mission oak finish stain options for CA residents?

[BTL-A4]

I live in California and cannot get Mission Oak stain to match my Mission-style furniture. I've experimented with what's available and found them lacking. Does anyone have a source for a stain that will work, or have some idea of what to mix to get the proper color? Most of the available stains are too brown or too red. For example, Minwax Red Oak is close, but it's too brown, Varathane Cognac is too red, etc.

The other thought is to ship to a relative in AZ and have them ship it to me, but is this legal?

 

[turbowoodworker]

A) When buying from your buddy in AZ, there are not enough beurocratic inspectors, even in CA to check your stain or paint cabinet. USPS won’t care, unless it leaks en route.
B) The classic mission stain was fumed ammonia. I’ve never used it cause it just sounds toxic.
C) My preferred method on mission style with white oak is a dark tinted danish oil (Watco). Not perfect but looks good. May need a sanding sealer first.

 

[turbowoodworker]

I made assumption you were using white oak.
I tried making mission or arts and crafts pieces with red oak because it was way cheaper than WO. But RO has much less ray figure when quartersawn and maintains a reddish tinted danish that makes it less desirable.

 

[BTL-A4]

A) When buying from your buddy in AZ, there are not enough bureaucratic inspectors, even in CA to check your stain or paint cabinet. USPS won’t care, unless it leaks en route.
B) The classic mission stain was fumed ammonia. I’ve never used it cause it just sounds toxic.
C) My preferred method on mission style with white oak is a dark tinted danish oil (Watco). Not perfect but looks good. May need a sanding sealer first.

I also figured there wasn't enough inspectors to bother, but I don't want to deal with trouble and hassles and wondered if anyone ever had any issues.

I don't think the stuff I'm looking at is fumed ammonia, but that does sound nasty! We have strict VOC regulations here, so it's not sold. I can't believe they don't have something that will work. The low-VOC ones don't match at all and they are not even called "Mission Oak" anyway.

Do you find the tinted Watco Oil matches well? I have existing furniture I'd like to match as closely as possible. What do you tint it with, or does it come tinted? I have used the Natural and I think we have a darker tint available as well. Pictures could help, no rush.

 

[BTL-A4]

I made assumption you were using white oak.
I tried making mission or arts and crafts pieces with red oak because it was way cheaper than WO. But RO has much less ray figure when quartersawn and maintains a reddish tinted danish that makes it less desirable.

I've used red oak mostly. I can get white oak.

 

[BTL-A4]

Anyone ever try this:


It looks too dark, but I could be wrong. I'm also not fond of water-based stains, but maybe they've gotten better over the years.

I thought of buying a small container of anything that looks close and trying it. That might be what I have to do.

I'm still open to thoughts and comments, though!

 

[turbowoodworker]

Quartersawn WO gets pricey but is most authentic for true Mission era or arts and crafts style.
I use the walnut tinted Watcos which is quite dark with a couple of coats. Get a pint and try it on the backside of your project. Consider a sanding sealer first.

 

[turbowoodworker]

That Behr product Behrs no resemblance to mission oak.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Look at some 1920 or earlier originals and you’ll see a yellowish brown background with darker flecks and the rays remain white. No red to it.

 

[turbowoodworker]

I just tried to shop an example and realized how Etsy and Amish Furniture Co. etc have altered our impression of fumed ammonia WO. Lots of examples out there with some red tone and much will change over many years. I would recommend a book addressing Stickley or Roycrofters for the best examples.
Here is an example of what appears to be a 110+ yo L&G Stickley. Some red with flecks.
Homework will help you find the tone that pleases you.

Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Spindle Bench or Settee - LIBERTY & 33RD

A gorgeous Mission or Arts & Crafts style spindle bench, settee, or love seat By L. & J.G. Stickley USA, ... more »

liberty33rd.com

 

[Davefr]

I quit using stains a long time ago and choose to use Transtint analine dye. (water or alcohol soluble). They do much better job. After you die your projects you can use the topcoat of your choice.

Dyes enhance the natural grain and provide more vibrant colors.

TransTint® Professional Wood Dyes - General Finishes

Shop TransTint® Professional Wood Dyes, General Finishes. Achieve clarity and depth, mixed with water, alcohol, or finishes for color control.

transtintdyes.com

 

[alinc100]

This is fumed QSWO with Waterlox wiping varnish

 

[strutaeng]

Mix two (or three) stains together to get the desired hue. Try a handful on scraps, then apply thf topcoat until you are happy.

