Help, our painter ruined our woodwork.

10 years ago

Hi,

We just installed a new kitchen with natural cherry cabinets. We wanted matching stain on the woodwork and our painter used a walnut stain.

Please suggest what can be done to fix this.

Thanks,
MJ

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Comments (11)

millworkman
10 years ago
replace the woodwork, you will never get it off or out enough.
User
10 years ago
Yup, replace---but this time get samples of stains so you can pick the color match.

And do not be surprised if in several years the trim no longer matches---because the cherry will darken naturally.

That may be why the painter used the stain he did---to match the color the cabinets will be in 5 years.
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You might be able to rub some thinner on the stained surfaces to pull out some of the color and then stain with the correct color, but this is a long shot. If there is any finish on the trim, then it needs to be stripped or sanded down to raw wood, and with the labor time involved in something like that, you may want to consider just replacing the trim to see which route would be more cost effective. Also, just because there was no contract doesn't always mean the painter has no obligation to fix something he screwed up. If he's an honorable guy and this is clearly his fault, then he should fix it for free or have his reputation damaged.
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The stain is just that...stain. The FINISH is the stuff sitting on top that gives it a sheen. Stain is always matte. Your finish looks to be a satin or a semi-gloss. It is *possible you can find a 'finish pen' (a small metal tube with a brush tip that is full of polyurethane/urethane) and give your finish a touch up. A flooring professional will have a 'job minimum' for a quick visit. That is to say they will charge you 4 hours of work for a 15 minute visit. If they bill out at $50/hr (a common hourly amount) and then charge you 4 hours for the visit. Go and visit a Home Depot, Rona, Lowe's etc and visit the flooring section. See if they have a finish pen in satin and semi-gloss. Purchase both of them. Try out the satin on the stain. Let it dry. See if the finish matches. If it doesn't then try the semi-gloss. Repeat the repair. If you botch it up completely you can always call the flooring company to repair the spot. At that point you will get a little bit more than a 15 minute visit....which makes it worth the while. As for dark wood floors...they are HE!! to live with. They always look dusty. They show the lighter wood if you have a large dent or a heavy scratch (that gets through to the wood). They are the least forgiving of all the wood colours. A natural wood colour (ie. no stain at all) or a medium toned floor (like mushroom brown) would have been the most forgiving wood floors you can imagine. And yes wood dents. A pot. A pan. A mug. All will dent wood if dropped from a standing position. It's what wood does. The dents are removed the next time you do a full sand and refinish (in 25 years from now). Other things crack/break. They need to be removed and repaired.
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sloyder
10 years ago
replace the woodwork with cherry trim, and baseboards
mjocean
Original Author
10 years ago
Handymac, mill workman & sloyd
Thank you for your responses. We are considering replacing the woodwork
MJ
brickeyee
10 years ago
"replace the woodwork with cherry trim, and baseboards"

THAT will be VERY expensive.
millworkman
10 years ago
Poplar will actually stain very much to look like cherry.
brickeyee
10 years ago
"Poplar will actually stain very much to look like cherry."
Only in color.
Not in figure (grain).
User
10 years ago
No stained wood---regardless of color match initially, will change to the same color as natural cherry as the cherry ages and darkens.
mjocean
Original Author
10 years ago
brickeyee, millworkman & handymac,

Thanks for all your suggestions. I called the cabinet company who made our cabinets to decribe the problem and ask their opinion. They asked me to bring in one of the boards he stained to see if there is a "quick fix". If not, he suggested replacing all the woodwork and sanding and restaining the doors. He said he could stain the pine woodwork in their shop to match the cabinets pretty well.

What do you think about painting all the wood work and doors to exactly match the color of the walls which are beige?
MJ
sloyder
10 years ago
Pine is the worse, no way will it even look like Cherry when stained. If you can't afford Cherry wood, Birch will stain and look close.

I am changing out the trim in my house from Fir to Maple, and the moulding guy tried to tell me poplar looks like Maple, and I told him not when you want the natural color unstained.

I would check Baird Bros, as they have lots of trim in various species.

Here is a link that might be useful: baird brothers

This post was edited by sloyd on Thu, May 2, 13 at 22:53
mjocean
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi sloyd,

Thanks, we are investigating all options. One problem with using cherry trim is the sliding doors and window will not be cherry and matching will be tricky.
MJ

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Help, our painter ruined our woodwork.

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