How Can I Get My Paint Grade Moldings to Match My Wood Stained Moldings?

Outsource the Job

• If you have a good paint store--not a hardware or home improvement center, but a paint store where professional painters shop--they will match the stain for you if you bring them samples.

  They will need several feet of the new molding. Bear in mind that each piece of wood differs in the type and density of grain and will take stain differently, even if it's all the same species of wood. Try to choose molding samples that are representative of the batch.

  They'll also need a sample of the existing stained molding. Again, choose one that matches the job as a whole, not a piece that's lighter or darker than the rest.

  Pry a piece of existing stained baseboard carefully from the wall. If it's caulked to the wall or floor, you may need to cut the caulking with a utility knife first, otherwise you could tear the drywall.

  If possible, get your sample piece from a closet--if you damage the wall in there it won't matter as much. Make sure that the wood matches the rest. Stained molding in closets are not exposed to sunlight and may not have aged the same as the rest of the trim, especially in an older home.

  Take everything you have to the paint store, and let them know how much stain you'll need. Most paint stores don't charge for custom matching stain or paint.

Do it Yourself

• If you want to match the stain yourself, you'll need to start with the closest stain color you can find, and "tweak" it. Buy a pint or quart of the color that looks most similar to the existing molding.

  Stir it well, wipe some onto the new wood and let it dry. At this point you have several choices for tweaking the color. You can mix in other stain colors (for instance if it's too red, add some deep brown stain). You can also buy universal colorants such as burnt umber and yellow ochre and mix them into the stain. Colorants can be very intense, so add them a drop at a time.

  If you get to a color you like but can't remember how you got there, a paint store can match it for you. You can keep notes of what you added, and in what proportions, to get to the color and try to replicate it, but that can be tricky.

Adjusting for Paint Grade Wood

• Paint grade wood is often softer, and may have more knots and imperfections than more expensive stain grade wood. You may have to live with some of the imperfections, such as large knots or very open grain--there's no way to disguise these. If the wood on your sample takes the stain darker, or looks blotchy, you can either seal the wood first, or simply thin the stain with mineral spirits.

  You'll also need to match the putty you use to fill nail holes and gaps. You can purchase color putty in small jars at most paint and hardware stores. These can be mixed together like dough to customize the colors, and you may be able to disguise smaller knots by filling them with wood putty so they blend in.