# staining red oak to match Santos Mahogany



## xeurom (Apr 30, 2011)

Hi,
I am doing my stairs with santos mahogany flooring. I am considering buying the oak newel posts which are ready made and sold on the internet.

I would like to stain the oak newel posts to match santos mahogany color. I have tried buying the cherry stain from Homedepot and stained a piece of oak, but the end result is just awful. If I stain using the instruction on the can: apply, wait 10 minnutes and wipe off, the color is too light. If I leave the stain to dry on the wood, it become too dark.

Am I not using the right color or my technique is wrong? 
Thanks,
xeu


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Matching colors can be a time-consuming process of experimentation. I take scraps of the same wood as I'm using in the project, sand them to the same grit level, and then start testing. Oil-based stains can be mixed to get variations in color. I mix small quantities, noting the exact ratios of the different stains being mixed, so I can duplicate the mix later. You can also do this in multiple layers, building up to the color you want. Water-based aniline dyes can also be used. When doing the multi-layered approach, de-waxed shellac can usually be used as a separator between layers.


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## xeurom (Apr 30, 2011)

Would there be a shop that can mix stain for me ,you think?


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## xeurom (Apr 30, 2011)

Just want to post a picture I found of a newel post with color I want.
Thanks,


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

do a couple of coats of stain letting it dry over night in between. It should give you darker shades. Cherry stain might be to light to begin with.


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

xeurom said:


> Would there be a shop that can mix stain for me ,you think?


Not likely - unless you're going to order 100 gallons, or so. 

You could, however, engage the services of a professional finishing shop to do the work. They will have experience in matching colors, since they are often faced with that challenge when doing restoration work. 

Otherwise, "finishing" should be considered to be an adventure in experimentation, even _after_ reading the books published by finishing experts.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

Take a trip to HD they have a paint machine that can mix paint /stain to just about any color , it's worth a try.. 

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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Paint stores can now do a great job of matching (opaque) paint color. I don't think that approach would work with stain, however, as the final color is affected by various other factors, many of which are not in the stain itself.


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## xeurom (Apr 30, 2011)

I wonder if there is a finish person from this forum who can help me out. With compensation, of course.


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