How-To

6 rules for coloring wood

There are a lot of ways to screw up the color on a finish, but follow Mike Mascelli's 6 rules and you'll be fine.

By Mike Mascelli May 13, 2022

Camera: Jeff Roos & KT Kaminski — Edit: Ben Strano

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest techniques and how-to from Fine Woodworking, plus special offers.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

See all newsletters

Videos in the Series

Why is wood brown?
May 13, 2022

Before diving into staining and dyeing wood, Mike Mascelli teaches us about the history of coloring wood.
Wood dyes vs. wood stains
May 13, 2022

Often confused, wood dyes and wood stains have one main difference—pigment!
Working with pigmented wood stain
May 13, 2022

Wood stain is available in any hardware store and can be used with great results as long as you understand it.
Working with wood dye
May 13, 2022

Wood dyes have come a long way since their invention. In this video Mike Mascelli demonstrates the subtleties of using them.
How to dye sapwood
May 13, 2022

Mindfully done, you can dye sapwood to match the surrounding wood—Mike Mascelli shows you how.
Using a color wheel
May 13, 2022

A simple color wheel can save the day when you need to match an existing color with your wood finish.
Four ways of adding color to wood
May 13, 2022

Adding color to wood can be accomplished with dye, stain, glaze, or toner.
6 rules for coloring wood
May 13, 2022

There are a lot of ways to screw up the color on a finish, but follow Mike Mascelli's 6 rules and you'll be fine.
How to work with color in the real world
May 13, 2022

In the conclusion of this series, Mike puts everything he's taught to practice on two different sample boards.

X

X

Get It All!

UNLIMITED Membership is like taking a master class in woodworking for less than $10 a month.

About This Video Workshop

With a seemingly endless array of wood stains and dyes, it’s very easy to get confused and overwhelmed when adding color to your furniture. Mike Mascelli will help you understand the individual elements of stains and dyes AND demystify the process. In this video workshop, Mike demonstrates: The differences between stains and dyes How to add depth to a piece with glazes Perfecting the final color with spray toner How to dye sapwood to better… More about this Video Workshop

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Up Next

Featured Workshop

Queen Anne Side Chair with Dan Faia

With its graceful curves, cabriole legs, and ornamental back splat, a Queen Anne side chair is a bucket list build for many woodworkers. Dan Faia had a very specific Queen…

Featured Projects & Plans

Build a Contemporary Sideboard

Chris Gochnour's sideboard combines usefulness, strength, and beauty in a contemporary case piece

Related Stories

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

|
|
|
|
|
|

View More Create Post

Highlights

View All

SketchUp for Furniture Design
Buy Now
Foundations of Woodworking
Buy Now

UNLIMITED membership - Get access to it all

Start Free Trial

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to video workshops, digital plans library, online archive, and more, plus the print magazine.