Pages

Friday, October 26, 2012

Cheap and Easy DIY Dark Wood Stain

Last week I made some very simple, light colored natural wood stains. This week I experimented with a few ways to make darker colored stains. I was surprised to see how well my experiments turned out. Check out the results below!

Why make your own wood stain? 

Many conventional wood stains on the market are made up of toxic and harmful chemicals. Additionally, many of these stains have high levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) which degrade your indoor air quality and smell terrible. The best part of making your own wood stain is that it is super easy and it will save you money! I spent less than $10.00 to buy all the ingredients necessary to make multiple different colors and shades. You will probably spend even less as many of these ingredients are common kitchen items.

How to Make Light Stains Darker

One easy way to make dark wood stains is to just make your all natural DIY stains darker. Check out this post for all natural stains you can make in less than 5 minutes. The steel wool and vinegar will react with the other stains to produce a dark vibrant color. This happens due to a chemical reaction where the steel wool will begin to dissolve as the vinegar oxidizes the steel. With this stain you are essentially creating rust in a jar. Here is a video from P. Allen Smith at P. Allen Smith Garden Home that first inspired me to try to make DIY wood stain.




If you liked his recipe I recommend giving it a try. Keep on reading if you would like to see more variations of DIY steel wool stain!



DIY Steel Wool & Vinegar Wood Stain

First we need to tear up one pad of steel wool - buy the finest texture you can find. I purchased a big pack of the fine steel wool labeled Grade #0000 at my local hardware store for about $3.00.

Steel Wool Grade #0000

Once you have torn up the whole pad, add all the pieces to a jar  and fill the rest of the jar with vinegar. Let it soak overnight before use. You can leave the steel wool to soak longer for a darker hue. The steel wool will completely dissolve in about a week. This is what the jar looked like after about 5 days.

Wood stain after 5 days  made from steel wool and vinegar

After you let the steel wool soak overnight you can go ahead and apply it using a foam brush. I applied one coat of the steel wool mixture to each light natural stain that I made last week. Just one application of the steel wool stain significantly darkened the other stains. You can see the difference in the picture below. The before picture is the left side, and the color to the right is after one coat of the steel wool stain. The stains I had previously applied were (from left to right): Hot Chocolate, Coffee, Tomato Sauce, and Red Wine. For these stain recipes check out this earlier post!

Natural DIY Wood Stains with one coat of steel wool wood stain on top

You can also just apply the steel wool mixture to wood for a faded gray color. Applying a coat of brewed tea over the steel wool mixture will react with the tannins in the wood and the tea and give you a nice dark gray/black color. The picture below is with one application of steel wool stain followed by one coat of regular black tea.

Steel Wool and Tea Stain



DIY Dark Wood Stains in Under 5 Minutes for Under $5.00

After playing with the steel wool stains I decided I wanted to make a nice rich, dark brown stain. After  a little research, I found the website  The Woodworkers Gazette with an article by Jim McNamara with many recipes for DIY wood stains. Unfortunately many of the recipes called for toxic materials, intense chemicals, or very involved processes. Once of his recipes mentioned food coloring as an option, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try.

After looking through my cupboards I decided I need to go to the grocery store and pick up some materials for this experiment. I bought one packet of food coloring which included 4 colored vials: yellow, green, blue, and red. I also picked up one box of Lipton tea to use as the base liquid to which I would add the colors. I also used white vinegar for this project but I already had a big bottle of that at home. All total I think I spent around $5.00.



To start with, I created a basic stain to which I would be adding the food coloring. First I added about 6 tea bags to 2 cups of boiling water. I let it steep for about 15 minutes and squeezed all the remaining liquid out of the tea bags. I then added about 1/4 cup of vinegar to the hot tea to aid in the adhesion of the food coloring to the wood. This mixture essentially served as my base mixture to which I would add my color. I split the tea into 6 different jars and began adding colors, here are some of my favorite stains that I was able to produce.


The results of a DIY wood stain project.

