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Trying to find a stain that will match the stain (of unknown brand/color) that was used when my boat was last "refinished". I amy be at a disatvantage on the prototype seat I built as it is made of clear pine. So I tried a 'red mahogany', and a 'mahogony’ (I assume a brown mahogany) from Home depot. The red comes up purple and the brown comes up really brown and neither are even close. The stain that I am trying to match is very red.

I read in a past thread that z-spar makes a red and a brown mahogany stain that can be good matches to the original colors, and the Red is almost too red.
So I want to try those. Anyone got a good source? (Local Marine shops and hardware stores I have visited don’t carry z-spar) . Do I even have a chance given I am attempting to match pine to mahogony?

I have had pretty good luck with Interlux Stain (Brown Mahogany). I feel pretty certain my boat was the original color when I got it. The Brown Mahogany was a pretty close match, just a shade darker which was ok because your eye wasn't drawn to it. I used it to fill seams that had raised a little and had bare wood after sanding. I also heard the Interlux Red Mahogany was a pretty nice match. And there is a Mahogany also. Who's to know which would best fill your needs. But they are all avaiable at West Marine. You can order them on line. Hope this helps ...Dan

thegammas,

When one is trying to match a stain from one wood speices to another is rather tough to do so, as a white closed pored grain wood like pine, which is also very obsorbant, will take stain differnetly then a open pored wood like red mahogany will. We are talking about different types of grain let alone differnant type of wood speices. You might have to try to mix differant stains as well as add differant pigment colors to the stain to ge tthem to macth. I any case pine will not look the same as mahogany even with the same color stain.

You will most likely have to try differant stains and mix pigments withthe stains to get the color you are looking for. The other option is to find a local paint store that will try to match the color you are looking for. it may cost you a few dollars to have then do this but may save you a lot of time and money purchasing differant stains and pigments to get the match you are looking for.

The other thing is you mention this is a prototype seat you made. Maybe your are better off building the seat out of mahogany and then trying to match the stain with the "real deal" not a prototype.

Just my thoughts.

Good Luck,

Phill

Z-Spar has a red mahogany, brown mahogany and standard mahogany. I was mixing the red and brown to get the proper tone before I discovered the standard mahogany. The standard mahgany has been a dead ringer match on the Peshtigo built Thompson boats I have restored.

Different wood species will definately stain differently with the same product.

Andreas

Thanks guys.

I think I am going with a combined approach. I'll get some red pigment, get the stain as close as I can but not sweat it much. The seat is a prototype that I'll be making mods to this season and was really to build the jigs and try out some new tools. I'll use it for a season, build the permanent one next winter based on my experience with the set up I end up with.

Peter, You probably don't want to change course in mid-stream, but have you considered looking for an original pair of mahogany seats from a boat someone's parting out, then refinishing them? That way you'd be starting with the right wood and following Andreas' suggestions, they should come out a real good match.
Verne

So I stopped by the local Sherwin (sp?) Williams and ask the guy what to do, and he suggested I try "Sedona Red", $12,00 for a little can. No thanks. Off I went to the hardware store literally across the street and picked up a can for $4.00. A close enough match. Stained it up tonight.

Just by staining the prototype I learned a few things to not do when I build the real deal to keep the clue out of the joints.

Happy camper I am.

I posted on this topic in the past, but in short I ordered ZSpar Red Mahog, Interlux Red Mahog, Pettite Red Mahog, and Petite Dark Mahog....

I got a piece of scrap mahogany, and did about 15 or 20 test mixes in an egg carton, and applied to the wood. Four were 100%, then the rest were 50/50 combos.

Then I put on at least two or four coats of Schooner varnish, because that will make the tone a little more representative. I chose Interlux Red for my 1960 Seacoaster.

Given the hundreds of hours that a person might spend on stripping, sanding, tacking, losing sleep because of bubbles in the varnish, plus all the others things that we go through, I figured it made sense to get the real color I wanted.

Over the last four or five years, I have never looked at my boat and thought 'darn... I wish it was a little browner, or redder'

John.

John, I didn't notice your earlier reply regarding a set of original seat.

I've been watching and looking for a set since I bought my boat back in 2006. I've never come across a set like mine. The only other place I have even seen them was in a picture. So I decided to build the one seat I was missing.