# Dug fir post and the rest pine, even stain?



## dvatt (Jul 21, 2012)

I can only find Doug fir 4 x 4 that are surfaced on all for sides so I new to use that wood for the post of a bed and the rest will be pine. I want to match an existing piece of furniture, will this be possible?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

dvatt said:


> I can only find Doug fir 4 x 4 that are surfaced on all for sides so I new to use that wood for the post of a bed and the rest will be pine. I want to match an existing piece of furniture, will this be possible?


You can get very close. It will take experimenting on samples with different stains and dyes. It would depend on how dark or the color you want. You might start with alcohol based dyes. 


















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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

A lot would depend on the color of the fir and the color of the pine. Often the fir is redder then the pine. If so you might mask off the fir and color the pine with a very thin cherry dye so it is the same color as the pine. If you are going medium to dark in color you probably should use a wood conditioner at this point. Then stain the entire bed with the desired wiping oil stain. If the red is unappealing to you for the color you want then you might mask off the pine and color the fir with a very thin green dye to counteract the red. Then stain with the wiping stain. The post then would likely be darker than the pine so you may need to suppliment the color on the pine with another dye.


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## dvatt (Jul 21, 2012)

Would a wood conditioner on both the for and pine even out? Is this considered in professional to have for post and the rest pine? Is there something closer to fir?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

dvatt said:


> Would a wood conditioner on both the for and pine even out? Is this considered in professional to have for post and the rest pine? Is there something closer to fir?


The wood conditioner doesn't even out the color. Its a thin sealer that seals the softer parts of the wood so the oil based wiping stain doesn't stain blotchy. Fir and pine are two woods that are prone to blotch so that is why I recommended it. The best thing you can do is when you buy the wood you dig through the stack and look for fir boards that look like pine and look for pine boards that run a little redder. As long as the two woods are close to the same color when you start finishing they should stain close enough alike. The whitewood lumber in the stores are normally a grade known as SPF meaning they are a mixture of spruce, pine and fir so in theory you might be able to pick through it and get enough douglas fir to go with your 4x4's. If you can't you can order dyes from Mohawk Finishing Products in powder form you could mix with alcohol you cn get locally. If you could post a picture of your existing piece of furniture I might be able to tell you what colors you need.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Steve Neul said:


> A lot would depend on the color of the fir and the color of the pine. Often the fir is redder then the pine. If so you might mask off the fir and color the pine with a very thin cherry dye so it is the same color as the pine. If you are going medium to dark in color you probably should use a wood conditioner at this point. Then stain the entire bed with the desired wiping oil stain. If the red is unappealing to you for the color you want then you might mask off the pine and color the fir with a very thin green dye to counteract the red. Then stain with the wiping stain. The post then would likely be darker than the pine so you may need to suppliment the color on the pine with another dye.


I would think it would be worthwhile to find out the color or how dark he wants it before giving advice.








 







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## dvatt (Jul 21, 2012)

Thank you for the wealth f information. I was thinking of taking a drawer to sherwin Williams. What do you think of that idea? Of course I want to stain.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> I would think it would be worthwhile to find out the color or how dark he wants it before giving advice.
> 
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> 
> ...


The advise I gave was very basic and would work regardless of the color. I did ask for the color so I could be more specific.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

dvatt said:


> Thank you for the wealth f information. I was thinking of taking a drawer to sherwin Williams. What do you think of that idea? Of course I want to stain.


 That sounds like a good idea. A real paint store will mix stain often for painters however don't trust it. Try it out on scrap wood and put a finish on it before you put the stain on the bed. You would be relying on the talent of the people at sherwin williams and anyone including myself can mix stain wrong. I often have to takes samples of stain out in the direct sun to check the color. Then sometimes I think I have the color right and will stain a piece and will look a little different on a larger area and have to go back and fine tune the color with dyes. 

One of the problems you will have taking the sample to sherwin williams is since the wood is pine and douglas fir it will need a wood conditioner and you will have to make sure they use a wood conditioner when they make the stain.


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## dvatt (Jul 21, 2012)

So a wood conditioner had to be mixed with the stain it isn't a Stand alone product applied first?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

What are you trying to match to? Can you post a picture of the finish?








 







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## dvatt (Jul 21, 2012)

Yes, when I get home I will.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

dvatt said:


> So a wood conditioner had to be mixed with the stain it isn't a Stand alone product applied first?


 The wood conditioner is a stand alone product. You don't mix the wood conditioner with the stain the conditioner goes on first. Some woods like pine, fir, maple, birch and alder the wood varies in density from one place to another so they have soft spots that will drink up stain like a sponge and go much darker in those spots. When you use a wood conditioner the soft spots soak up a lot more of the wood conditioner than the hard spots so the surface becomes more uniform in density. That way when you put the stain on it stains more uniform in color. I would suggest you stain some of your scrap wood without the conditioner and some with the conditioner and see the difference. You may have to try several pieces before you hit on one that has an especially soft spot that blotches.


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## dvatt (Jul 21, 2012)

Here is a picture of the piece I want to match.


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## dvatt (Jul 21, 2012)

Also, what type of wood is this?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

It's hard to say with the finish on it but it's not a pine. It's a foreign wood perhaps rubberwood or sande. It has a mahogany grain to it but lacks the red color. I think to achieve that color on pine you could use Minwax golden oak. Even as light as it is a wood conditioner would be a good idea.


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## dvatt (Jul 21, 2012)

Thank you for the info


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