To create the different colors I had to remember some basic coloring mixing formulas from middle school art class. I needed to learn how to mix prime colors to create the dark brown I was trying to achieve. I found this website that suggested I mix red, green, and yellow and mixed it all up. After I got the reddish brown I desired (the bottom row of the picture above) I started adding different colors to see what other fun colored stains I could mix up!


DIY Food Coloring Wood Stains

The bottom left was achieved using red, green and yellow. The lighter brown used mostly yellow and a few drops of red and green. If you remember the ratios you can get more intense colors by adding more of the food coloring. The darker grays were achieved using steel wool and tea, while the blue and purple came from using food coloring.

Conclusion

The steel wool and vinegar was extremely easy to use and seemed to work really well. It would be great for adding that aged and distressed look to furniture, especially if you are going for the farmhouse/barn style decor. The food coloring also worked really well, although it was pretty tricky to get the exact colors that I wanted, it would also be hard to recreate the exact same color. Also it required a good amount of food coloring and would probably make the most sense for small furniture. The food coloring method is quite fun and it allows you to create some very unique colors. 

In my research for this project I found read about using different foods to create all natural dyes. I did not seem to find anywhere that used these dyes on wood, but in this post I gave it a try! What do you think? Does the steel wool and food coloring stain seem easy enough to try it yourself?  

90 comments:

  1. Thanks for the ideas! have a table i am making and want to stain the legs, middle of winter and no where inside the is well ventilated enough to do pre made stain . making up some of your food coloring recipe now to try to get a chocolaty brown

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How did the recipe turn out? The dark chocolaty brown has been difficult for me to get exactly the way I want it. The food coloring method works really well for projects exactly like you described. Sure beats leaving windows and doors open when it is 20 degrees outside!

      Delete
    2. Part of the problem is it depends a lot on the wood. Different ones react differently, so the same stain on different woods looks different.

      Delete
  2. What Is the second one below the green??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you are referring to the light brown in the bottom right. If so, I used mostly yellow with a bit of red and green. Those colors mixed together with the tea made a nice light brown color.

      I would suggest playing around with just a few drops to get the right ratio. Once you get the color you want then just multiply the ratio. Example 4 drops yellow +2 drops red +1 drop green could become 40 drops yellow +20 drops red + 10 drops green. This would give you plenty of stain for a small indoor project. I hope that helps!

      Delete
  3. I'm so glad I found your blog. I found a rocking chair in a shed yesterday and wanted to "help" it. I used the steel wool and vinegar mixture after lightly sanding. The chair did not need very much distressing, but the mixture did dull the remaining finish on the wood. Then the magic- my fiance is working with purple heart wood currently and I wanted to recreate that look. I am now watching a coffee and purple food coloring combination dry on the wood and I am in love! It is dark brown, dark purple, and light purple...exactly what I wanted. I will send you before and after pictures when I complete this project. I still need to create a woven leather belt seat. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Purple heart wood is a beautiful look. I am glad my post helped inspire you to give it a try. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures, so please do post when you finish your project!

      Delete
  4. Can I ask what you used on the 3rd one straight down on the left side.
    The blue-ish one!

    ReplyDelete
  5. To prevent wood swelling and warping due to changes in temperature and moisture, finish all exposed surfaces of the wood item. This includes areas not easily visible, like the insides of cabinets and drawers and the undersides of tables.

    ReplyDelete
  6. When you did your red wine stain and used a coat of the steel wool and vinegar mixture, how many coats did you use of the red wine before applying the week old wool/vinegar?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I will give this also a try. There are really rich, dark, red wines here to use for the stain and I will give it a try next week as well as the beeswax finish.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow great article. Im looking for the deepest brown stain for inside a camper, partly to cover up existing stains and avoid marks in the future. What about boiling down walnuts and other wood that has high resin content? Any ideas for a natural wood sealant? Im thinking of using some kind of wood resin as it is attractive and naturally tough. thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walnut is a great way to get a very dark color. If you are looking for a natural wood sealant, check out my post on beeswax wood sealant.

