I'll probably get vilified for this, but painters rarely have more than rudimentary wood finishing skills.It's a completely different skill and mindset.
The surface should have first been sanded and tacked. A dye could have then been applied followed by the stain and then a top coat of varnish or urethane. Did he put a top coat on? If so, you could then apply a second color called a glaze. A glaze by definition is just a translucent film of color applied over a sealed surface. If there is a topcoat, rub it down with a maroon scotch pad to give it some " tooth". A simple glaze can be made with a gel stain, some mineral spirits, and a little glaze base. This is sold in most good paint stores. It is a neutral colored material to which you add color. A simple formula would be one part color, one part thinner and one part glaze. of course, this is only a starting point and can be varied to your touch. You can omit the glaze and thin a gel stain down and try it like that also. Use a light touch in application and have a soft brush to feather the glaze out as you go. I would let this dry for a couple of days and then topcoat it. Be careful and don't over brush your topcoat too much.
If the painter had simply put on a washcoat ( a thin sealer) or , as commercially sold "wood conditioner" the color would have been more uniform.
Sanding down the surface sounds like a lot of work. If you do, you can use an alcohol based dye because a water dye will have difficulty penetrating the previously sealed surface.
I hope I didn't overload you with info here. I know it can be confusing if you're not used to doing it. Do you have any reputable finishers in your area? A good finisher should be able to help you out.
Let me know what you decide to do.
Peter Gedrys
Thanks for the info Peter. Very good information. At this point, all the windows are all stained and polyurethaned. I pointed out a few lighter spots to the painter, who restained those areas. It does look better, but not perfect. Once I put the walnut trim on, I'll decide if it's close enough or if I want to try the glaze. In any case, I'll be the wiser next time. Thanks so much for your reply. You truly have a wealth of knowledge. I appreciate it.
John
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