Choosing a stain for your built-in is can be just as tough as picking out a stain! Outside of the white oak craze (which is all the rage – we will be making a post soon on how to make pine look like white oak!), we are still seeing clients leaning towards more traditional colors – warm browns, weathered naturals, and dark espressos, which are all colors that stand the test of time. Here are some of our favorites!
Early American by Minwax
This is a beautiful warm brown. It has a slightly red undertone. It’s very classic and brings a touch of warmth into any space!
Dark Walnut by Minwax
Dark Walnut is the perfect medium brown. It doesn’t lean red. Instead, it’s has more of a chocolatey/gray undertone. It’s a very neutral brown and pairs well with light or dark colors!
Weathered Oak by Minwax
Natural wood tones are all the rage right now, and if white oak is outside of your price range, this is a great stain to use! It helps minimize the yellow under tones of piece and keeps the natural feel of wood intact. Just a quick heads up – it does pull lots of grays for that “weathered” look.
Briarsmoke by Varathane
Briarsmoke is a personal favorite in this household! Our very first farmhouse table that we build (and that helped to launch our business) was stained in Briarsmoke! It’s a muted brown with smoky undertones, and it pairs well with whites and grays!
Kona by Varathane
Kona is a classic dark brown hue! It’s rich and decadent in color – it doesn’t pull red and is a true dark brown! It’s actually Tim’s favorite stain color! If you’re looking for a moody wood tone, kona is it!
There are SO many great stains to choose from, but these are some of the most popular and versatile stains we have seen! We hope this helps you make some tough decisions!
Until next time,
Tim & Heather
The Kostka’s
We are Tim and Heather Kostka, and we are the friendly faces behind Kasa de Kostka (KDK or the House of Kostka)!
