How to finish maple kitchen doors to look like a coffee glaze
MartyJohnston
| Posted in Finishing on
I am trying to match or come close to what Thomasville calls coffee glaze on a piece of maple to eventually use on my kitchen cabinets when I make them. I have used 3 oz of 1 lb shellac with 60 drops of medium brown dye. I spray on 4 light coats and it works except 2 things to much black in grain and not coffee enough. I then spray 2 clear top coats. Any suggestions? Is there a better method?
Replies
You might be able to get closer to the look you want by starting with some dye on the bare maple to establish a base color. That could then be sealed so that you could use fewer toned coats. A pigment containing glaze at some point also adds to depth, particularly if there is texture for hang-up to provide a bit of shading.
Why the Thomasville as a guide? And, while you are still at the design stage, really consider whether that dark a look is a good one for kitchens. That dark really shows dirt. It's a trend that has lasted commercially, I think because it allows factories to deal with wood that is quite un-matched, but craftsmen working for themselves can often benefit from the ability to select and match woods. Just a thought.
What would you mix with the dye to avoid blotching other than shellac. Thomasville has a the color my wife likes. I agree that covering up the natural grain of the wood is crazy but I am not going to win this one.
I have no idea about Thomasville's coffee color chart, but my favorite color for maple when not going natural is Dark Vintage Maple dye from transtint. The great thing about transtint dyes is that you can make the piece as light or as dark as you like simply by controlling the number of coats. I always spray, so I can't help you with hand applied dye.
I mix my dyes with alcohol to avoid the raised grain and blotching.
Jeff
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