How to Match Old Birch Cabinets

Matching Stain

• 1

  Take the type of wood you are trying to match into consideration. Close-grained wood similar to birch (such as ash or maple) will be easier to match. You may get the color right by matching other woods, such as oak or mahogany, but because these woods have distinctive grain patterns, they will never look like birch.

• 2

  Remove a small cabinet door, and take it to a paint or home improvement store with you. Look through all the available stains, and pick small samples of the colors that appear to match the door.

• 3

  Stir the stain and saturate a small area of your wood sample. Do this in the same room as the birch cabinets--it's easier to get a true idea of how well the colors compare when working under the lighting conditions where your project will end up, according to the Minwax stain company.

• 4

  Experiment with thinner stain wiped quickly onto the wood for a lighter shade, and stain with heavier pigment left on the wood for several minutes before wiping down for more color. Dipping a paint stir stick to the very bottom of the can will bring up the pigment that settles there.

• 5

  Adjust the color as needed. It may need to have a little red or ocher added, or perhaps some brown or umber to make it less red. You can mix in the pigment from different stains, as long as they are all the same base (oil-based or water-based) or purchase some universal colorants from a paint or craft store.

Matching Paint

• 6

  Take your birch door to the paint store and look through all the store's color swatches to find some that match well. Take as many as you like--they are free.

• 7

  Tape the color swatches up on your old birch cabinets at home. Stand back and pick the one that seems to "disappear" against the wood. That will be your closest match. You or the paint store can adjust it by adding other paint or colorants, if necessary.

• 8

  Choose the sheen (gloss) of paint or varnish that most closely matches the cabinets. Sheen level affects how color is perceived; the same color in a flat finish looks different in a glossy one.