Or try the closest stain, then tweak it with a dye. I really like dye because you can dial in the color so precisely. You can also add different colors to get what you want.

Using denatured alcohol (is that available there?), it dries within a few minutes and you can apply as many light coats as needed. You have to spray the dye, so that may be a deal breaker if you don't have a compressor or spray gun.

 

[turbowoodworker]

Alinc , that top picture is the color I was trying to describe as a true arts and crafts finish. Well done.
How hard was it to do the fuming. I’d like to give it a try.

 

[alinc100]

Alinc , that top picture is the color I was trying to describe as a true arts and crafts finish. Well done.
How hard was it to do the fuming. I’d like to give it a try.

Very simple. I made a tent of PVC and painter's plastic. I would assume something like a plastic greenhouse/zip up system would work too. I used household ammonia and just let it sit for a few days or longer, you can add more ammonia to the dish below, when you check color, if dry/evaporation. Blueprint ammonia is much stronger and works faster, but isn't at the local grocery store. You can put some extra pieces in the tent, pull one ,wipe on varnish and see if the color is right. When you first pull white oak, it will be gray/dark gray and you'll swear you might have f'd up. Relax, you didn't . The wiping varnish brings the warm brown tones in. The beauty of fuming is it gets every nook and cranny. I also wore a respirator, had a fan going when I opened the tent and let the piece, and my garage air out for a few days. You can also put your cutoffs in a rubbermaid type tub with a dish of ammonia as a timer/place to check without opening the big tent. I honestly don't recall if ammonia reacts with aluminum so I would suggest a glass or heavy plastic dish to hold the ammonia.

 

[billconner]

allinc100 has it right but I found doing trim - matching - in our 1904 prairie style house that white oak will naturally darken even with a shellac finish when new. It may take a year or two but looks great. allinc100 just speeds the process.

 

[RoninB4]

-I also experimented with just household ammonia on a few small pieces with success. It takes a lot longer but that depends upon how dark you want it. I haven't made any furniture since then but that's what I'd ty if it was just a personal piece.

To @alinc100 - Thanks for posting images of your piece, nice work. More photos if you have them, big fan of the mission/craftsman style.

 

[alinc100]

-I also experimented with just household ammonia on a few small pieces with success. It takes a lot longer but that depends upon how dark you want it. I haven't made any furniture since then but that's what I'd ty if it was just a personal piece.

To @alinc100 - Thanks for posting images of your piece, nice work. More photos if you have them, big fan of the mission/craftsman style.

Thanks for the kind words. I put everything I had in photos into one album with Google. Hopefully I've done it right and you can see them. https://photos.app.goo.gl/MZaYJem1YkHxWEAB8

 

[ALinCarolina]

For Mission Oak finish I use Jeff Jewitt's multistep process. Look at his examples on his site see which you prefer.

Jeff Jewitt's Mission Oak Finish - Homestead Finishing Products

Mission Oak Finish © by Jeff Jewitt Not reproducible in any form, written or electronic, without permission We do not sell Stickley stains. The factory uses a multi-step process using proprietary dyes; oil glazes and industrial solvent spray lacquer that’s typically beyond the scope of most home...

homesteadfinishingproducts.com

 

[Old tool guy]

I fumed a sideboard, rented a uhaul truck and put it in the back. Back then i could buy blueprint ammonia from drafting supply stores. Put some in a glass pie plate and put it on an electric hot plate. Only takes a couple of hours. The result is a definite brown hue, very striking. Very easy to do, even household ammonia will work, the hot plate speeds the process.

 

[RTM]

For Mission Oak finish I use Jeff Jewitt's multistep process. Look at his examples on his site see which you prefer.

Jeff Jewitt's Mission Oak Finish - Homestead Finishing Products

Mission Oak Finish © by Jeff Jewitt Not reproducible in any form, written or electronic, without permission We do not sell Stickley stains. The factory uses a multi-step process using proprietary dyes; oil glazes and industrial solvent spray lacquer that’s typically beyond the scope of most home...

homesteadfinishingproducts.com

I’ve also used Jeff’s method to get a mission look.

I made the table, not the chair


Detail of one leg



The table, nothing else, not even the dog.

