We removed some valences and a wall and I’m having a hard time matching the stain color!
Members of our facebook group for midcentury home owners were happy to help.
Below are some examples of members thoughts on the topic. These are only a few of the thousands of tips that are shared in our exclusive Facebook Group dedicated to midcentury modern home owners. If you own a midcentury house and are not already a member, join us now!
- “Colors alter over time, you may not be able to match.”
- “Even if it matches now, the old is already aged and the new will change over time just like the original did.“
- “Try Watco Danish oil (natural). It looks like your ceilings were never “stained,” and likely had an untinted oil finish. Also, you’re going to need to sand those boards before applying a finish and “feather in” the edges. A random orbital sander with 120 grit will probably do.“
- “After you do the sanding be sure to focus on the feathering in as, even though you’ll sand the boards sometimes there’s some finish left that may not be visible to the naked eye, so feathering in will ensure any variations in the wood will be less noticeable when the whole job is done. If it was my ceiling I’d be sanding the whole thing and starting from scratch. It seems like a lot of work but will save so much hassle in the long run.“
- “I used a flat clear coats when I had to sand water stains back to the natural wood.”
- “I refinish wood for a hobby and get good results matching using gel stains. Try best match, wipe off with mineral spirits before fully dry (may need to sand a bit, often not). Layer on different colors to get different tones, go darker. Touch up / blend in areas using dry brush technique. Dry fully then seal with water-based polyurethane. Shouldn’t age/yellow the way old or oil-based finishes do. Agree existing color is likely yellowed / aged finish over natural wood, but you’re going to have to match using new finishes unless you sand the entire ceiling!”
- “If you’re doing Watco danish oil and build it up in at least three applications, it will definitely tone the wood darker and have an amberizing effect. It impregnates the wood pores to the point where it forms a hard coat that doesn’t need any sealing. I’ve used it on redwood and knotty pine walls in my house and it’s a beautiful way to go naked.”
You can read more tips about this topic and offer your own suggestions here.
