How to Choose Wood Stain Color for Furniture: 7 Tips

A gorgeous piece of wood furniture is the highlight of any home—especially when it’s coated in the perfect wood stain. A well-chosen stain color does more than just help your wooden tables, chairs, or bed frames stand out. It also transforms the room, complementing other furnishings and fixtures.

However, deciding on the right stain color isn’t always as easy as picking your favorite hue. If you want your home to look its best, there’s a lot to think about.

Luckily, our experts have some tried-and-true advice. Whether you’re having custom furniture made or staining a new piece yourself, these tips on how to choose wood stain colors will help you make your decision.

Tip 1 – Consider the Wood Type and Grain

First and foremost, you have to account for the wood itself. That’s because the stain is transparent. Unlike traditional paint, which completely covers wood in an opaque layer, stain typically allows the wood to shine through, accentuating its natural features.

One of those natural features, of course, is the color of the wood. Some types of wood for furniture, like cedar, walnut, and teak, have a relatively strong, vibrant color. With these types, you’ll want to choose a darker stain color, as lighter stains won’t show up well.

Paler woods, like maple, pine, and ash, are more versatile. You can choose a lighter-colored stain to let the grain come through clearly or opt for a darker stain for a more dramatic finish.

Considering the type of wood will also help you choose the right kind of stain for your project. For softwoods like cedar or pine, a water-based stain is best; for hardwoods like maple or oak, an oil-based stain is the better choice.¹

Tip 2 – Complement, Don’t Match

If you already have wood flooring or furniture in your space, choosing a wood stain color for a new piece becomes more challenging. After all, you want all your wood furniture to look cohesive.

The trick to pairing multiple wood pieces with the perfect stain color is to complement, not match. In other words, don’t try to find wood that’s identical to your current table or chairs—look for something contrasting or complementary instead.

The reason is simple: Have you ever tried matching the stain of an existing piece of furniture? It’s practically impossible. Different woods accept stains differently, so your results are never guaranteed. Even if your new table is the same wood type as your old bookshelf, they may look different once stained, as lumber can vary from tree to tree.

The good news is that mixed wood tones bring life to a space. So, don’t be afraid of juxtaposition when choosing a wood stain color.

For example, if your dining room is dominated by blond wood, consider making a dark-stained table the centerpiece for a touch of contrast. Or, if you have a few red-tinged pieces of furniture, add something with an orange or yellow hue to complement the existing color.

Tip 3 – Observe the Wood’s Undertones

One concept that will help you with the “complement, don’t match” rule is the idea of undertones. All woods, both stained and unstained, have a natural undertone that falls under one of three categories:

• Warm tones – Any furniture with undertones of red, yellow, or orange has a warm undertone. Wood types with naturally warm undertones include mahogany and cherry.
• Cool tones – Wood that appears gray, black, or blue has a cool undertone. Examples of naturally cool woods include ash and poplar.
• Neutral tones – Some woods have more of a beige or brown undertone that doesn’t lean warm or cold. Walnut and maple pieces often come across as neutral.

To ensure that multiple pieces of wood furniture go together, choose wood stain colors that fall under the same category. If you stick to one set of undertones, your room will look cohesive—even if your furniture is made from several different wood species.

Tip 4 – Consider the Lighting in Your Space

To make matters more complicated, wood stains don’t look the same in every environment. The lighting in a room, both natural and artificial, can influence the way our eyes perceive color.² As such, you’ll want to think about the light in your space before making any final color decisions.

Natural light from windows and skylights can bring out the warmer tones in wood stain colors, making them seem more vibrant. Meanwhile, the glow from fluorescent bulbs can make colors appear cooler than they are.

What’s more, the lighting in a room changes throughout the day. Low-light mornings and evenings dampen colors, while the full intensity of the midday sun makes colors stand out.

So, how do you choose the right wood stain color? Ideally, you test it first.

To see how a wood stain will look in different lighting, test the stain on an inconspicuous part of the furniture, like the back or underside, or on a scrap piece of the same wood. Then, leave the stained piece in its intended location and observe how the color changes throughout the day.

Tip 5 – Choose a Stain Based on Desired Ambiance

Here’s a question that will point you in the right direction: How do you want your space to feel? Are you hoping for an open, airy environment that looks bigger than it is? Or would you prefer a close, intimate setting for late-night chats and cozy evenings?

The answer to this question will influence your choice of wood stain color. Here’s how to choose wood stain for furniture based on your desired ambiance:

• For an airy feeling – If you want a room that feels spacious, reach for lighter-colored stains. Light wood finishes reflect more light, so the room will appear big and bright, even if it’s on the smaller side. Cool undertones will also help your space seem open.
• For an intimate feeling – On the other hand, if you’re designing a cozy space, choose darker, warmer stain colors. Deeper shades can make a large room feel more intimate and inviting, while warm undertones create a sense of comfort.

Tip 6 – Think About Wear and Tear

With time and use, all wood furniture will show some wear and tear. It’s a natural part of any furniture piece’s lifecycle.

When picking a stain color, it’s essential to keep this wear in mind. Why? Because scratches and dents show up differently on dark stains than on light stains.

Dark-stained furniture will show scratches more clearly than light-stained wood since the contrast between the surface and the underlying natural wood is greater. Wear and tear will still show on lighter woods—especially if there are any significant gashes—but the damage will be less noticeable.

If you’re worried about wear and tear, here’s a rule of thumb: For high-touch, high-traffic furniture pieces, such as dining tables and chairs, choose a lighter stain color. For pieces that are less prone to damage, such as bed frames and bookshelves, it’s safer to pick a darker stain.

Note that this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Ultimately, you should choose the wood stain color you like best. As long as you protect and maintain your furniture, you can keep unsightly wear and tear to a minimum. Keep up with our tips on wood maintenance, from how to fix scratches on a wood table to how to clean a wood dining table without ruining its finish to keep your pieces in shape longer.

Tip 7 – Don’t Be Afraid to Combine Stain Colors

With thousands of wood stain colors and dozens of brands to choose from, you should be able to find a finish that suits your taste. But what if you want something custom? In that case, you can create your own stain color by combining two or more stains.

There are two ways to combine stain colors:

• Mixing colors before staining – One option is to buy two or more cans of stain and mix them to create something new. For example, you could blend a blue stain with a red one to make a unique purple color. Most paint stores will gladly mix colors for you.
• Layering multiple stain colors – Rather than mixing stains ahead of time, you can layer your colors by applying one then the other. This overlapping approach will have a different effect, as the second stain will add depth and dimension to the first.

Whenever you’re staining wood, testing is essential. But it’s especially important when you’re combining stains. Be sure to test your custom color on a small, hidden part of your furniture before staining the entire piece.

Customize & Choose Your Perfect Stain with James & James

Nothing feels better than picking the perfect wood stain color for your latest purchase. When you find the right stain, it’s like magic: Your entire room comes together.

If you want custom-stained wood furniture without the hassle of DIY staining, turn to James & James. Our expert carpenters can help you choose the right wood stain color for your space, and then craft and deliver your custom furniture, from solid wood dining tables to solid wood bedroom furniture and beyond.

To make your decision easier, we let you try before you buy. Our team will send a six-by-six-inch stain sample directly to your home so you can see how the stain looks in person.

Explore our different custom finish samples today to find your perfect stain.

Sources:

1. MasterClass. How to Stain Wood: A Step-by-Step Guide to Staining Wood. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-stain-wood
2. National Institute of Standards and Technology. The Eye of the Beholder: How Lighting Affects Our Color Perception. https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/eye-beholder-how-lighting-affects-our-color-perception