Indoor & Outdoor Fireplaces, Plus Accessories

How to refinish a wood mantlepiece to match other wood, when I don’t know what finish is on it now?

The wood is blondish with fine grain (maybe oak?), and may or may not be finished. It appears to have whitened somewhat due, I think, to water staining, and appears very dry. Other parts of of the fireplace surround have the same wood, as does my stair rail too, but with more of a yellowish tone. I would like to protect the mantlepiece and also get it to match the other part, and do it with the least effort possible.

I’ve matched existing wood by using several different colors of stain. Sometimes I make my own colors by mixing two different stain colors together; this gives you a different result than applying one color to the wood and then the other. You can build up your color gradually starting off with a light yellowish stain and then going over it again with a more orange or brown color if necessary. Since all wood takes stain differently, it is almost impossible to tell by looking at a stain chart in a store what the results will be on your wood. Also, the lighting in the store is different than in your room and this will affect the look of the color. Be conservative and start off light and gradually add more layers of stain until you get the look you want. Be sure to clean off your wood and sand it down with at least a 220 grit sandpaper and #0000 steel wool before you apply any stain.

In something like this there is no such thing as “least effort possible”.

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