Pine to Oak

[RJH]

Any recommendations for staining (and varnishing) to natural oak some new clear pine internal doors?

Cheers, Rob

[Dave Liquorice]

Even clear pine will still look like pine...

So it's really down to personal preference on what colour "natural oak" is. Wander off to one of the sheds and see what stains they have and buy the smallest tin of what looks like it might produce the colour you want. You may have to visit more than one shed to get samples from different makers.

[Robin]

Imitation grain? I worked betimes in an early Victorian, Grade I listed building with what I thought were oak doors until one was damaged. After it was filled and sanded it was painted a drab brown. Then an old bloke turned up and proceeded to create the grain with an assortment of cloths, brushes and combs. This was in the 1970s but he was much in demand then so, with the loss of time-served apprentices, possibly a nice little earner - once you've mastered the technique :)

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

You can buy a special two coat process designed to achieve that, which uses two colours, but it still needs some skill to make it look convincing.

[Tim Lamb]

I have a different problem. I used Oak (because I had some) to create boxing for the cottage re-wire cable runs. Installed 18 months ago, it is now a different shade to the cover strips I have used to conceal the fixing screws and joints.

Wickes carry the Colron range so I plan to try the *light Oak* on a sample before going to town.

[RJH]

Yes, thanks - I was wondering if anyone had any experience of the array of stains out there. The US you tubers mainly use some sort of gel which I don't think we have.

Cheers, Rob

[RJH]

I'm not hoping for a great deal more than colour, to match oak flooring. I wasn't fond of the oak veneered doors - too 'pristine' in this tatty Victorian house. And the thin oak edges were just too thin on one of the openings.

Which ordinarily would rule me out :-) OOI - do you remember the make?

I'll probably just try a big brand. The Dulux stain gets a good review on the Wickes site, but from a small sample.

Cheers, Rob

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

RJH presented the following explanation :

No, it was 30 years ago that I used it.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well I am using - on Oak - a dark oak stain from liberon (used to be Colron?) - anyway its spirit based - smells like acetone - and goes on and soaks in a bit. Ive used it on a pine sytaoir rail and it matches te oak pretty well.

Then I used a clear coat from sadolin to protect and gloss it up a bit. Or model aircraft dope. Depending on what I am trying to matchg

Of course the grain is always gonna be a coarse softwood, with pine.

If uopu want to try and simualte wopod grain use a 'stain' that is actually a coloured varnish. Like sadolin. And briush it on coarsely

[Theo]

Had a bare pine bookcase where the joining screws had rather conspicuously been gone over with wood filler. I went over them with a pencil, drawing on grain to match what went either side. Worked a treat :)

Theo

[Chris Hogg]

Apparently much of the wood panelling and other features in the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, is actually painted wood grain effect.

[John Rumm]

+1

I have managed some reasonable wood grain effects with a colour film coating of some kind (e.g. a quick drying varnish etc), then allowing it to go off very slightly before brushing with a synthetic bristle brush.

[newshound]

No specific recommendation except to say I've had acceptable results with spirit based stains followed by polyurethane varnish. Also be aware that the pine will itself darken with time, so don't be afraid to start on the light side.

[John Rumm]

FWIW, this was a bit of very light American White Oak (so light it did not look very "oaky" ;-) ), which I stained with a Rustin's Light Oak stain (the Coloron one is very similar):

Then finished with three coats of Liberon Finishing oil, and a final buff with some Black Bison Wax:

[John Rumm]

Sometimes also known as a scumble glaze....

[Thomas Prufer]

Oil paint base, or any other waterproof base. Glaze: Stale beer as binder, pigment as color, 10 beer to 1 part pigment, apply with a brush. Texture with old hard nearly-hairless brushes, combs, sponges, whatever.

As the glaze is water-soluble, you can try, retry, remove, test until it suits, let dry, cover in a clear non-water topcoat.

Thomas Prufer

[rick]

Use Sikkens HLS

[petek]

My Dad was a time served French Polisher in the 1950's and 60's when I was a teenager. I seem to remember him using "Scumble" to apply to the wood and then use a series of thin metal combs before it was fully dry to recreate and imitate various grain patterns. He would also use his thumb to recreate the distinctive figure of Oak. Quite a skilled technique to do successfully, but essential in post war years when decent wood was in short supply. Unfortunately, Pine will always look like Pine whatever colour stain you put on it because of the relatively course grain.