Pwk5017 Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 I have a friend that wants a simple mantel to match their furniture. He assured me he wanted the mantle to be walnut, because that is what Arhaus had his coffee table and end table described as. Well, I decided to stop by his place to check out the existing furniture, and it certainly doesn't look like walnut to me. Atleast not the walnut I consistently deal with. In my very rudimentary knowledge of wood, it looks like patina'ed cherry--like 100 year old antiques. It is mildly dark with red tones in it. I included a picture of the piece to help illustrate what I am talking about. Is there a wood out there that is close to this? Should I look to treat cherry in some fashion to match these characteristics? This would be my least favorite option. Staining/coloring/fake aging sounds like a disaster waiting to happen in the hands of a first timer. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 i can't tell from this photo. Do you have any photo that shows more grain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 At first glance it looks like it might be an asian made piece using some sort of tropical timber and strong dyes . That's just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stobes21 Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Yeah, it looks like the rather ubiquitous "red mahogany" finish that is very popular on imported furniture. Marc did a video a while back on how to get to that look. http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/deep-red-mahogany-finish/?as=Dye&mode=posts&ap=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Alright, better pictures. Pretty impressed with you guys, this table is categorized as "Asian" by Arhaus. I figured it was some concoction of dyes and staining and God only knows what else. Thanks for the video, I will check it out. I might experiment on some stuff to find the right process, but anytime the finish is a 45 step process corresponding to the phases of the moon, I get nervous, reallllll nervous. I tip my hat to those people that layer a billion different color stains on a piece to achieve the desired look, but I would need a detailed step by step before I dove into it. I would much rather get a species that was "close" than attempt to recreate the exact color and look of the table. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Jimerfield Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 i still can't tell for sure. The second photo has some walnut characteristics, but it is stained and that can make it hard to tell via a photo. It's probably a tropical hardwood. Do check Marc's video. It is a method for a similar look, but it may not match exactly to that piece. If you're not a seasoned finisher getting a perfect match will be very hard - I've spent hours tweaking stains trying to get a match and still not gotten there. Part of how it looks is how it is applied. It can get very complicated trying to unpack someone else's finish, especially if it comes from a factory, which is even more difficult for someone who has never worked in one of those environments. Then there's the aging process. Well I've said enough, good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Rebuild their piece, build a mantel to match, when installing the mantel swap....perfect match. Only mostly kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 I think Walnut is going to be your best choice, and a bunch of samples for trying different finishes. The trouble with multiple finishes if you don't have a supply of stains and dyes on hand is that it adds up dollars pretty fast. I had to match some few inch square pieces of Mahogany veneer to the rest of a piano with not many dark colors on hand, so I ended up putting about forty bucks in small cans to ever get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Its more likely rubberwood / parawood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted February 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Ok, Arhaus got back to my inquiry from a week ago. It is Acacia wood brushed with a deep stain and several coats of lacquer. So, hats off to Steve and Shane who nailed that one. Ok, now on how to go about this. Shane, you are right, my finishing knowledge is NOTHING. Either Im using wipe-on poly, arm-r-seal, or tung oil on furniture and shelves, or I am using mineral oil or waterlox on the countertops and islands I make and sell. This is a whole other ball game for me. Anyone have tips on how to approach this? Should I go with cherry then attempt to darken it to match. Should I go with lightish walnut and attempt to infuse the red tones to it? I am slightly leaning towards the walnut base, because my one man lumber mill has a few 12/4 walnut slabs in stock, thick walnut usually isn't as checked as cherry, and I prefer the grain of walnut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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