The Art of Coordinating Wood Finishes

I know it’s time for a blog post when an issue pops up repeatedly in the course of a few weeks. The topic for today? Coordinating wood finishes. 

Wood tones are complicated for many reasons, and coordinating can be challenging for those who haven’t experimented and learned lessons along the way. Recently I’ve had clients wanting to embrace more natural wood tones, which makes it especially tricky when mixing species. Here are some things to know.

THE PROBLEM

Wood species (i.e. types of trees) have different characteristics and price points that makes each of them best suited for specific functions. Unfortunately, they don’t all take stains in the same way, so having them coordinate well in a space takes planning and intentionality. Even if you try to use the same stain on everything, it will have different results on various wood surfaces. You should also consider the grade of wood, from knotty, to mixed grain or clear grades of lumber, and make sure they are suited for the style of your home.

QUALITIES OF COMMON CONSTRUCTION WOOD TYPES

Pine – Benefits: It is strong and economical, which makes it great for structural lumber. Drawback: it has a predominant yellow/ orange tone with heavy grain and frequent knots. It is a common soft wood that requires special care and treatment if used outdoors, and the grain pattern make it best suited for rustic or farmhouse styles. It is most commonly used for structural tasks that won’t be visible (for example 2x4s used in framing), and beware - it is also frequently milled for tongue and groove siding (probably because of the price), so if your builder uses it and you intend to stain it, you’ll have limited color choices. Plan to take special care if it’s used outside.

Fir – Benefits: Fir is also strong, less yellow, and generally less knotty than Pine. Fir is a good option to specify for stain grade trim and exposed structural wood if the project budget can support higher grade grain patterns. It is typically used for long structural components such as beams and trusses because the trees are tall. Drawback: Stains can easily go dark, but it is hard to stain light. If a client has inspiration pictures with light stained beams, I specify Oak beams (which are expensive, so we discuss it first) or an Oak wrapped ‘box beam’ which is not a solid beam, but can achieve the desired look.

Above Left: These dark beams show a standard stain color that was easy to achieve with Fir. Photo by An Indoor Lady. Above Right: This is an Oak wrapped box beam, created that way to achieve a light stain color.

Cedar – Benefits: Cedar has a fine grain and is really stable. It holds up well outside without rotting (which is why you’ll see it often as exterior siding) and it even has a natural moth resistant quality, which is why you’ll see it in closets and furniture chests. Cedar can be a great choice for many styles of architecture depending on the specified grade, milling pattern, and finish. Drawback: Beware on color tone – the true color is a rich orange that is beautiful if you embrace it, but it is hard to take it other directions. Clients are often tempted to leave it the lighter tone of it’s unsealed state, but that color won’t last in the long term. Once sealed, it becomes orange without fail. 

Both of these pictures are examples of natural sealed Cedar siding. Photos by An Indoor Lady.

Oak – there are 2 kinds: Red Oak and White Oak (my personal favorite). Benefits: There are many in my opinion. Oak is a hard and durable wood and is well suited for many construction uses (most frequently flooring and cabinets). What I love about it is the color flexibility. It is gorgeous left in a natural sealed state, and it can be taken in many subtle tonal directions. Drawbacks? The price-point is high, and for that reason it is often a “special order” item for some components.

Both of these LBI kitchens use White Oak for both floors and cabinets. Photos by An Indoor Lady.

Those are just a few examples, but there are many more species and layers of things to consider, such as milling profiles, grain direction, bla bla bla. Without going into all of those details, I am going to boil it down to some key suggestions:

TIPS

1)    Determine if the wood grain and tones in your space are a key element to the design. Pay special attention to flooring, ceilings, cabinets, and exposed structural elements related to your vision. Especially if the tones are light and your design is refined, it’s important for you to be intentional from the beginning.

2)    Make sure that your Architect, Builder, and Designer all know that the wood quality and durability is important to you. Check that it is specified and budgeted accordingly. All too often homeowners are unaware of the nuances and leave this to chance. In the absence of a plan and careful thought to the wood products for a project, it is unlikely that all materials will coordinate. Upgrading them comes at a price, and the higher-grade materials cost what they cost. If it appears that some of your project bids are much lower than others, make sure what they have planned for this category is what you want.

3)    Start early with experimenting and sampling stains on the exact material you plan to use. This is a process. Allow plenty of time so the decision does not become stressful and hold up the construction process.

4)    For T&G siding (ceilings, soffits, wall surfaces) – pay special attention to the milling profile, which should match the architectural style of your house. V-groove is common but used in more rustic settings, whereas for contemporary homes you might choose a butt-joint or nickel gap.  The milling pattern should be specified to match the architectural style of the house. 

INSIDER INFO

My personal favorite wood for flexibility is White Oak. Most building components (cabinets, floors, beams, etc.) can be purchased as White Oak, but it is frequently the expensive choice. After years of experimentation I have found stain formulas for various species that can coordinate with Oak (many of our clients use it for floors), and so I am intentional about what I ask for if I am doing the specifications. While I mentioned just a few common ones, we use many other woods not even mentioned in this short article (for example, I love walnut for furniture, but you won’t usually see it as a choice in structural lumber).