 

[RoninB4]

Hopefully I've done it right and you can see them. https://photos.app.goo.gl/MZaYJem1YkHxWEAB8

-Yes they're able to be viewed and look great. Have had an affinity for Stickley, Mission, A&C construction ever since living a couple of blocks from the Frank Lloyd Wright studio in Oak Park. Greene and Greene architecture also strikes my sense of aesthetics. Thanks for posting.

-To the other contributors that posted their work, thank you. I enjoy seeing the work of others, especially when it's better than my own.

 

[neophyte]

A) When buying from your buddy in AZ, there are not enough beurocratic inspectors, even in CA to check your stain or paint cabinet. USPS won’t care, unless it leaks en route.
B) The classic mission stain was fumed ammonia. I’ve never used it cause it just sounds toxic.
C) My preferred method on mission style with white oak is a dark tinted danish oil (Watco). Not perfect but looks good. May need a sanding sealer first.

It’s ammonia.
Don’t pour it in a bag and huff the fumes like one might do with spray pain, or nail polish remover.
Find an outdoor area, with adequate ventilation, and make an enclosure using plastic, to keep the fumes in.
Make a raised platform to keep the furniture raised a bit.
Find a shallow plastic tray, and pour some all purpose ammonia into the trays.
Let the ammonia fumes penetrate the wood.
Leave it there for 24 to 72 hours.
Then dispose of the used ammonia and let the oak age and check the color.
Ammonia can react with all sorts of materials, so it’s best to use it outside, but it’s still a standard household chemical and legal in California.
Just don’t mix the ammonia with bleach.
Gasoline is likely way more dangerous.

 

[RTM]

Ammonia can react with all sorts of materials, so it’s best to use it outside, but it’s still a standard household chemical and legal in California.
Just don’t mix the ammonia with bleach.

We used ammonia cooling system at the last job. It's much more annoying than dangerous, (you run out from the burning eyes before you got to dangerous levels) even at high concentration in the air. We'd have a once a decade leak, and one guy would go in with a haz mat suit, spraying it down with water, to get it out of the air, while a second was in there fixing the leak. Frequent crew changes, as it made certain parts of the anatomy very sensitive.

 

[Death Row Dave]

I have acres of virgin WO , everyone wanting to buy it for whiskey barrels . Can’t let it go . i just blocked one up for fire wood . It was over 5 feet diameter at the base . 45 ft to where limbs began . Blocked it in to a few anvil bases and the rest winter fire wood to be split

 

[LeonardY]

I live in California and cannot get Mission Oak stain to match my Mission-style furniture. I've experimented with what's available and found them lacking. Does anyone have a source for a stain that will work, or have some idea of what to mix to get the proper color? Most of the available stains are too brown or too red. For example, Minwax Red Oak is close, but it's too brown, Varathane Cognac is too red, etc.

The other thought is to ship to a relative in AZ and have them ship it to me, but is this legal?

I know this won't answer you question. But here are two good local resources.

Have you gone over to Newhall paints? They have a fantastic selection of both Oil base and water based stains. Talk to Emilio. Tell him Leonard says hi.

Another place I recommend (All be it farther) Is Anderson Plywood in Culver City. Great knowledge base there.

 

[BTL-A4]

I know this won't answer you question. But here are two good local resources.

Have you gone over to Newhall paints? They have a fantastic selection of both Oil base and water based stains. Talk to Emilio. Tell him Leonard says hi.

Another place I recommend (All be it farther) Is Anderson Plywood in Culver City. Great knowledge base there.

Thanks! I'll have to check them out. I now remember seeing that place and thinking I should check it out. Newhall Hardware (True Value) might have something as well.

 

[BTL-A4]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I'm not sure I want to mess with ammonia, so I'll try and find a solution with stains and dyes.

 

[BTL-A4]

Mix two (or three) stains together to get the desired hue. Try a handful on scraps, then apply thf topcoat until you are happy.

Or try the closest stain, then tweak it with a dye. I really like dye because you can dial in the color so precisely. You can also add different colors to get what you want.

Using denatured alcohol (is that available there?), it dries within a few minutes and you can apply as many light coats as needed. You have to spray the dye, so that may be a deal breaker if you don't have a compressor or spray gun.

I thought of mixing stains. I just know I'll get the perfect color and then not be able to ever replicate it, even if I measure the experimental batch carefully, ha!
I don't have a compressor that will run a sprayer anymore. I like applying stains with a rag or brush to keep the mess down. I sprayed a car in my garage and spent many hours cleaning the overspray off of everything.