Hardwood and pine?

[Phisher]

Was planning my next project to be out of mostly oak plywood but I do want to dress it up a bit with some molding, which at Lowes is all pine. I was concerned how this would look once stained. Do people normally mismatch hardwood and pine or do you get matching molding? If so from where?

Thanks

 

[1DeR9_3Hy]

Was planning my next project to be out of mostly oak plywood but I do want to dress it up a bit with some molding, which at Lowes is all pine. I was concerned how this would look once stained. Do people normally mismatch hardwood and pine or do you get matching molding? If so from where?

Thanks

Im not much of a wood pro, but i do find it strange the lowes nearest you only carries pine trim...? Is there a home depot you can check out in your area? The home depot here literally has a whole isle of trim, 40 ft of that is red oak.

 

[cody6766]

I used birch and pine ply on a little 2.5g project and they did stain a little different. The birch is a little more red and stained darker faster. I had to go back and re-stain the pine once or twice to get it close enough to right. Now It's really close, but I can still tell the difference, especially in bright light

 

[Phisher]

Im not much of a wood pro, but i do find it strange the lowes nearest you only carries pine trim...? Is there a home depot you can check out in your area? The home depot here literally has a whole isle of trim, 40 ft of that is red oak.

Maybe I missed it. They do seem to hide the hardwood stuff for some reason...

 

[Phisher]

I used birch and pine ply on a little 2.5g project and they did stain a little different. The birch is a little more red and stained darker faster. I had to go back and re-stain the pine once or twice to get it close enough to right. Now It's really close, but I can still tell the difference, especially in bright light

Any pictures by chance on the birch finished? I was considering using birch as well, they have a good selection of both ply and planks here and its a bit cheaper than oak. The birch doesn't seem to have as much character as the oak though, was curious how it looks finished.

 

[Brian Peterson]

Oak and pine will stain very differnent. Pine is much more porous and will
stain in a "blotchy" manner. I would recommend a pre stain conditioner
as a minimum on the pine to minimize this. But is my experience, it still will
not give it an even finish. It will also not stain to the same tone as the
oak as it has a more "warm" natual color. IMO pine is cheap, but should be used with natural finishes.
Good luck...

 

[1DeR9_3Hy]

You might have to hunt down the elusive lumber associate at lowes and ask where they stash their oak trim lol.

Brian Peterson, this "pre stain conditioner"....I seen this yesterday while buying sandpaper and wood filler for my stand (which is all red oak), do you have to use this?

 

[Phisher]

I use the conditioner. On light, natural stains it doesn't seem to be as crucial. On colored stains (that I am officially swearing off *blows brains out*) its been my experience that the wood doesn't seem to soak up the stain without it.

 

[iamwrasseman]

lowes has oak ,just ask or look and i definatly would not use pine it will not look good next to the oak .it has a much different hardness and grain structure meaning that it will be a different color tone and the graining in the pine will be much less after stained and poly are applied and it will stick out like a sore thumb . also if you need oak home depot also sells it and make sure that you get the same tone of oak . there is much intermixing of red oak in the trim dept and that also will look a bit odd in your project .

 

[ChknWing]

I second wrasse. I built my tank stand out of oak and had to make a special trip to a different city to find the oak trim I was looking for. Just ask someone in the wood department if they can order it or which closest store has it.... or go to a real lumber yard and see what they can get for you. You definitely don't wan't to use different woods unless you are doing it for an accent. Just too many differences in grain pattern, staining etc. If this is your first foray into woodworking I would stick to one type. PS Oak trim costs a pretty penny. My trim cost more than the rest of my stand materials combined

 

[billdogg]

if this is your first diy project like this, i would go with the pine - it is much easier to work with, but as mentioned above - you will have to use the pre stain conditioner first to get it to stain evenly. The best method i have found to apply it (and stain for that matter) ia to use a foam brush and soak it well. let it sit about 5 minutes, then wipe it down with a clean rag.

DO THIS OUTSIDE!!!!!!!!! the fumes will drive you out of the house if you dont, and dispose of all the rags properly - do not just throw them in the trash - they can (and very well might) spontaneously ignite.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I would actually give the opposite advice as above. If you are using oak ply, the use oak trim. There is no way they will match even with conditioner. Both Lowes and HD sell oak trim. If they don't then another vendor in your area certainly does.

 

[billdogg]

sorry if i was not clear - I would use ALL pine or ALL oak - you can match pretty close if you have the patience, but its a major pia - My reason for going pine if this is a first time project - it is easier to work with, and much cheaper, so mistakes don't hurt so much.
(my latest project was bloodwood and curly maple - about $900 for materials - before i started on the final project, i did it all in pine first so i could make my booboos there!)

 

[BeanAnimal]

Ahhh.. now that I agree with. Though I am never happy with the finish on pine... so I don't use it for furniture projects.

 

[Phisher]

This will actually be my third project. First I did with all pine the second oak. Neither were very ornate, I made the basic trim from 1x3 using router table. I want this for my living room so it will be "fancier."

1st attempt, pine with doors removed;


2nd attempt, oak, the black stain was fun...


As you can see fairly straight forward and simple, this will be my big boy project.

 

[cody6766]

here's the birch/pine combo. The lid is completely birch and the side is pine. I used the preconditioner and let the stain rest the same time for all parts.

here are the two pieces after I evened them out. The pine looks a little blotchy in the pic, but you can't see it in person. The flash brings out the flaws.

I intended to go all birch, but messed up a few cuts and had to use pine. I prefer birch much more, both from a staining and cutting point. I have an older, smaller table saw and it tended to bind when cutting the pine. I guess the sap still in the wood caused the issues. The grain in the birch also looks much better IMO.

 

[iamwrasseman]

well it looks as though you have the basics down so i would suggest that you build it to match your existing stands unless you are selling the ones that you already own . i have 17 tanks and they are all the same oak stained with golden oak and coated 4x with semigloss poly . they all look awesome but i have a slight advantage . i own a wood shop and an autobody shop also so all can be done in house and away from my home . my wife always loves the day when i bring home a new piece of furniture with a glass box soon to be full of fish and corals home .remember that if they all look similar and have the same color they will look so much better when someone looks at them as a whole . i now need a bigger house due to my wifes and my addiction . we dont have one in the kitchen or bathroom so i realistically have more space for a couple additions but my wife wont know it till its to late . good lumber makes the stand the rest is just gravy .

 

[iamwrasseman]

cody 6766 your stand looks great except watch out with the glue as you can see it doesnt stain very well .i do understand without that flash picture it looks 99% less noticable as far as the glue goes .also do you see the color differences in you kitchen trim and the stand ? thats what im talking about ,if that all matches they look like they were made for each other other than that they look great but rather additions to the house . please dont take my opinion the wrong way as they look great ,just think how they would look if they were all matched much more closely .great job by the way ,they are sometimes very difficult to build and make look like they belong also .

 

[Phisher]

The pine stand is being replaced with the "next project" one, I actually took that tank down recently, and the black one is in my office so no need to try and match anything.

Each one is definitely a learning experience and each project gets better leaps and bounds, plus I manage to sneak another woodworking tool in the garage!

I think I will go oak with a light to medium color stain. I do not have any stained wood in my living room to try and match. I like the ones in the "fancy stands" thread where people boxed in each of the four corners, this doesn't appear to be overly difficult-at least in my mind.

I've had the same issue with the glue as Cody, and it seems like you can't wipe or sand it enough to get rid of that effect. Whats a technique to prevent that? Mask the seem first?

 

[Rhodophyta]

Any room for this tank?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_XFw-TrHNw