# Best wood to try to match Acacia Cabinets



## Dwayne Carter (Sep 21, 2019)

Hi All, 

TOTAL Newbie here. I am totally NOT worthy to be in your forum...but I need help. I'm remodeling my bathroom, and my wife has picked the only finish that doesn't have a matching linen closet. Now it's my problem. The Vanity is not very expensive ($900),

so I doubt it is really Acacia wood. It's probably MDF with a stain or veneer? The company is Fresca and the model (Formosa) says it is Acacia wood. I need a two-tone wood that I can stain as close as possible (I will try to post a picture). I'm only

building a few small boxes (cabinets) to go under the sink. I'd appreciate any advice you can give me on wood selection and stains. 

Sincerely,

Dwayne


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## Dwayne Carter (Sep 21, 2019)

Can anyone suggest a type of wood and stain?


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## Dwayne Carter (Sep 21, 2019)

To the person who PM'd me...thank you so much! The forum wouldn't allow me to PM you...because I'm a newbie.

Dwayne


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## AwesomeOpossum74 (Jan 27, 2017)

Hi Dwayne! Welcome to the forums! I've found this to be a good, active and open forum for just about anything woodworking related. If you're not worthy, neither am I. 

If someone did provide helpful info to you, can you share it in the thread for others to read?

P.S. That acacia doesn't look anything like the acacia in my Minecraft game!  (Yeah, I am 45, and I play Minecraft.)


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

AwesomeOpossum74 said:


> [...] If someone did provide helpful info to you, can you share it in the thread for others to read? [...]


If someone went to the trouble of sending a PM instead of posting a public response, what makes you think that they would want it publicly disclosed in the thread?


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## AwesomeOpossum74 (Jan 27, 2017)

Tool Agnostic said:


> If someone went to the trouble of sending a PM instead of posting a public response, what makes you think that they would want it publicly disclosed in the thread?


If it was just to provide helpful information on the subject at hand, then why not post publicly? If I like the look of the cabinet, I may appreciate knowing the answer, too.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

AwesomeOpossum74 said:


> If it was just to provide helpful information on the subject at hand, then why not post publicly? If I like the look of the cabinet, I may appreciate knowing the answer, too.


Someone sent Wayne a PM that he appreciates. We don't know why it was sent as a PM instead of a public post or who sent it. We can speculate all we want until the cows come home, unless the sender self-discloses or Dwayne chooses to provide more information. I note that you have created an ethical dilemma for Dwayne.

If you had sent a PM to me for whatever reason, how would you feel if a third person had asked me to post the contents of that PM in a public forum? ... Just sayin'.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

Well, if you look closely at the edge of the drawer, you can see the veneer is in two pieces, which doesn't match the number of pieces depicted on the drawer front. I conclude that the visible surfaces are veneer. 



In terms of a stain, you probably ought to wait to see the piece in real life, then sort through all the different shades that match closely given the light in your bathroom. It might be hard to find both a color and a wood grain that matches the vanity. Maybe go with something different and try to coordinate rather than close-but-not-quite-exact, which won't look good.


And my final word of advice--I'm seeing a picture of a vanity that is a breeze to clean under and around. And then if there are boxes/cabinets added underneath . . .


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Is that a real photo or is it a computer generated image of something you propose to make? If computer generated, wait until the real deal arrives and then match it.
On another note, wood doesn't necessarily match another piece of wood even from the same tree. Differences show up from board to board and color differences within the same board. I suggest you take a drawer with you just to select the wood first. Then deal with the stain and toners which are almost always needed when trying to match another piece of furniture. When looking at a piece of wood or veneer, wet the surface with water and that will be closer to what the wood will look like when it is finished. Wetting it down thinner would be better but seriously doubt the wood dealer would go for it. 
My other suggestion would be to instead of matching, make something out of a contrasting wood and just use small pieces of trim maybe similar to the main unit.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

I will chime in by saying:

* It is nearly impossible to match any color in an internet forum, wood or otherwise. There are too many factors that affect color in an image, including lighting, camera properties (lens, sensor, etc.), the software that records the image to a file, the software that reads the file to interpret and display the image, as well as the display itself. People vary widely in their color perception, too.

* Pretend you have the wood in hand and you take it to the woodworking store to match it. That is still nearly impossible. You must find a matching wood (acacia is not that common here, but it is available) with a somewhat matching grain pattern. After that, you must match the stain and finish, which is challenging in itself. 

* Now that you have the wood and a decent color match, your next challenge is to cut the wood, then assemble and finish the boxes to match. That's not easy for a total newbie. 

Having said the above, I wonder whether @Dwayne Carter could get by with some kind of knotty walnut (or maybe that "crotch walnut" I saw at Rockler) as a decent substitute for the acacia look. I would start with a few pieces of scrap to test different finishes. If he doesn't live in Southern California, I might try a satin wipe-on polyurethane finish (satin Arm-R-Seal?) or maybe an oil/varnish finish, but for a bathroom, I like the polyurethane best. 

(I am testing Tried and True varnish oil on mahogany for a project. It looks nice, but dries slowly. Pay attention to the directions.)


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## Dwayne Carter (Sep 21, 2019)

Hey All, Thanks for the posts! To end the drama...the PM didn't trust his answers..so he didn't want to get grilled for it. I like the nice clean lines...but I will have to fight my wife to NOt put anything under and around it!

I will take your advice and try to find a finish that complements it...close will be good enough. I have a wood supply store near by...so I will get some Maple to start!! Thanks again, folks!!

Dwayne


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

> I am totally NOT worthy to be in your forum


That makes two of us. Welcome aboard and be prepared to learn. Never seen anything made from acacia wood.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Can you send us a picture of the actual piece in your room with daylight bulbs lit in that room?
Like many other woods, it can come in light or dark tones, which for decorating purposes doesnt really matter much.
natural things like stone or wood just seems to go together even though some are different colors and tones There is juat something about things in nature. Take a look in your home and see how many different woods are mixed in the same room.Both light and dark. It just doesn't seem to matter


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## Dwayne Carter (Sep 21, 2019)

Tony B said:


> Can you send us a picture of the actual piece in your room with daylight bulbs lit in that room?
> Like many other woods, it can come in light or dark tones, which for decorating purposes doesnt really matter much.
> natural things like stone or wood just seems to go together even though some are different colors and tones There is juat something about things in nature. Take a look in your home and see how many different woods are mixed in the same room.Both light and dark. It just doesn't seem to matter


Hi...yes. As soon as the piece comes in! Thanks!


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