Dark Walnut is a classic favorite of ours. It's a dark-brown shade that enhances the natural wood grain. We always have this on hand because it's incredibly versatile and always leaves us with a stunning result.
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.
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.
It is very dark brown in color with black undertones. It is really a classic wood color – if you think of dark, expensive wood surfaces, this is a color that might come to mind. What is this? Dark Walnut goes onto projects VERY thick and dark.
Dark finishes, such as mahogany, walnut, or cherry, stand out in sharp relief against light colors, such as a pale green or blue or a hue from the sunny side of the color wheel.
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.
Walnut brown is a dark brown color; a representation of the color made from walnut hulls. At a hue of 30, it is classified as an orange-brown.
The wood stain color American Walnut isn't as dark as the color Kona, but it does pull more oranges tones.
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.
Dark Walnut is a favorite among many when it comes to using a dark brown stain. It doesn't lean towards being red at all and has a beautiful richness to it. If you're wanting to go even darker than this, I recommend trying Jacobean.
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.
Color/Appearance: Heartwood can range from a lighter pale brown to a dark chocolate brown with darker brown streaks. Color can sometimes have a grey, purple, or reddish cast. Sapwood is pale yellow-gray to nearly white.
As the only domestic wood species that is dark brown in color, it has a sizable following among serious woodworkers and collectors of exquisite furniture. Additionally, walnut is used in premium cabinets, natural wood flooring, culinary accessories, and gunstocks.
White walnut has a much lighter color than black walnut wood, but that's not the only difference: This wood is much softer, and it's not as durable against decay as the other types of black walnut wood. It's easy to work with, but because it's soft, it has a fuzzy surface, even after it's been sanded.
Jacobean is very similar to Dark Walnut but slightly darker. Both stain colors have dark brown hues with minor differences in tint and undertones.
Did you know? Black Walnuts are the only all-wild tree nut in the United States. Nearly all Black Walnuts come from trees growing in the wild, while English walnuts come from orchards. The main difference between Black Walnuts and English walnuts are the rich, bold, distinctive flavor of the Black Walnut.
New walnut has a consistent dark-brown color but as it gets older, two changes occur. 1: Unlike maple and cherry, it gets lighter. 2: A rich honey color starts to come through the grain.
If you want a lighter colored board go with Maple, and if you want a darker board go with Walnut. Maple is a slightly higher quality wood with many benefits. Still, despite that, it is a less expensive end product though Walnut offers its own advantages.
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.
Espresso wood is darker than dark walnut which is more of a rustic dark brown. Its real color toes the line of black and dark brown, which is why it gets its name from coffee.
Unlike cherry, maple, and oak (which all darken in color as they age), walnut wood will actually lighten slightly over time.
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.
Of all the dark brown shades, bistre brown is up there as one of the darkest. The temperature of this dark brown color is very cool, and it shares similar hues with dark brown and Tuscan brown. Bistre brown is darker than many of the other shades of brown on our list.
Neutrals infused with earthy tones like green and brown work beautifully here. However, avoid overloading your interiors with too much walnut furniture, especially if it has a dark hardwood floor. Break things up with a neutral area rug or think about neutral upholstery.
Walnut wood comes in a wide range of colors. Sapwood, or the outer part of the tree, ranges from yellow and gray to nearly creamy white. However, the heartwood or the inner portion of the wood come in dark or vibrant colors. Some colors may also be seen, such as reddish rays, purple marks, with some darker streaks.