I am about to finish a bureau in Wenge with Watco and am concerned that the difference in wood color between the different boards is more pronounced than I had thought it would be. The wood is quarter-sawn. I am contemplating staining the lighter wood to match the darker. The left side of drawer faces is one board, and the right is another. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Jack
Replies
There are a number of ways to go about this...
Commercially at least... dye stains are often used to even out the color of disparate boards in what is referred to as "equalizing" or "sap staining." Here a nongrain raising dye stain (alcohol soluable typically) is sprayed on selectively to color just the lighter boards, such as on sapwood, to color them to match the naturally darker boards. This method is sometimes followed by a wipe stain. Another way is to bleach all of the natural color out of the exposed wood so that it's all the same color and then stain it all back to about where you want it to look. Still another method is to "size" the wood by using a highly thinned finish or glue to partially seal the wood that is darker and then use a stain to stain the whole thing. Done properly the "sizing" should cause it all to stain to more or less the same color.
Regards,
Kevin
Kevin,
Thanks for your reply. After mulling it over, I decided to use the dark Watco wax after the finish was applied to darken the lighter areas, and I'm happy to say that it worked very well.
Jack
Excellent news, Jack. And please post a pic in the Gallery when you're done if you can. I'd love to see what it looks like. Wenge is an attractive wood.
Regards,
Kevin
Kevin,
I just put the 1st coat of Watco on and...wow, the darker wenge turned absolutely black, and the lighter wood is a dark brown. I'll put more coats on Monday afternoon and will wax it a few days later. It'll be interesting to see if I can match the colots better. Actually, the cabinet is for a bathroom and will have a beautiful piece of granite on top. I'll try to post a photo when it's installed in a few weeks.
Jack
sandersguitar.com
I've seen pictures of Wenge finished cabinetry that looked very much like what you've described here except with a somewhat lighter shade of brown. I've never worked with Wenge before... but, I think that some folks actually like the contrasting colors with Wenge. I subscribe to Food & Wine magazine and in the current issue is a picture of bathroom cabinetry in Wenge at a new upscale hotel in Milan, Italy. The picture is on page 60 if you wanna swing by the nearest magazine stand to check it out. The darker wood looks almost black and the lighter wood is a rich, warm, medium shade of brown. It's an exceptionally striking, very attractive look IMO.
Regards,
Kevin
Edited 8/11/2003 12:01:07 AM ET by Kevin
Kevin,
I looked at the Food and Wine Magazine at a newstand, but didn't see the Wenge cabinet. The issue I saw was the August one, are you referring to the Sept. issue? Thanks!
Jack
The issue I saw was the August one, are you referring to the Sept. issue?
Sorry, Jack. I should have said which issue. I always forget that I get my subscription before that issue hits the newstands. Yes, it's the Sept. issue. The picture is a small one on the center of page 60.
Regards,
Kevin
Hey, I found the same picture online: http://www.sinahotels.com/hotel_ing/hotel/the_Gray/ROOM101018.htm
The picture in the magazine is easy to examine IMO.
Regards,
Kevin
I had an unexpected occurrence of we get sapwood on the box edge I am building. The wood was dark brown like the rest of the edges until I hit it with a scraper and block plane and then some very light brown streaks of sapwood surprised me. After reading this thread I’m thinking of using an artist brush and dark alcohol based dye stain to try and blend in the word. I’m planning on finishing the box with a clear oil based varnish. I would appreciate any other suggestions if you have them thanks.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled