If you have red or white oak (which makes up the majority of Naperville and Chicago area homes) then there is no problem at all. Oak takes a stain very well and we can stain from a light color all the way up to dark colors, as you can see us using in the photo below…
The best dark stain on oak
Dark Walnut by Minwax is my favorite option if you want to stain oak wood dark. Dark walnut is a really rich, chocolatey brown stain color. This is a dark stain – but if you are looking for a deep, rich color, this is a really great option.
You can use any kind of stain on oak – water-based, oil-based, gel stain, or even a DIY natural wood stain. Click here to see how you can stain wood with coffee! When choosing a color, consider the natural color of the oak. There is white oak and red oak, which will take the same stain color differently!
Examine the wood material
If a piece uses multiple types of wood—for example, oak and maple—then painting it is best. Pieces that use multiple woods present a problem with staining because every wood takes to stain differently and won't look exactly the same. Paint will cover all surfaces with ease.
If the oak needs to be made darker then Osmo Polyx Oil Tints or Fiddes Hard Wax Oil Tints are ideal because they colour and protect the wood in the same application.
Let the steel wool soak in the apple cider vinegar for 24 hours. Use a paintbrush to brush the black tea onto the wood. Make sure you cover every part of the wood's surface that you want to darken. Let the wood and black tea sit for an hour.
Generally speaking, the more porous a wood is, the better it will take stain. Oak, for example, has very large pores so it will stain quite easily. Cedar is also well known for its ability to take stain. Other woods that are commonly used with stain include ash and chestnut.
Sand Thoroughly
Sandpaper with a lower grit number will make wood rougher, allowing more stain to absorb and creating a darker color. Start with 120-grit sandpaper for pieces that already have a finish. With unfinished wood, start with 80-grit sandpaper and then treat it as if you're refinishing it.
However, if you would like to darken the oak, hardwax oil is more ideal. Another popular oil for oak is danish oil. This type of oil can bring out the rich tones in the wood as well as preventing surface stains.
You do not need to sand off the previous stain and finish. The purpose of the light sanding is to give a little tooth to the surface to help your new stain colour stick.
You can try a light sanding and then using one of the polyurethane and stain in one products which will darken the cabinets. A nice thing about that method is it darkens the cabinets without over darkening the grain.
Try using a gel stain on those dated orange-yellow honey oak cabinets to give your kitchen a new look. There are a lot of good reasons to gel stain cabinets when you want to refresh the color of wood cabinetry. It's an easy way to give your kitchen or bathroom a new look without sanding or stripping.
By far the best finishes for high quality wood furniture are either Danish oil or beeswax. They bring out the stunning beauty of wooden furniture grains and leave wood satisfying to the touch.
Is wood conditioner necessary? Wood conditioner is not necessary. You can stain perfectly fine without it. However, as you will see with my test pieces below, using a pre stain conditioner results in smoother finishes, especially when using dark wood stain colors on light, soft woods.
Colors with warm undertones like cream, beige, and warm greens will minimize the orange in the oak. Cool colors such as gray, blue, or purple will actually make the orange stand out. Learn how to choose kitchen paint colors that go with oak cabinets here.
Unfortunately the ageing colour is more about the type of oak used rather than the finish. UV light will eventually turn most oak orange. Keeping the light off it is the only way... not very practical. Some finishes help.