Stain Color

[Randy Carnley]

I'm building a project for my daughter-in-law for Christmas, per my son's request. The trick is to finish the project to match existing furniture. The manufacturer's color is "Victorian Cherry." I can't find anything on this. If no one has a formula for this, I will probably start with a little red sedonna, walnut and mahogany, in various mixes and try to match. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Blessings to all.

[Scott Holmes]

Have your son take a picture in good natural light with no flash. Use this and remember that the finish coat adds color so you need to take that into account.

[Jim Becker]

The names that furniture manufacturers give to their colors are meaningless "in real life"...they are simply marketing names that someone dreamed up to make the product sound interesting. Further, the finishes are often a multi-part process with the color in the finish, not on the wood. The best you can do is experiment on actual scrap from your project to find a finishing regimen that works for you. As an alternative to matching, consider contrasting and maybe make a few accessories in the same species/color to make that contrast work without having a single, stand-out piece in the room.