      http://themoderndiylife.blogspot.com/2012/12/diy-beeswax-wood-polish-and-sealant.html

      Delete
  9. I recommend this small independent business for affordable non toxic wood dye kits, free shipping.
    http://www.kedadye.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your post. Are you affiliated with this company or have you ever used their product? If so, I would like to chat further to learn more. You can reach me directly at benjaminnyquist@gmail.com

      Delete
  10. I'm experimenting with the vinegar and steel wool stain. I made the stain and put it on some wood, but am wondering if I need to seal it. What is your experience?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fantastic!! I'm starting my own furniture business, and making my own stain is a wonderful way to cut down expenses dramatically and to avoid all those nasty chemicals! One question, how about shelf life? Will it "go bad" at some point? I want to make large quantities so I can duplicate the color on multiple pieces. Thanks so much for this article!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am currently making kitchen utensils, will thiese recipes ba safe to use on sodden spoons and spatulas etc?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've been searching for a way to slightly warm and darken whitewashed cabinetry throughout house. Would like to retain grain character. Therefore, stain seems the best option. Your experiments are quite interesting. Our cabinets are in great shape, but in need of updating as we renovate whole interior of home. We are big on DIY methods. If old finish is sanded off first, would steelwool stain give us more of a drftwood look?

    ReplyDelete
  14. this is super awesome- thanks so much for posting this...I hate using nasty strong chemicals. this is a great detailed how to post

    ReplyDelete
  15. Had a idea to use the sediment collected on a whole house well water filter.Shade is orange from iron in water. On pine it looks like vintage "pumpkin pine".Do ya think this is OK? I have wiped a teak oil on ,but is staying dull compared to a reg.stain on same piece of wood.Not sure why??

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks so much for the information on the food coloring stains. We purchased a large butcher block counter top to replace the rather ugly solid-surface we had on our kitchen island. The wood was a very light, untreated color and we wanted to a) darken and b) add color to it.

    We were afraid however, to use potentially toxic stains on a food prep surface, so we followed the recipe exactly (except we doubled it, just in case) and made a color very similar to the bottom left that you show. Great advice!

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is very useful information. Another material to consider is charcoal. Just grate a briquette and add it to whatever mixture you are working. I am busy on a turtle shell project and the only stain I had on hand was cherry, much to light. So I added a bit of charcoal to the stain and got the exact effect I was looking for. Also it was a good way to use up those last bits of stain left in the can, rather than throwing them out.

    ReplyDelete
  18. wow, thanks for sharing this! I am looking for a method to stain a table top that I plan to affix to a battered old treadle sewing machine base and this will be perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great post! I'm interested in staining wood for a garden fence and raised garden beds. I don't want chemicals leaching into the soil from regular wood stains. Will either of the methods you describe above stand up to outdoor use? Or will the rain wash away any dark stain?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi
    Top web site, I hadn't come across idlemendacity.blogspot.com earlier during my searches!
    Keep up the superb work!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Can you create the hot chocolate and steel wool-vinegar mix together, or do you think it's best to apply a coat of one recipe followed by a coat of the separate recipe?
    Thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love the food coloring idea. Going try it on some tangerine crates I'm saving for my daughter's graduation party.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi, for the food color technique, will the color fade in the long run? thanks

    ReplyDelete
  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  25. So glad I found your blog, specifically these posts! I am making a bed for my 4 year old, and have been looking for natural stains. It looks like the steel wool solution OVER the 3 layers of 1Cvinegar/halfChotcocoa (no tea) creates a chocolate brown stain? I'm double-checking! It seems like such a darker (beautiful!) color after you applied the steel wool solution. Did you apply the hot cocoa stain after cooling it off, or while still warm? Did you thinly apply or or let it 'puddle' a little?

