Dave Minnich
Member
- Messages
- 76
- Location
- Hendersonville, NC
I've got some repairs to do to the balusters of a staircase made from Douglas Fir. The original finish on the fir was oil of some sort, but I don't know what formulation/blend it was. Of course, over time (15 years) the fir has darkened and reddened.
As I replace pieces of the old wood I'm faced with a decision about how best to match the color. I know that over the course of several months the new wood will start to darken, but it may take quite a while for the color to get close to a match on its own, if indeed it ever does.
The options I'm considering are:
1) leave the new wood unfinished for a while, possibly putting the milled pieces out in the direct sunlight to speed the aging, then finish in several months.
2) finish the new wood now with a clear oil, making sure to use a finish without UV blockers so that the wood continues to darken.
3) finish the new wood now with an oil tinted to match the color of the old wood. In this case I'm not sure if I'd be better off to use a finish with UV blockers or not, since I'm not sure how much more color shift I should expect from the old wood.
I welcome your feedback about these, or other, options. Anyone done this before with success?
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As I replace pieces of the old wood I'm faced with a decision about how best to match the color. I know that over the course of several months the new wood will start to darken, but it may take quite a while for the color to get close to a match on its own, if indeed it ever does.
The options I'm considering are:
1) leave the new wood unfinished for a while, possibly putting the milled pieces out in the direct sunlight to speed the aging, then finish in several months.
2) finish the new wood now with a clear oil, making sure to use a finish without UV blockers so that the wood continues to darken.
3) finish the new wood now with an oil tinted to match the color of the old wood. In this case I'm not sure if I'd be better off to use a finish with UV blockers or not, since I'm not sure how much more color shift I should expect from the old wood.
I welcome your feedback about these, or other, options. Anyone done this before with success?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk