Matching colors is one of the most difficult tasks in wood finishing. Using just a stain rarely works well because the color on the object you’re trying to match is affected by how the wood and finish have aged. The best way to match a color is usually to get the color close, but a little lighter, with a stain, then spray a toner.
A toner is pigment or dye added to a finish and thinned a lot with the proper solvent. Then it is sprayed.
But how do you know what color to make the toner? Here’s the trick. Spray some of the toner you think is right onto a clean glass plate and place it on the wood you’re trying to match.
You’ll know right away how you need to tweak the color to get a match.
