There’s no doubt that wood stains look different on different species of wood. In fact, they can even end up looking different on different pieces of wood that are the same species. It’s always important to test on your particular project before staining, but hopefully, this test gives you a great starting point. Below is the breakdown of each wood stain by wood species. We’ve put 10 different grey stain colors to the test so you can see what they look like on actual wood.

Make sure to evaluate your project to decide which choice will work best for you. I’m dealing with wanting the grain to show through on maple but still achieve a depth to my color. This knotty product provides a rustic look and is kiln-dried.

This finish will last forever and keep aging over time. We have featured a side-by-side comparison of all their color choices. If you wish to retain the individual character of your home’s exterior wood, then Cape Cod Gray offers an attractive choice. Get a weathered look on your wood more easily using Corundum, to accentuate and contrast your outdoor living areas.

If you are going for a light grey look, this would not be the best choice. When you are sampling stain colors for yourself, play around with different application techniques and see which works best for your project. Gel stains are oil-based or water-based stains that have been made to prevent the stain from dripping or running down the vertical surface. Gray stain will be transparent enough to let the wood grain show through. How transparent it is depends on the stain that you choose and how much stain you apply.

Check out my tutorial on the exact steps we took to stain our kitchen cabinets here. Spends way too much time reading books and binge-watching tv. Choose stains with similar undertones to avoid the clashing of undertones in your final product. Be sure to watch my video on how to open a can of wood stain. Based off the name slate, I expected it to be a dark gray color. This is a little darker stain, and it can especially look dark where it settles into the grain.

You can compare the different colors back to the board in the middle to see how the stain affected the overall color. I was very surprised by the results of this color in our test. The color on and in the can appeared much darker than what the stain ended up looking like on actual wood. How you prep your wood can impact the final color of your stain. For this example, we sanded everything with 220-grit sandpaper and applied a pre-stain wood conditioner.

We love how Nathaniel Ebert has a layer of different woods to create a blended look. The gray stained wood walls give another layer of color and textures to this classic space. In addition, the pairing of the dark wood stain with the gray blends the two and still gives the kitchen needed contrast. The wood grain shows but it has a sophistication worthy of this elegant room.

Minwax Silvered Gray is commonly used when finishing oak floors. It’s a very light stain color, but does add a slight mycomputercareer tuition cost silverish hue to the wood. Once the furniture or woodworking project has had a chance to fully dry, you can seal it.