I patched two sections of hardwood floor this week (where the floor furnaces used to be), took a sample of old board to the flooring supplier who said it was white oak. I did a dandy job of fitting new wood to old, offset the joints to disguise the new work, sanded flush and feathered out a ways into the old wood.
It was then that I discovered that the old wood is red oak, not white, so my patch sticks out like a sore thumb. Old boards had no stain on them, just nice yellowing from the polyurethane varnish.
So what do you guys suggest to shift color of white oak to look nice and golden like the red oak?
Thanks,
BruceT
Replies
Are you certain that the old wood is red oak? A "golden" color suggests white oak; red oak usually has some pink/red to it.
If it is red oak, I think making the white oak match it (without refinishing the red oak) is going to be difficult, because the white oak is often a bit darker, and has sort of a greenish undertone. It's not really possible to "erase" the white oak's greens without making it darker still, which is probably going to make it stick out even more.
-Steve
Thanks, The golden color in the original red oak is the result of the amber glow of three coats of polyurethane varnish, but when I sanded the joints between old and new,I could see the pinkish tone of the old wood in contrast to the white of the new. As you say, the new wood takes on a greenish cast when varnished.BruceT
Dear Bruce,
It can be done. I've seen that happen a couple of times over the years. You will need to stain the two woods differently to compensate for the difference in natural "hue". It is a bit tedious, masking off individual pieces, but much less involved than tearing out the entire floor. Most paint centers should be able to offer you the appropriate stains, if you can supply them with some material samples.
Best,
John
Bruce
About a dozen or so years ago, when I knew even less about finishing than I do now(if that's possible <g>) I ran into this same problem. I mistakenly took the word of a customer that her entertainment center was white oak. I was hired to make new raised panel doors, and I, of course, made them in white oak.
When I went to the house with several finish samples, nothing was even close. After much trial and tribulation, I was able to come up with a stain combination that got me close, and some amber shellac (zinser out of the can) that got me the slight hue. The white oak doors were a little darker, but it worked.
Thank god I specified up front that finish was impossible to match perfectly.
As other's stated, you may wish to just redo the patch in red oak. In the long run, you may just spend less time, considering that you are now familiar with the best way to do it, having just completed the work.
Good luck,
Jeff
"...and some amber shellac (zinser out of the can) that got me the slight hue."Do I understand that you used the amber (same as used to be called orange?) shellac for the basic color shift or a sort of final adjustment?I hope I don't have to remove the boards and start over. On one side of the wall the old boards run perpendicular to the wall and on both sides of the opening they were misaligned such that there was a 1/4" difference in width of opening in the space of 15". I had to taper each of the 12 boards by 1/64" or 1/32" in order to "cheat" the difference and make the repair look right. BruceT
Edited 3/3/2008 1:27 pm by brucet9
bruce
Orange shellac from zinser it was! Sorry, I forgot they changed it. I believe Amber is the same thing, but I'm not a big shellac guy, so maybe someone else will chime in. Obviously, you should do several samples to get it right.
If I remember correctly, my recipe was General Finishes Cherry, now called Salem, wiped on and off, to give a pinkish red hue. Then the shellac over the top.
Good luck.
Jeff
Yes, the shellac now called Amber at retail used to be called orange which is still the name for that commodity grade of shellac.
bruce19 ,
I would agree with Jeff , try some amber shellac on the new wood before you spend too much time on stains and colors give it a try .
Almost sounds like a golden Oak color .
dusty
I said before that the golden color was from the amber resin in three coats of polyurethane, but I suppose it could have been a golden oak dye stain. There was no sign of pigmented stain in the old boards.Minwax non-pigmented "Golden Oak" stain just turned a white oak sample a garish greenish shade.
BruceT
"Minwax non-pigmented 'Golden Oak' stain just turned a white oak sample a garish greenish shade."
No, no. That's what Golden Oak looks like. Honest. It says so on the can....
-Steve
try the shellac , you may be pleastantly surprised , I hope.
Brucet9,
Ron Hazelton did a patch match this past weekend on a floor and used amber shellac also...wiped some off if too much, finished with poly.
http://www.ronhazelton.com/
Edited 3/4/2008 2:11 pm ET by BG
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled