Special Walnut is a color we used a lot in the very beginning of our furniture flipping days. It's a beautiful rich brown that isn't super dark but is not light either. It has a slightly red undertone but it's really quite even. Special Walnut has a more traditional feel to it.
Special Walnut by Minwax (also available here!) is a lighter, brown walnut color. I found it to be similar to Early American but with more muted brown tones and no red tones. I've seen it used on flooring and it's another very versatile stain color.
Special walnut had cool, ashy undertones. Early American had warm, reddish undertones. Provincial was a rich brown and showed greater contrast in the grain.
Dark Walnut is probably the coolest brown profile of any wood stain out there. Like Cherry, it lacks the orange glaze coloring typical of many wood stains. However, it also has very little noticeable red undertones.
“Walnut has a warm undertone; it deepens and becomes richer and darker within the first year,” notes Laura. Walnut is becoming a top choice for several reasons. “So many people love the modern look but don't want it to appear cold.
Dark Walnut stains look great with other dark colors, like plums, blues, greens, and dark reds. Alternatively, lighter colors like off-white, light grays, and other neutral shades can pleasantly contrast the eyes. Don't be afraid to mix different shades of stained wood and different types of wood in a room.
Dark Walnut is a stain by Minwax. It is very dark brown in color and has a lot of black undertones. Dark Walnut used to be our go to stain color.
Walnut wood offers rich, brown colors that range from light to dark brown. The sapwood (outer part of the tree log) is pale yellow to white and the heartwood (center of the tree log) has brown shades that vary from light brown to dark chocolate brown with some dark brown streaks.
Dark Walnut Stain on Oak | Old Masters Reminiscent of dark cocoa and coffee beans, Dark Walnut embraces the shadowy hues of black and brown.
Neutrally toned woods like Walnut are the most versatile. Walnut has soft purple undertones that work with warm and cool-toned wood alike. Feel free to mix dark and light woods of varying finishes and grain sizes so long as the undertones are consistent.
You might pair Cordovan Brown with Blank Canvas—a soft, warm white—which Behr chose as its 2023 Color of the Year for interiors. The paint firm PPG also chose a deep brown stain as its 2023 Stain Color of the Year: Chestnut Brown. The rich brown tones may be part of the resurgence of 1970s design styles.
Walnut wood can change color depending on the way it's dried or its age. The heartwood usually is a dark brown color and the sapwood is a light yellow color. When the wood is left out in the elements, such as the sun, the lighter wood will turn darker and the darker wood will turn lighter.
Special Walnut is a timeless color with a rich and natural feel. It fits in many color schemes, able to stand out elegantly with neutral tones, or sit back as a welcoming accent with bolder tones.
Pine is such a light wood that when you use a light wood stain on it there isn't a ton of change in color. I used Special Walnut which is normally a medium brown color on most other woods and you can see here it definitely comes off as a lighter color.
So hope these red oak stain colors gives you some ideas on what are the best stain for your red oak floor. In summary, stain colors with yellow tint are good for red oak as they make red oak less red. Some stains that does it well are Weathered Oak, Glassic Gray, Golden Oak, Nutmeg.
Other species of oak, such as American White Oak, have a light-to-tan brown colour with a straight grain. Walnut, on the other hand, can have a characteristically sleek cream-to-chocolate brown colour — often with an alluring tinge of purple.
In a walnut tree, the heartwood gets down to the nitty gritty with rich colors that include a range of dark browns and light browns with some purplish hues, grays, reddish rays, and dark streaks included.
This is called the heartwood, and it may also have lighter browns, purples, grays, or reddish tints. The outermost portion of the tree known as the sapwood because it carries the trees nutrients is typically a pale blonde color, though it can also be yellow-gray as well.
'Dark woods such as walnut or mahogany work fantastically well with green, from fresher hues such as Boxington for a contrasting feel, to sumptuous rich greens such as Puck for an elegant interior,' says Ruth Mottershead.
Walnut is versatile because it's so neutral, in which case the undertone could swing either way depending on the stain and the woods you pair it with. If your dominate wood tone is warm, stick with warm woods.
Cherry is a hardwood that is pinkish-red in color with a smooth finish. It is prized for its beauty and durability. Walnut, on the other hand, is a softwood that is light brown and has a more rustic finish. It is not as durable as cherry, but it is stronger than pine.
Both beautiful woods, walnut and brown maple make stunning wood furniture. Walnut has some darker colors, but still looks beautiful au natural with an oiled finish.
Reminiscent of dark cocoa and coffee beans, Dark Walnut embraces the shadowy hues of black and brown. Woodgrain appears etched with charcoal, creating a sultry dance where light and dark meet. The darkness of this shade draws your eye out and makes spaces seem more expansive.
Jacobean is very similar to Dark Walnut but slightly darker. Both stain colors have dark brown hues with minor differences in tint and undertones.
Oak has a light to middle brown colour with some reddish hues, complimented by a straight and tight grain pattern. Walnut can range anywhere from a light brown to a deep, dark chocolate hue. Though its grain is very open and more coarse than maple, walnut still has a beautiful, uniform surface.