[Quinngarcia]

Hello. Thank you in advance. I need the mantel to look like decor color. I used a brown stain but it is not matching the surrounding decor color. I have a weathered gray stain by Varathane but mixing it did not yield the correct color. How can I match the mantel color to the decor color.

 

[Steve Neul]

You got the color pretty good but you used the wrong kind of stain. The mantle appears to have been done with an oil stain which brings out and enhances the grain. The sample was done with a latex or acrylic stain which subdues the grain.

At this point you might let the mantle dry for a week or so and then go over it with a paint and varnish remover and remove as much of the stain as you can. Let the remover soak a long time, the removers available today are a stretch to call them removers. The government banned the chemical that makes them effective. The next step would be to sand it some with some 180 grit paper. Then you could have your paint company mix some latex wall paint to a cocoa color and test a spot to see if the color is right. You probably will have to thin the paint to use as stain and wipe off the excess completely. Normally I suggest testing a finish on scraps but you would have to stain the scraps with the same stain you used on the mantle, let it dry and chemically strip it and sand it like the mantle. You could test directly on the mantle but have a rag and some lacquer thinner handy in case you need to wash off the stain.

 

[bargoon]

I'm no finishing expert but I noticed that the mantle is highly grained where the other piece is not. This may make it difficult to match precisely.

 

[B Coll]

Hello. Thank you in advance. I need the mantel to look like decor color. I used a brown stain but it is not matching the surrounding decor color. I have a weathered gray stain by Varathane but mixing it did not yield the correct color. How can I match the mantel color to the decor color. View attachment 422621 View attachment 422622

You can put a water based stain directly over an oil based stain. You need to allow a minimum of 72 hours depending on environment to allow the oil stain to flash off. I do not see the need for stripping as you will be going over it with a solid bodied color. I would take the decor sample to a good paint shop and have them match tint the color. You may find a stock color in a solid body stain, or have them mix a alkyd or acrylic paint for you.