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Woodworking Math

Wood stain colors

Each maker's stain colors by name, with the number and the family or collection the maker gives them, and a link to its own chart to see them. The lists come from each maker's own pages and cards; we show no swatches of our own, because a color on a screen is not the color on your wood.

By maker

Why the same stain looks different on your wood

  • The same stain looks different on different woods, and even from board to board: each species starts from its own color and grain and takes up stain in its own way.

    4 sources agree , sources [1, 2, 3, 4]

  • The Wood Handbook says stain soaks into the soft earlywood, the pores, knots and flaws more than the dense latewood, so it can even reverse a board’s usual light and dark bands.

    One source: USDA Forest Products Laboratory, the federal reference on wood and how it takes a finish , sources [4]

  • Soft, porous woods such as pine, alder and maple soak stain up unevenly and can blotch; a pre-stain conditioner, or a gel stain, evens them out.

    3 sources agree , sources [5, 1, 6, 7]

  • A maker’s chip shows the color on one wood, not yours: General Finishes shows its samples on oak, DuraSeal its colors on white oak.

    Two sources: General Finishes and DuraSeal , sources [8, 2]

  • A second coat darkens a wiping stain; Minwax adds that the longer it sits before you wipe it, the darker it gets.

    Two sources: Minwax (Sherwin-Williams) and General Finishes , sources [9, 1]

  • General Finishes says to sand no finer than 150 grit on hardwoods such as maple, birch and oak, and no finer than 180 on softer woods such as pine, alder and cherry, before its liquid stain.

    One source: General Finishes, the maker of that product , sources [1]

Sources

  1. General Finishes, Oil Based Wood Stain, technical data sheet, read 2026-11-08
  2. DuraSeal, Color and Product Card (2024-10), read 2026-11-08
  3. Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), Top 10 wood finishing tips, read 2026-11-07
  4. USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282, 2021), chapter 16: Finishing Wood, read 2026-11-07
  5. Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), Wood finishing FAQ, read 2026-11-07
  6. General Finishes, Gel Stain, technical data sheet, read 2026-11-07
  7. Rust-Oleum (RPM), Zinsser SealCoat Universal Sanding Sealer, technical data, read 2026-11-07
  8. General Finishes, Gel Stain & Liquid Stain brochure (2024-07), read 2026-11-08
  9. Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), Wood Finish Penetrating Stain, product page, read 2026-11-08

Patchy color on pine or maple has its own page: blotchy stain.

Gel, oil-based or water-based

  • Gel stain is thick and sits more on the surface, so it often looks more even on woods that blotch.

    Two sources: Minwax (Sherwin-Williams) and General Finishes , sources [1, 2]

  • Gel stain also goes on surfaces a liquid stain can’t soak into: Minwax names fiberglass and metal, General Finishes sealed surfaces, fiberglass and steel doors.

    Two sources: Minwax (Sherwin-Williams) and General Finishes , sources [3, 4]

  • Water-based stains raise the grain more than oil-based ones, so raise it and sand it before staining.

    Two sources: General Finishes and USDA Forest Products Laboratory , sources [5, 6]

  • Ready Seal says its oil-based exterior stain must never be mixed with water-based stains or sealers.

    One source: Ready Seal, the maker of that product , sources [7]

Sources

  1. Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), Wood finishing FAQ, read 2026-11-07
  2. General Finishes, Gel Stain, technical data sheet, read 2026-11-07
  3. Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), Gel Stain, product page, read 2026-11-08
  4. General Finishes, Gel Stain & Liquid Stain brochure (2024-07), read 2026-11-08
  5. General Finishes, Water Based Finish Application Guide, read 2026-11-07
  6. USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook (FPL-GTR-282, 2021), chapter 16: Finishing Wood, read 2026-11-07
  7. Ready Seal, READY SEAL Exterior Wood Stain, read 2026-11-08

Dry and recoat times for oil-based and gel stains: wood stain. Fuzzy wood after a water-based stain: raised grain.

Test it first

  • Test the stain on scrap of the same wood, or on a hidden spot, before the whole job.

    4 sources agree , sources [1, 2, 3, 4]

  • Varathane says its water-based Crystal Clear finish can slightly change how a stain looks, so test it over the stain too.

    One source: Rust-Oleum (RPM), the maker of that product , sources [5]

Sources

  1. Minwax (Sherwin-Williams), Top 10 wood finishing tips, read 2026-11-07
  2. Rust-Oleum (RPM), Varathane Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain, technical data VAR-09 (rev. 01/2025), read 2026-11-08
  3. General Finishes, Oil Based Wood Stain, technical data sheet, read 2026-11-08
  4. Ready Seal, Products (order samples), read 2026-11-08
  5. Rust-Oleum (RPM), Varathane Crystal Clear Polyurethane, technical data VAR-34 (GDH-516), read 2026-11-07