Wood staining with RAL colours

When coloring wood, we most often turn to classic shades. We are used to walnut, oak, mahogany or wenge furniture. Distinctive colors seem impossible on wood, and we think of turquoise or lilac furniture as either painted or laminated chipboard. You don't have to paint wood to get a great color. We can stain it exactly the color of the paint, but the grain should remain visible.

The video you will see at the end of the article is about such coloring. The beies are made by Lomilux according to the RAL card, and painting techniques allow a variety of effects. Find out what RAL cards are, how the effects are obtained and how the color differs depending on the wood being painted.

Why we use colour cards

For those who don't know, the RAL chart is a "collection" of universally recognized colors, a sort of common language for identifying a color. If someone from Constanta, Madrid or Istanbul orders, for example, RAL 7016, they will receive the same anthracite gray color.

But it's not the only chart used to identify a set of colors. Worldwide, the best known is Pantone, with the Pantone Institute being an authority on color. There are others, and well-known manufacturers have their own color cards.

Depending on the transparency, the same color can be paint or stain. The paint completely covers the wood grain, while the stain leaves it visible, highlighting the natural wood grain. Whether it's paint or stain, the color chosen from the RAL should be the same when viewed in the box. When applied, however, they will be slightly different because, in the case of a stain, the final shade is influenced by the wood to which it is applied and the varnish that protects it.

Even if the color is identical, the effect will be different depending on the wood used and the application method

As the wood is seen through the stain its color will influence the final look. In the movie you'll see the wood stain applied on resinous (fir) and oak. The light color of fir has very little influence on the final appearance, while oak, with its yellowish color with shades of green and gray, has a much greater influence on the final result. The wood's absorbency and natural design also contribute to this difference. Therefore, fir will never look like oak, even if the colors used are identical.

The method of application can make the look very different. In the example above, the applied stain is wiped on half of the wood used. The wiping will bring out the pores and color them, but the overall color will be lighter and more influenced by the wood. On the unstained side the color will be more uniform, stronger and will cover the wood better. This type of application gives a very good result on wood with large pores and is less spectacular on wood with small pores or without pores (resinous).

In the case of fir, no wiping was done because the absorption is much too fast and the time too short for a uniform and effective wiping. When the wood absorbs a lot (plopfor example) or large surfaces need to be painted (parquet floors), the stain needs to absorb and dry more slowly. Have you seen such a stain here.

The lake changes the color of the bath.

The final color is also influenced by the primer/lacquer that is applied on top. All varnishes have a yellow tint which is most noticeable in light colors. Sometimes the yellow of the varnish is combined with the color of the stain resulting in a different color. This is the case with blue, which ends up blending into green.

The yellow tint is not the same with all varnishes. The ones that retain their effect and color best are acrylic varnishes. They are also used to make color swatches, precisely because they change their tint very little. We also used acrylic varnish to protect the colors on the fir and oak.

Water-based varnishes can also be used because they have a whitish, almost yellow-free color. The problem with these varnishes is the slight lack of transparency. The yellowest are nitrocellulose varnishes.

In the video below, you will see the application of a RAL-wood stain on fir and oak wood and you will be able to appreciate the differences due to the wood, the application method or the varnish. You will also see how the varnish brightens the stain, making it more vivid and pleasant.