Collection: The Stain Sample Shop

Stain Samples!  

Choosing a stain color for your floors or furniture can be both exciting, yet stressful!  We offer over 50+ stain colors for you to choose from!

Can't decide on the perfect stain color? You're not alone! There are so many different stain colors and lets be honest~ the stain charts are usually not a true depiction of the actual color!

Did you know that stain looks very different on one species of wood than another species of wood.  For example: Classic Gray stain on maple looks so much different than Classic Gray on Douglas Fir!  Please see the pictures that show 4 different wood species and how the same color stain looks so different!

Buying cans of stain can be extremely costly and staining the wood and then having to sand it again takes a lot of time, which is just another couple of reasons that these samples are so great!

*********We do many stain samples for interior designer companies, contractors and businesses. If you need custom size stain samples, please send us a message and we will discuss getting you the samples you need!*********  We also offer stain sample box holders as well as rings to keep your samples organized.

WE USE REAL WOOD!!! We do not use fake woods like particle board, card board, chip board, pressed wood, veneers or plywood because that stains differently than solid wood!  We want you to see the most accurate color to what you will be staining!

With these stain samples, you can put them side by side to make the perfect choice for your decor or project! We have found that many of the brown colors tend to look very similar, until you put the colors side by side and then you can actually see the difference! 

Our Process:

First, we sand the samples by hand.  We then write the name of the stain as well as the species of wood on the back of the sample.  Then, we stain the samples.  Finally, we apply the protective coats.  We apply the first coat, let dry, sand and then apply the second coat of poly.   We apply 2 coats of polycrylic, which is a water based polyurethane. Did you know that oil based polyurethane yellows over time? That is why we choose water based, so the color does not change over the years!  If you are using polyurethane for floors or furniture, no worries!  The samples will still look very similar, but note that oil based polyurethane has a slight amber color to it.  

****When placing and order:
-Select the species of wood you would like your samples to be from the drop down menu
-Then, choose the amount of stain samples you would like
-In the personalization section, please type in the stain colors you would like
-Finally, you can proceed to check out-Thank you!

Personalization Section Example:
Minwax: Cherry, Dark Walnut & Jacobean
Varathane: Willow Gray, Sunbleached

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Minwax Stain Color Chart: (Names of stains from left to right)

Line 1:
Silvered Gray
Simply White
Pickled Oak
Natural
Cherry

Line 2:
Rustic Beige
Weathered Oak
Puritan Pine
Colonial Maple
Golden Oak

Line 3: Vintage Blue
Classic Gray
Driftwood
Sedona Red
Golden Pecan

Line 4: Slate
Fruitwood
Ipswich Pine
Gunstock
English Chestnut

Line 5:
Aged Barrel
Provincial
Special Walnut
Red Chestnut
Red Oak

Line 6:
Barn Red
Jacobean
Early American
Red Mahogany
Mocha

Line 7:
Navy
Ebony
Espresso
Honey
Dark Walnut

Line 8: True Black

* We also have Minwax White Wash Pickling Stain that is not shown on the chart
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Varathane Stain Colors:

1. Kona

2. Weathered Gray

3. Willow Gray

4. Carbon Gray

5. Sunbleached

6. Natural

7. Briarsmoke
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Rustoleum Stain Colors:

1. Cabernet

2. Early American (different than minwax early american-this is a nice warm medium brown color)

3. Cognac

4. Weathered Wood Accelerator (makes the wood like aged and weathered)

*****Please note that the above OIL BASED stain colors are what we have in stock, so please ONLY pick from those. If the color you like is not listed above, then please message us the color and we will let you know if we can get that stain color or not. We only use oil based Minwax stains and have some oil based varathane, Rustoleum and Behr stains as well***** Please check the colors you have chosen from the list above, to ensure we offer them. If there is a color ordered that is not listed above, we will substitute the color for the closest color to one that we offer. For example: if you state you want "red walnut" which is not a color listed above, we will substitute that color for "Red Mahogany", which is the color we offer from the list above.

*We will do water based stain colors for any additional charge, just send us a message and we will discuss this with you*

Sample sizes are (approx 1.5" x 3")
Thickness varies

We are very experienced with stains and wood! We make hundreds of furniture pieces for our customers and I will say that choosing the stain color is usually the hardest decision they have to make!