I need to finish some new cabinets to match some older ones. Should I try mixing some stains to match present cabinets or stain with a particular stain and if too light try another darker stain on top of first stain. The problem is the present cabinets are a lot darker than they were when first installed. I have done quite a bit of finishing but never tried to match a particular color.

I usually try different stains on scraps until I get something that's "close enough."

As you implied, even if you get a near perfect match, the old and new are not going to age at the same rate, so sooner or later, there will be a perceptible difference in apearance.

Do you mix stains or just try different colors.

I'd pull a drawer front and take it to the paint shop. They are pretty darn good at mixing to account for aging.

Maybe I should try to go a bit darker.

Can they mix stains same as paint? Say a place like Home Depot paint dept.

I was thinking of starting on the inside of the cabinet door.

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmnut:
Can they mix stains same as paint? Say a place like Home Depot paint dept.

I don't know about Home Depot, but a good paint shop sure can. We had some cabinets added to existing at about the 12 year mark. They matched it so that after about 6 months of "aging" they are identical.

My experience has been that it's really, really hard to get a stain to match naturally aged wood. We tried doing this with doug fir. In naturally aged wood the harder wood gets darker, in stains the softer part gets darker. For finer-grained hardwood it might be easier.
You might look up techniques for artificially aging wood, and try that on scraps (which I would do in any case).

Besides stain/color matching don't forget about the topcoat (if any).
Be it poly, lacquer, oil or water based finish > this can affect the ultimate color too.

It's gonna be tough to get spot on, all coming down to what you accept as close enough.

9mmnut, Approximately where are you located in southern MI.? I may be able to help or send you in the right direction.

A real paint store (not a big box store) can match stains. Sherwin Williams chemical coatings division is excellent and expensive.
A water reduceable (water thinned) clear coating
won't yellow or amber nearly as much as a lacquer or varnish but has it's own problems.

Depending on how much work you want to put into it, you could always try stripping the stain off of the old cabinets and redoing them with the new ones.

Here's what I do. I determine the species, get a sample, take it and a drawer front down to a dedicated paint store. Give them at least 24 hours. A talented clerk can eyeball match close enough that even a pro can't tell.

If you have a Sherwin Williams nearby they'll match the color closer than you'd believe.

As you make up your samples make sure you apply the finish coat over them before you decide. That changes the color slightly.

Thanks guys. Will try SW.

What are the new cabinets made of (i.e. pine, oak, maple, etc)? Different woods are going to take stain differently and may require a conditioner to insure a uniform outcome. Personally, I'd use whatever sides of the cabinets or drawer backs that will not be exposed in the final install, and mix and test on them until I had a close match.

The front of the cabinets are all oak. The sides are a different material. Will have to use back of the doors to experiment.