
One of the most common requests lately is to help clients rid their homes of the golden oak. I have been painting stair railings, distressing furniture, and coming up with creative ways to remove, or cover this common wood stain. I think the most overwhelming place I see it is in kitchen cabinets. It’s frustrating when the cabinets are in great shape, but the home owner simply hates the way they look.
Here are a few things to remember when painting or complimenting the golden grain:
• sand all surfaces to give the finish a “tooth”, this is crucial to a proper adhesion of the primer coat.
• let the primer coat cure (dry and adhere)) for at least 24 hours. I have found, the longer, the better.
• if painting a dark color, or red, tinting primer to a generic gray will help reduce the number of final paint coats.
• REMEMBER: when ever you paint oak, the grain will rise and be visible under all paint. the lighter the paint color, the more it will show.
• always topcoat paint with a Polyacrylic or similar product for durability.
• if you are not up to painting your golden oak cabinetry, another solution is to paint the walls a compliment to the golden color. Some paint colors that work well are Svelte Sage, and Techno Gray by Sherwin Williams. These colors have green undertones which are a compliment to the yellow of the oak.
Good luck with your project!
