Expert: Eileen Cronk - 8/11/2007

Question
I've been looking for a second hand oak trestle table to buy.  I've found a teak one that might just have to do.  Can I stain it any shade and then what will be the difference in look between oak and teak?

Answer
Hi Julia
Nice to hear from you.
This is an interesting question Julia.
First off before you apply any stain to the teak table the current finish will need stripping down to bare wood.
Most folks think that you automatically get the color you want on your wood by simply picking the color of stain.
They go to the paint store and look at those wood samples and pick what they like in a color.
They apply it to the wood and are disappointed with the color.
This is because every piece of wood takes color differently.
Now your teak table could be light teak or dark. You can put the same color stain on both and end up with two entirely different colors.
Teak and oak are entirely different and in my opinion (for what its worth LOL ), you cannot get a teak table to look like oak.
But teak is lovely wood and very durable.
My suggestion would be to do a test area under the table top with various colors of stain.
Your table will never look like oak but be lovely just the same.
Good Luck and a great question
Regards
Eileen