Currently there are two major trends in staining. Joinery is either
being stained extremely dark, or extremely light. The dark stains commonly
being requested are usually variations of Black or variations of Dark
blackish/brown. Lighter stains are usually variations of white or slightly
tinted whites.
Black and dark brown stains will completely dominate the original timber
colour and will achieve a fairly even colour across the entire job. Unfortunately,
this is not the case with light stains.
As we have discussed previously when you apply light coloured stains
over timber, the stains are not dark enough to dominate the timber colour.
THE TIMBER COLOUR WILL ALWAYS
SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCE THE STAIN COLOUR.
No matter what your client wants or how insistent the designer is, there
is no way to override the timber colour and variations in timber colour when
applying a light stain. The finished job can never be anything more than a
light tint to the original timber colour.
If your suppliers send you a batch of timber that is consistent in
colour then the process is simplified to applying the light stain over the
timber and then polishing the joinery. The entire job will be even in colour
But what do we do when your supplier has sent you three or four
different coloured timbers ranging from white through to pink?
NOTHING CAN BE DONE.
We can do no more than apply the stain and apply the lacquer. Your
joinery will come back with three or four different shades of the stain
depending on what colour the substrate is.
Your client or designer can complain all they like, and they can tell
you they have seen other polishers achieve a more even result but that is all
just hot air. It can’t be done. Applying light stains over white brown or pink
timber will always come out in different shades.
Our advice to you is to be aware of the different colour timbers you use
in your joinery and how they may look when a stain is applied. If you ask us to
supply a sample prior to starting the job, please send us the same differing
variations in timber colour that you will be using for the joinery. Please do
not send us a left-over piece of timber that you have lying around from a job
you completed last year.
As always, we are here to help and here to advise. If you need further
help or you designer wants to talk to us please feel free to call us any time.