In these projects we asked for specific T&G ceiling material that we could coordinate with the Oak floors. Above Left: A Hemlock ceiling. Above Right: A Clear Alder ceiling. Photo by An Indoor Lady.

MORAL OF THE STORY

Pay attention and plan ahead. All of these products have their place in the construction or renovation of a residence, but make sure thought is giving to using the products where they are best suited; specifying grades, milling, and finishes to match the style of your project. Talk to you project team and ask questions about what has been planned and budgeted. Not interested in researching and understanding all of these details? I get it. Find an industry professional whom you trust, and let them guide you along the way.

Ideas for Your Place, while Sheltering in Place

Photo courtesy of @southcongresscottage

Hi everyone! To help us all avoid “Sheltering in Place” depression, I decided to offer something productive. Here is a blog post to hopefully inspire you with home ideas while you’re stuck there. Enjoy!

1.     Give your space a springtime facelift. Look at your throw blankets, pillows, bedding - freshen up the colors & textures for warmer weather. Put some greenery from the yard in a vase! I’ve taken this time at home to spruce up my deck and put seed in the bird feeders.

2.     Speaking of feeling fresh for spring: now is a good time to wash slipcovers, pillow covers, and rugs. I for one have items that get dingy where our dog likes to lounge.

3.     Organize. I’ve had several clients & friends tell me they’re taking advantage of this extra time to organize their closets, home office, pantry - you name it! First on MY list is our Guest Bedroom. It is currently over-run by gift bags.

4.     Rearrange your furniture. I used to do this to my bedroom all the time as a child. It’s a chance to get rid of dust-bunnies & it will give you a fresh perspective.

5.     If you have kids at home, create child art. Kids are absolutely the best artists! Give them paint & let them go to town. If there’s an area where you need color - point them in the right direction, then frame it!

6.     Re-arrange a vignette area (coffee table, book shelf, sofa table, etc.). Swap out what’s there for new books, a framed picture or two, maybe a candle. These areas can get tired and stale if you don’t revisit them every now and then.

7.     Speaking of candles, light your favorite one. Just for you. Yep, no one else. Just you.

And lastly, stay connected with loved ones and friends. This experience can feel isolating. I tend to enjoy my alone time, but even I’m getting pangs of cabin fever. We’ll get through it if we all stick together (yes, 6’ apart, but TOGETHER)!

Discerning Product Quality

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Today more than ever, consumers have easy access to trendy design. Every time I open my email or social media, companies are promoting popular products at cheaper prices. Often clients become tempted by these offers, but lately I react with skepticism. I wasn’t always that way, but after seeing clients get burned a few times, I’ve learned that these purchases frequently result in disappointment.

So how are we to discern quality? Here are a few tips:

1) Quality craftsmanship takes time and care.  I recently launched a hardware line (check us out at www.finerystudio.com), and vetting manufacturers was an educational experience. The first prototypes from my local machinist cost me $500 each (yes, that’s right, for a cabinet pull!) because he spent hours working through each design by hand to achieve the most elegant craftsmanship and durable fabrication strategies. From there I needed a source for volume production and streamlined pricing, so I sampled factories both in the U.S. and overseas. What I discovered was fascinating. The cheaper, overseas samples at first glance looked promising. Upon inspection, however, they had subtle quality compromises. Design details were less defined, components did not fit together as snugly, and screw holes were not tapped cleanly or straight (not something you would discover until installation). The short-cuts taken were likely to optimize manufacturing efficiency and lower costs, but it was an overall lesson in ‘you get what you pay for’.

2. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. You’ve heard me say this before. Pay close attention to every dimension and detail (including the weight). I once had a client send me a link to a toilet online that was half the price of what we found at the local plumbing supply house. It had the same product name, but a different model number. At first the swap and savings seemed like a ‘no-brainer’, but what we discovered before ordering was that it was really short. As in: a toilet for little people. What a disappointing mistake that would have been!

3. Get your eyes on it, or make sure someone you trust has seen it. It is the best way to avoid surprises that weren’t visible in the picture. I have had clients drive to Dallas or Houston to get their eyes on a light fixture, tub, or sofa if none of us have first hand experience with it.

4. Better yet, touch it. Quality materials feel different. Have you ever run your hand across a silk fabric or marble counter and said ‘Oooh’. That’s what I’m talking about. Every time I hand a piece of our solid brass constructed Finery hardware to someone they say ‘Wow. That’s heavy.’ Quality materials are solid and durable.

5. Research the quality indicators for specific items. In our industry, there are known methods that indicate quality. For example, with sofas you’ll hear construction terms such as “solid wood frame” and “eight way hand-tied” springs. For plumbing fixtures, pay attention that the mechanical guts of the fixture are metal rather than plastic (hint – they will weigh more). It is common for well-known plumbing brands to have an “A” grade and a “B” grade product offering: the “A” grade is for plumbing supply houses, and the “B” grade is for big box stores. For rugs, “hand-knotted” means that hours and hours went into creating that piece by hand on a loom, and it is essentially a piece of art that will last forever. You get the idea.

The bottom line is: if a purchase is important to you, ask questions, do your research, and proceed with caution before being tempted by a great deal!