How would you match this color?

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

It doesn't need to be a perfect match, but SWMBO wants me to build this and match it to the best of my limited ability. 

I'm thinking white oak with a gray stain.

If you were taking it on, what would you do?  I want to step up my staining game.

[Willyou]

White oak is probably a good choice. However, it will need to be either quarter sawn or rift sawn to provide tha straight grain pattern.

[jteneyck]

White oak is probably a good choice. However, it will need to be either quarter sawn or rift sawn to provide tha straight grain pattern.

I agree, but you should use riftsawn to avoid the ray flecks in QS.  Riftsawn will give you that nice linear grain.  

As for the color, I swear gray is one of the hardest things to do, at least it has been for me.  GF's Oil Based Gray Gel stain might be a good match, or their waterbased Charcoal, or Varathane's Weathered Gray.  Often, you have to do a multi step process, starting with a dye, followed by a stain.  Pick what you think is a good starting point and try it on fully prepped scrap.  Keep notes of exactly what you did with each specimen.  Let them be your guide as what to do next, including starting over with a different product.  I made 35 specimens once to get the right color match.  Patience is key.  

John

[Willyou]

I agree, but you should use riftsawn to avoid the ray flecks in QS.  Riftsawn will give you that nice linear grain.  

Thanks. I forgot about that.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

Oh yeah, it'll be rift sawn oak.

[WoodworkerTom]

Try a black dye stain on rift sawn oak. Dry and apply sealer coat and lightly sand. Apply a grey glaze stain on and wipe off excess.

[jteneyck]

Try a black dye stain on rift sawn oak. Dry and apply sealer coat and lightly sand.  Apply a grey glaze stain on and wipe off excess.

You can see brown showing through on that piece.  I would think that black dye would mask that unless sanding it brings some of it back.  Do you have any photos?  

John

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

This will be challenging and time consuming. I would start with a black dye like Transtint and then try to find a grey oil based gel stain to use as a glaze directly over the black dye. Wipe it on, wipe it off. The remnants will hang in the pores to impart some grey over the black. I’d use Seal Coat or solvent lacquer based vinyl sealer (if you can spray). Then topcoat with a non ambering finish. You may have to do a 50/50–or whatever—mix of a black and white gel stain to get the grey that works. Don’t be surprised if you spend the better part of a day.

[Snipe Hunter]

I agree, but you should use riftsawn to avoid the ray flecks in QS.  Riftsawn will give you that nice linear grain.  

As for the color, I swear gray is one of the hardest things to do, at least it has been for me.  GF's Oil Based Gray Gel stain might be a good match, or their waterbased Charcoal, or Varathane's Weathered Gray.  Often, you have to do a multi step process, starting with a dye, followed by a stain.  Pick what you think is a good starting point and try it on fully prepped scrap.  Keep notes of exactly what you did with each specimen.  Let them be your guide as what to do next, including starting over with a different product.  I made 35 specimens once to get the right color match.  Patience is key.  

John

Gray is very difficult to match in any type of finish. People don't realize gray is not white and black although our brain wants it to be. Machinery gray paint is often white and black but no matter what you do with white and black it always looks "industrial". . I struggled with it with automotive painting, even if I had the formula. It's got a lot of blue in it. And blue varies towards red (violet) or towards yellow (green) on the color wheel. I've mixed a lot of grey formulas that have no black at all. Most "pleasing to look at" grays have either green, blue, violet, yellow or all three. Sometimes even red. They are mostly white. That's why you don't find gray stains, you find something more like milk paint. I'll bet the finish on the cabinet above is a thinned, translucent paint. Probably not a stain at all.

I have used the Varathan Weathered Gray... it has to go on a nearly white wood or you only get a little gray in the open grain. Tried it on red oak and it's gross but looked okay on white oak and birch.

Start with white and go from there. But not a high hiding white. A translucent white..... Only use black to darken once the color is right. I can tell you by looking at that photo, thee is a lot of blue, pushing towards red... so basically violet but might have to add green or even skip over green on the color wheel to yellow so it doesn't look purple. A color wheel is a very handy tool. If you can find one with gray on it, an even better tool.

I believe we are looking at translucent paint and not stain on that cabinet. I also believe the Varathane stuff is also translucent paint.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

Thanks a lot, folks! I'll have SWMBO read this so she knows what to expect!