It'll depend on the type of wood you're staining --- I'd go to a local custom-paint store (not a big box) and bring in a sample of the wood you're using and the color you want. Ask the guys there to match you up something --

I've never heard of using stain for glazing. I can't see how it would work well at all, especially given your distaste for the "dirty" look. Glazing liquid is basically a clear paint that you add solid pigments to in order to tint it. It lies on the surface of the paint and then is wiped off by hand to the degree that you desire and then topcoated. Stain is dye that is designed to penetrate wood fibers. It will stain the paint in a much less controllable fashion, making the results potentially look dirty and blotchy unless you have extraordinary technique. When using glazing liquid, a wide variety of pigments can be added to highlight decorative details. The most often used ratio is 1 quart of paint to 1 gallon of glaze. Experimenting with scrap pieces lets you customize your look. The darker the paint that the glaze is based on, the darker it will color your actual white paint. It's far easier for those with less experience doing this to choose a lighter color to base their glaze on, and then if the color isn't dark enough, do a second coat. Above all, practice and be consistent in your application.

Finished! Here is before and after of the kitchen: Before: After: So we used general finishes water-based stain (rosewood) to darken the wood and take care of any wood variations, followed by a few coats of general finishes gel stain (georgian cherry), which really smoothed out the open grainy-ness of the oak. My husband wanted the color to be very dark, without any light/dark variation, but you can still see that it is wood. The gel stain is great, because you don't see any paintbrush marks. I applied the gel stain with a sock, and just rubbed it in (rather than wiping some on, and wiping excess off with another sock/rag). I then applied one coat of Aqua Zar water-based polyurethane in semi gloss, then a final coat of Aqua Zar water-based polyurethane in satin (because we didn't want it too shiny). I had heard that if you use several coats of satin only over dark stain, it gets cloudy. The satin over semi-gloss looked great. After much deliberation, I opted for the Aqua Zar water based because I wanted something without fumes (we have children/pets), and that would be quick. In retrospect, I think that I could have used an oil-based polyurethane, or even general finished gel topcoat, and it would have been fine. Overall, the project was very easy and came out great! Thanks for everyone who provided input! Diane

Most of the pictures that you showed are not Craftsman. (I agree with kudzu9) IMHO, the houses you picked will go out of fashion because they are 'contemporary' take on Craftsman style when the fashion moves on. In order to do Craftsman well, you have to have a lot of high quality cabinetry with good quality wood. Even if you paint it, you still need good workmanship to start with. That is very expensive. If you do not have enough good quality woodwork, that type of Craftsman-wanna-be-house can look bland and cheap. If I were you, I would teach myself about the Arts and Crafts architectural movement so I know what makes Craftsman style home enduring.