Doors, both exterior and interior, are a highly-visible component of your home. When you decide to change or brighten up the front door, color and style come to mind, which are both personal elements requiring thought and attention so that the door looks right. Stained doors achieve this result, if the homeowner consults us at Nick’s Building Supply, Inc. where we have access to a vast array of colorful stains.
Defining Wood Stain
Wood has its own natural hue. Wood stain is a combination of pigments, solvents or carriers, and binders or resins that, when applied, alter or enhance the natural wood. The most basic stain of this type for wood doors consists of three basic ingredients:
- Pigment
- Carrier or solvent
- Binder
Clarity is achieved through the specific percentage of pigment used in the mixture and process. It can range from translucent to a solid appearance. The more pigment found in a wood stain, the more opaque the wood will appear.
Alternatively, wood stains can be comprised of dyes, which operate in a different manner than pigment combinations. They only require the addition of a carrier or solvent. The two processes are not necessarily mutually exclusive; the two are combined oft times to produce the right color.
Stained Doors, Wood Stains, Color and Grains
Whatever method is employed, it is important to realize the stain not only affects the color of the wood, it also influences the appearance of the wood grain. Applying wood stain to a door, for example, can diminish or enhance the actual grain of the wood to produce. The two major factors you need to know are:
- Type of wood – each reacts to the wood stain method used in a different fashion.
- The wood stain – pigment, dye or newer methods.
If you do not know your woods and the effect a specific staining method will have upon the grain, the result may not be at all to your liking. For instance, if you choose to apply a stain dye to maple doors, the stained doors will achieve a look that is more intense in color and grain contrast. The exact opposite, however, will occur if the stained door is the result of a pigment dye. At the same time, if you desire oak to be more intense in color and grain contrast, you would need to employ a pigment wood stain.
The Appeal of Stained Doors
Staining plays a role in the wood doors we have for sale at Nick’s. Stained wood provides our doors with a color of your choice and brings out the grain, enhancing and contrasting the different patterns in the wood. Aesthetically and practically, wood stains make our doors a better product. Stained doors not only provide you with the look you want, but also the durability you need, inside or outside to weather all types of storms. Visit nicksbuilding.com for more information.