    ReplyDelete
  26. UV might be the long run issue. Why would stain inventors use harsh chems when they too have brains and probably helped make Easter eggs as kids. And no, I do not work for any stain making companies. Besides....a pack of food coloring probably costs more than real wood stain by volume.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thanks for the information about staining a fence. I really like the way this turned out and I am so glad I came across this website and the information about it. I have been wanting to stain my fence for quite a while now and I am glad that I can finally do it because of the information in this article. http://www.fencenashville.net/Pages/HowLongShouldIWaitBeforeStainingMyNewWoodFence.aspx

    ReplyDelete
  28. Yeah dear!! Black Ebony wood is very superior in quality and is difficult to find. This is a very fine wood and its products are little bit expensive because of its superior quality and its designs.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Awesome experiment, thanks for sharing! The hot chocolate/steel wool color was exactly what I wanted to achieve!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Is the steel wool/vinegar safe to use on a wood dog crate we are making? Afraid the dog may chew on wood dowels and don't want to use any toxic stains. Or should we try the food coloring one?

    ReplyDelete
  31. What would be a good food safe stain to put over the vinegar/steel wool stain to make it easier to clean and resistant to moisture. Thank You, Jackie

    ReplyDelete
  32. I meant to say a good food safe finish to put over the vinegar/steel wool stain to make it easier to clean and resistant to moisture. Thank You, Jackie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that clear shellac would be safe. I just used it on some raised bed boards to increase their longevity. Its made from something that bugs produce!!

      Delete
  33. Is this stain useful for exterior wood siding? Also, will it protect the wood?

    ReplyDelete
  34. I used the tea and vinager part of your recipe but instead of food coloring I used tattoo ink, there are many more color choices and it's also non toxic

    ReplyDelete
  35. The vinegar and steel wool stain reacts differently on different types of wood. It will turn oak black, pine rust colored, dark brown or gray. You really have to experiment on the exact type of wood you are going to use

    ReplyDelete
  36. Among those posts I've seen, this is the most particular one, and I think the blogger must have spent lots of time on it, thank you so much!

    deck flooring supplier in india

    ReplyDelete
  37. Very nice design of your furniture
    This is the best reference sources that I was looking for
    I hope to get a lot of new ideas from you.
    Affordable Furniture

    ReplyDelete
  38. Will this technique also work on the Teak outdoor furniture as well? My outdoor furniture will stay in direct contact of sunlight so will these stains stay for long on them?

    ReplyDelete
  39. I am planning to do this to my bathroom vanity cabinets. I have also used your wax sealer on a desk I finished. I am wondering what natural DIY sealer there is that is good and strong at sealing near this much used, water area (my toddler also uses this bathroom :-) )

    ReplyDelete
  40. thank you for share with us like this post

    ReplyDelete
  41. i need to find something that snaps on perhaps, for chairs that have tubular metals legs. The base part that sits on the floor is about 2 feet long, metal, tube. If there is something that can snap over that to protect a wood floor that would be awesome. Anyone know of any stores or websites that have something??
    soft flooring protection

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. a split rubber hose might work if I get the description right.

      Delete
  42. Interesting angle you have here. it's good enough

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thank you for getting this information out there, it's ridiculously difficult to find information that doesn't insist upon store bought harsh chemicals. It's like everyone forgot that people did things for themselves once upon a time. I am also attempting to mix tattoo ink with vinegar to achieve color consistency on a 100 yr old very weathered wood floor that I have slowly and carefully been restoring since we moved in almost 2 years ago... What an experience!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Thanks I will be trying this with a group of kids.

    ReplyDelete
  45. to enhance the piece and show how it can be used to add storage, style, and charm to a home. Demir Leather & Furniture

    ReplyDelete
  46. Amsterdam furniture store and knew I needed to share this clever concept for a store with you. If you love Ikea, then Vila Sofa is for you.Demir Leather

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hi I am interested to buy some unfinish pieces from http://www.casateak.com/ can I use these stains on teakwood as well ?

