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Thread: Oak Stain Recommendation

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Central, PA
    Posts
    416

    Oak Stain Recommendation

    Finishing an oak bench as a gift. What stain color would you recommend? It's not what I like but what would most people like.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Elmodel, Ga.
    Posts
    798
    My bride and I love the Early American stain on red oak. Followed by clear satin poly. Beautiful.

  3. #3
    Red or white oak? If red you may want to forgo a stain and use a shellac or rub on poly.

    Rather than recommend a specific stain, I think it's best to experiment on some scrap and decide for yourself. There are several ways to stain such as oil, water, dyes, and with oak, fuming with ammonia.

    I use the danish oils more than stains and if you haven't done a lot of finishing (definitely my weak point) it's almost foolproof.

    I like the look of Watco Danish Walnut I think it highlights the grain in white oak, especially in quarter sawn. Golden oak, too.

    I wouldn't fret about it too much I've found a well built piece rarely suffers from using he "wrong" stain, whatever that is.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    "Stain color" is such an arbitrary thing...but oak takes pigment stains very well. So my suggestion is to experiment on scrap of the same material to determine what you like...including mixing colors to get there.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
    My go to oak stain is Varathane Summer Oak. I call it the Goldilocks of brown stain, not too dark and not too light.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Posts
    209
    I like gel stains on oak. General Finishes makes good gel stains. Java, American Oak, Candlelight. They'd all look good. I'd suggest two coats, maybe three. Wait 6-12 hours in between coats of stain and 24 hours before topcoat.

  7. #7
    ​Provincial is my favorite on oak.

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