Expert: Jamie Yocono - 10/3/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jamie, from everything I've seen on the net, you seem like the expert in helping this novice use Watco Danish Oil.  Saw your blog, so really questions on how to use it.  I stripped my bathroom pine paneling, and I had to replace the trim in the room.  But the trim that I bought is very different/newer looking, not close to the paneling in my bathroom.  So I was going try to match the trim by coloring it first with the Fruitwood and Cherry danish oils, testing them out first.  Then going over the old paneling with the Natural danish oil.  Have you ever had to try to match two woods w/ different Watco colors to try and match them?  Any tips for me would help me alot?  Thx in advance Jamie!

ANSWER: Hi James,

Well, that's sort of cool to be called the Watco expert on the web. Maybe I should ask them to hire me!

There have been many times that I've mixed various Watco colors to match a finish. It's a little tricky, but it can be done if you understand a few things.

First, there are color matches, and then there are sheen matches. So even if you get the color match pretty close, if you don't match the sheen, it will look different.  I'll try to help...

First, I generally start with the clear Watco, called Natural, as my base.  So I'll take a small amount, like a quarter cup, and then start adding small amount of other tinted versions of Watco to the clear, to make the color that I want. When I first started mixing different tints of Watco, I made the mistake of adding too much in the beginning. So start off very conservatively. A common amount to start with might be a quarter cup of Natural, and then 1/8 teaspoon of a tint. Stir and test it on a piece of wood. And this is important - remember - it will dry lighter than it looks when it's wet.  Still - if you have the time to wait, I suggest giving the scrap piece of wood two coats of the sample to see if it matches.

Another way to do this that is quicker is mix that quarter cup Natural to 1/8 teaspoon of whatever tint you want. Wipe some on a board, then add another 1/8 teaspoon and wipe that on another part of the board.  Add another 1/8 teaspoon and put on another coat. You see where I'm going? You don't have to keep mixing up quarter cup samples. Just keep making the one sample batch a little more tinted each time. Sure, it's not exact, but it gets you in the ballpark.

Keep good records.  I usually prep a scrap board so that it's sanded exactly like the piece of wood I want to finish is sanded.  And I'll use a marker to divide it into 6 or 8 or 10 squares, so that each square has a different sample wiped on it. Write right on the board what the ratio is, like this : 1/4 C  clear and  3/8 teaspoon cherry.

The only bad thing about testing the oil this way is that you can't paint on a second coat, since you've added the tint to your base quarter cup of Natural oil. But you'll get a good idea of what the various rations will give you.

As far as blending two or more colors, you can do what's called a tri-axial blend.  I do that with ceramic glaze testing all the time, it's time consuming, but helpful. Honestly, Fruitwood and Cherry seem really close in hue to me, so I'm not sure it's even worth blending the two. Unless I'm forgetting that there is a marked difference, I would just test one of those with Natural.

But if you want to try a tri-axial blend, you need to start with that quarter cup of Natural, and then blend (in 1/8 teaspoon increments) various ratios of the Fruitwood and Cherry. Start with 1 dose of Cherry and 5 of Fruitwood, then move to 2 Cherry and 4 Fruitwood. Then move to 3 and 3 of each. Then 4 of Cherry and 2 Fruitwood and finally, the opposite of where you started - 5 Cherry and 1 Fruitwood.  That way, you've tested just about every possible blend of those two colors. But.. the bad part is that you will waste a lot of Watco testing this.

Finally, once you get the color balance right, you still have to deal with the sheen issue. To do that, look at the finish you're trying to match. Is it matte? Glossy? In between? If it's more matte, then you might be fine with simply giving 2-3 coats of your oil blend to the wood, followed by a final coat of wax. This will give you rich color and the wax will give you a little bit of a sheen.

But if you are trying to match a finish that has a little more sheen to it, or if you need more protection due to moisture, or wear and tear, you can actually apply a coat or two of varnish over the oil. You have to let the oil cure, I think it takes around a week to cure, it depends on the humidity in your area. I live in the desert, I could probably apply a coat of varnish after 3 days. But if you're in Florida, I would wait a week!

I hope this helps, write back if you need more help, or if you come up with some questions after reading this. Isn't the Internet great for connecting people who want to discuss subjects like this?


Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com
My woodworking blog: www.wooditis.blogspot.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Great info Jamie, you should be known as Mrs. Watco!  I'll write Watco Co. a letter saying you should start getting paid by them with all your free advertising, lol.  Like you said mixing the Fruitwood and Cherry didn't work too well, but it seems like I might just get by using the Fruitwood.  I guess I didn't have to mix to make a lighter color in the first place, my problem now is trying to figure out how to make it darker.  I thought the Fruitwood color would come out much darker, like the picture on the can of Watco.  Now I'm just using the entire Fruitwood oil, not mixed with Natural or anything.  But it seems to not be catching on the new pieces of wood I bought.  Maybe I'm doing something wrong:  Started sanding 120 grit, then smoothed it with 220.  Used my tack cloth, then put on the unmixed Fruitwood oil.  And wet sanded with 320 for 15 min, keeping it moist.  Did it two days in a row, but it still doesn't look anything close to as dark as the picture on the Fruitwood can.  I'm using Pine, does new pieces of wood have a hard time catching the color?  Should I go for a darker color?  Thx Jamie, your knowledge is a life saver!

Answer
James,

I can relate to the fact that Watco sometimes will not get a piece of wood as dark as you would want it to be. I have encountered that a few times, and when I do, I switch to a dedicated stain. Minwax is a good stain, and, in my opinion, will get wood darker than Watco.

Sure, it depends on a few things - the cut of the wood, the preparation given to it are two important things. But I have a feeling if you took two identical pieces of wood, and applied Watco to one and Minwax stain to the other, the Minwax stained piece would be darker.

If you still want that soft feel of wood that Watco gives you, you can stain the wood with Minwax first to obtain the color you want. Then, when it's dry, apply a couple coats of Natural (clear) Watco to "set" the color and provide the protection.

Or - if all along, you were planning on giving the wood a final coat of varnish - you can do that, too. Either way, the Minwax should give you that deeper color that you want.

Can't give any good explanation why the Watco doesn't give you the same result as it shows on the can, but I've encountered that, so it's not you... it's the product. Weird.

Anyway, hope this helps. If you end up writing Watco and recommending me as their spokeswoman, I'll make it worth your while if they end up hiring me.  :)

Good luck, and feel free to write back if you have more questions.
Jamie in Vegas