    ReplyDelete
  48. while me and Freya (Pamela) are still bickering and I end up dragging her along the floor. We wanted to make this funny and show the audience how such a simple thing can be hilarious. steel fence

    ReplyDelete
  49. Picket Fence Uae | Wooden Fence Uae | Fence Manufacturer Uae | Garden Fence Uae | Modern Fence Uae | Smart fence Uae | Wooden fence Supplier In Uae
    fencing options

    ReplyDelete
  50. Do you mix the tea/food coloring with vinager mixture? Or apply each tea than vinager?

    ReplyDelete
  51. Starting from budgetary relations, durability, outlook among others, you should see into that you find the most suitable one for you. Wooden fences have a number of advantages associated with them. cheap fencing

    ReplyDelete
  52. want to spend some time in thinking about the business meeting you just had or need some time to spend with your spouse then these furniture are just for you. From sofas to tables or even a bed, all are available for you to spend a nice time.
    Leather Lounges

    ReplyDelete
  53. Great information about the Cheap and Easy DIY Dark Wood Stain.Get walnut wood furniture from meraas

    ReplyDelete
  54. Thanks for sharing this information and keep updating us. This is informative and really useful for me.
    Wood Finishes manufacturer in India

    ReplyDelete
  55. Not only does wooden decking improve your home’s appearance and its curb appeal, but a wooden decking company Durban of your choice can help you to increase space for relaxing and entertaining.

    ReplyDelete
  56. We call ourselves a digital marketing agency with advanced hands on experience. Clients come to us because they realize that effective online marketing isn’t just about having a beautifully designed website. It’s about having a deep understanding of the web and using that knowledge and experience to deliver measurable results.

    ReplyDelete
  57. With experience in design and construction of wood furniture, Sango86 is confident to bring you the best quality and can meet the needs of customers about all items that SanGo86 has. can do Items such as interior furniture Sofa, wood flooring, phào, plastic floor or plaster ... And many other items.

    thi công nội thất karaoke

    báo giá thi công nội thất karaoke

    thi công nội thất hội trường

    thi công nội thất theo yêu cầu

    ReplyDelete
  58. Many people will get lot of benefits by reading this kind of informational stuff .Thank you so much for this .
    Home

    ReplyDelete
  59. ozgrind polished concreteNovember 27, 2018 at 12:31 AM

    Today I am visit your profile and I read your blog then I realised this blog is very interesting and helpful. For more detail visit us at
    Concrete Floor Natural Finish

    ReplyDelete
  60. Thank you for sharing such great information. It has help me in finding out more detail about cheapest real wood flooring

    ReplyDelete
  61. Thank you for sharing such great information. It has help me in finding out more detail about dark wood floors

    ReplyDelete
  62. If you are looking for some unique ideas on how to use painted wood crates for your business or home decorating, CandyConceptsInc.com is the site for you! We offer great prices on not only painted wood crates, but also various other types of storage and display containers. Visit out site today for more information. Los Angeles Pallets

    ReplyDelete
  63. Simply wish to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity in your post is simply great, and I could assume you are an expert on this subject. Same as your blog i found another one Sohman Epoxy .Actually I was looking for the same information on internet for
    HSC 7600
    and came across your blog. I am impressed by the information that you have on this blog. Thanks a million and please keep up the gratifying work.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Picking the right stain is super important! It can make the biggest difference in the outcome of your project. Glad you're able to share a neat new way to make your own stain. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  65. The bottom left was achieved using red, green and yellow. The lighter brown used mostly yellow and a few drops of red and green. If you remember the ratios you can get more intense colors by adding more of the food coloring. The darker grays were achieved using steel wool and tea, while the blue and purple came from using food coloring. hp business 15.6 notebook backpack , blanket bed sheet set price in pakistan ,

    ReplyDelete
  66. Thank you for this educative information
    http://www.mensclinicspecial.co.za

    ReplyDelete
  67. I love the look of wood next to a fresh backsplash installation

    ReplyDelete
  68. food coloring is such an interesting stain idea.
    SEO and Digital Marketing Alexandria, VA

    ReplyDelete