[selfish]

Good morning everyone, this is my first post here.

The boss wants me to match this finish from a picture she found online. I can tell that it has a few layers, but I can't make out what they are and the proper order to apply. They list it as Antiqued Charcoal, if that helps.

Any insight?

Thanks!

David

 

[cabinetman]

A finish like that takes some practice and experimenting. It's really trial and error. Start with a species as a sample that will be the project species. You might start with using an oil base paint, thinned with mineral spirits. Doing a light brown wash, using a dab and wipe type technique, the color change would likely take that hue with a burnt umber. You might need to tint slightly with a blue and yellow. Start with small amounts of the color mixes to see how they appear on the wood.

Some milk paints also work well. There are antiquing kits showing the ultimate colors that will have the mix ratios needed.

.

 

[Steve Neul]

It looks like some kind of pickle finish. More important than what materials to finish it with you will need an open grain wood such as walnut or a type of mahogany. If you are looking for cheap Philippine mahogany would work. There appears to be white pigment in the pores of the wood. It would be applied over the stained wood and wiped almost off with a rag wet with a solvent approiate to the paint you are using. I've done it with latex paint but it dries so fast it's difficult to wipe off the excess. I prefer to use Promar exterior alkyd flat for this. Then it would need a topcoat. No more enamel than it has you could use a precatalyzed lacquer to finish it with. If you let it dry for a week or use Zinsser Sealcoat you could finish over it with a water based polyurethane. It's just best with the pigment in the grain to use a non-yellowing finish which would let out an oil based polyurethane.