# CVG Douglas Fir darker yet natural finish



## jsouth (Mar 1, 2014)

Hi, I'm a newbie who is finishing a CVG Douglas Fir table I just built.

I'm not a huge fan of Doug Fir's natural colour - it can be a bit too orange. I would like it to be a bit darker than natural, natural-looking, NOT orange, and with a matte, durable finish.

Any suggestions on how to achieve the effect I want? I'm thinking:

1. wood conditioner
2. brown stain diluted with turpentine rubbed on with cloth
3. oil based Varathane clear satin finish

Don't really know what I'm doing - would appreciate some advice!
Also, do I sand between Varathane coats?

—jsouth


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You can just counteract the orange with dyes. The orange is due to red in the wood and you can counteract red with a green dye. Be careful using green dyes though, it only takes a very tiny amount and multiple coats would be better than too much. This should make the wood a light tan color but if you want to use a stain too that would be fine but a conditioner should be used with an oil stain. 

Any type finish that puts a coating on you sand it between coats with 220 grit or finer sandpaper. 

I use Mohawk Finishing Products Ultra Penetrating Stain for the dye I use and the green I stock is M520-4136. It is thinned with alcohol and sprayed on at low pressure.


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## jsouth (Mar 1, 2014)

Thank you Steve - I don't have access to a pressure sprayer so that might not be the best option for me. I'll look into it more.

When you use the penetrating stain do you have a base coat/conditioner of any sort? And what grit would you recommend before applying?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

jsouth said:


> Thank you Steve - I don't have access to a pressure sprayer so that might not be the best option for me. I'll look into it more.
> 
> When you use the penetrating stain do you have a base coat/conditioner of any sort? And what grit would you recommend before applying?


If you are using dyes only a conditioner isn't necessary. For what you are doing you could apply the dye by hand but I suspect you would need to thin the dye much more. Try the formula on some scrap wood first. Spraying it puts a lot less on at one time. Be sure to wear gloves. Green dyes make green paws.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

We have an introduction section where you can say a few words about yourself. If you fill out your profile in your "User Control Panel", you can list any hobbies, experience, occupation, or if retired…from what, or other facts. You can also list your general geographical location which would be a help in answering some questions. In doing that your location will show under your username when you post.

Without the ability to spray, you could use an oil base stain and reduce if necessary. You may not need a conditioner, as you should experiment with samples. You wipe on/off the stain, and make a wiping version of an oil base varnish.






















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## Rick Mosher (Feb 26, 2009)

Doug Fir turns a darker more reddish brown color all on its own. Maybe do a sample, cut it in half and leave half in the sun a few days to see the difference.


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