"Without checking in with us about stain colors our builder went ahead and stained the beams using their standard walnut stain."

"and the painter they contract has told us there isn't much we can do other than leave the beams as is because they are rough and not sanded"

Was the stain change in writing? Was a change order requested? Production builders make their money by keeping things moving. The painter is correct.

Take them down and replace them at your own expense now. You can negotiate when the final payment is figured. There may be other things you can offset this cost against. Get exactly what you want. You'll be living with it. Forget about the builder. Take the shortest route to your goal in this situation. Fir unstained with a clearcoat is not yellow. It could make a good compliment to a non-yellow 'European' pale finished oak floor. Take extra care with strong communication and preinstallation personal approval for your floors. Start working on that now to avoid any delays for your builder. Getting what you want is completely on you. Go the extra mile now.

Stain is often the first finish applied by painters. If they're onsite, they're ready to do their job & color selections are typically completed prior, otherwise they'll often move to a project w completed decisions.

They are pretty. A lighter stain will have much more orange in it.

You would not have been able to match your floors unless the beams were also White Oak. These Fir beams would have a different tone than your floor and would likely clash. When using different materials for floors and beams, I always assume some type of contrast. Perhaps you should paint them?

Have you considered painting the beams for the color you want? It's a cheaper solution than replacing the beams and restaining.

There had not yet been any stain selection provided by us. Per the written timeline from our builder they did not require stain and paint selection until end of April. They simply went ahead and stained the beams using a stain color they said most clients choose :(

"They simply went ahead and stained the beams using a stain color they said most clients choose :("

Then you need to choose if this is the hill you wish to die on when arguing with the builder.

I agree, it doesn't have to match and we intended for it to be a varying shade as the wood for the beams differs from wood for the floors and we know stain reacts differently depending on the wood it's used on. Unfortunately the entire house has been designed to be light and airy so this will be the only dark accent, which we and our decorator feel will now stand out like a sore thumb. Adding to the frustration is we are paying over $1.6M for this custom build and have been given timelines by our builder, which we are adhering to, so it's frustrating that we're now having to deal with a main feature like this that isn't an easy fix. Had it been something like they went ahead with a wrong paint color on the walls we could easily repaint after completion. Unfortunately the beans have to be addressed now as to refinish or replace following completion will mean even greater costs and challenges (I.e. two beams into the fireplace with have stonework installed around them). Pictures of selected flooring and design concepts.

If this is a custom home and if this stain was not specified, then this builder should replace these beams. I do not understand how they can refuse this.

Kristen, I completely agree. And we have discussed this with the builder but they refuse. I have reserved this discussion to the beams, solely, but this entire build with this builder has been an absolute nightmare; this isn't the first time they've made assumptions or changed finishing selections on us without discussion. The quality of construction by this company is very good, however since starting our build we have heard from others (a prior customer and a couple suppliers) that the company is extremely difficult to deal with and very volatile whe it comes to discussions involving questions or concerns :(

The builder is right in that these can’t be stained lighter at this point. I’m with Virgil- hire a great faux painter and you will never know the mistake happened and you will actually have more control over the color. I have at least three people in my Rolodex that could do this easily if you are in the Lowcountry!

If you're OK with the light bleached look in your last example, you may have an option. Oxalic acid will remove color from wood. It will diminish any natural grain color as well. It could leave you with something to work with.

IMO this should have been discussed and your designer should have been in on the discission . I agree is this the hill you want to die on ? If this was huge deal to you this was one of those things you needed to specify. BTW stacked stone inside is already a dated and I happen to like some contrast in aspace .

Thank you, Dan and Hallett. I will look further into oxalic acid as well as a painter. We are in Canada so I will have to see who is available and capable here :) At least it's a starting point for options.

Thank you, Patricia although I don't recall asking for advice on the stonework. The design is modern farmhouse and will have a whitewashed limestone stone, as per the concept picture I provided earlier. I trust our designer's direction and at the end of the day, in style or not, the design should suit the homeowner as it is their space and what will make the space feel like home to them.

In initial discussions with the builder at the start of the build when we first decided to add the beams it was stated that we would be keeping the beams light. Unfortunately this, like many things, whether verbal or in writing (email or contract) with the builder, has been ignored or overlooked as it seems they are simply on autopilot in building their standard home.

Our builder incorrectly stained our exterior siding a much darker and redder stain. While we haven't come up with a reasonable viable solution, they are willing to do almost anything to correct their mistake, even completely ripping it off and starting again. We're not doing that because of the damage it would do to the Zip sheathing beneath it. What reasons for not correcting their mistake is your builder giving???

You'll have to remove the beams to strip or bleach them. Here's more ideas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cixs6UJGgZc

Hi, Sarah,

Sorry for your experience. If you have a scrap piece of the beams available to experiment with you might try wire brushing as a way to lighten up the appearance.

If it goes with your design, you might consider whitewashing them. Thinned white paint is brushed over the wood and softens/lightens the look. Something like this: houzz pic that wouldn't insert

I remember being very disappointed in the stain color of my beams when first installed. 18 months later, I don't even think twice about it. Unfortunately, rarely anything ever gets executed perfectly in a new build. My floors are a light white oak and my beams are darker. It provides a nice contrast. And FWIW, I used stacked stone on my fireplace and love it, much to Patricia's chagrin, I imagine....lol.

That said, I do believe that if you hire a talented painter, those beams could be whitewashed and/or faux finished to look very similar to what you envision. It's done all the time on furniture so why not beams :) Good luck!

I think the beams would have to come down in order to apply the oxalic (as it needs to soak into the wood not drip off onto the floor LOL) but maybe thats not such a big deal. As others have suggested - try experimenting with white stains either store bought or made DIY with paint. These range from thin to heavy -bodied gel stains and simply tone down whatever color the wood is, leaving leaving a certain amt of grain and texture showing through. Can be tinted to be more of a raw wood color. Are there any pieces left over that you or someone you hire could use to try a few different options? I would do this NOW though, to help in your decision process and hopefully feel better about accepting and moving on. FWIW, it looks pretty good, like weathered wood, but Id be mad too!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful input :) 

LH, unfortunately our builder had ZERO reason for refusing to redo the beams...which has been our experience all throughout our build. 3 more months and we should be complete and life can move on without any further interaction with the company! Thankfully, after a couple of frustrating weeks and with the help of a third party, we have now stripped the beams and they will be re-stained a LIGHT color this week ὤC

Shead ὠ2 And I bet it looks BEAUTIFUL!

Thanks again everyone!!

1) I like the color, but this is Your house.

2) I hate to suggest, but gel stains [otherwise known as automotive metal stains] can completely change the color. They are NOT a true stains, as they do not penetrate the surface.

3) If those beams are high enough, no one will be able to tell.

Glad you love your new beams, sorry the build is being a struggle. It will be funny party conversation after you move in!

So great to hear that you've found a solution! We've added that to the ever-growing list of issues we've had. Our stain is slowly fading as the sun gets stronger. Maybe in a year or two I'll like my house. :)

IMO and BTW glad you're happy with it now. And the fireplace will be beautiful ;)

@sarahlebeter how did your beams turn out after re- staining? what color did you choose?

we also have fir beams on porch that were stained real dark and cant even see the grain. do you know the process that was used for stripping?

You can sand the dark color off with power sanders, or try bleaching the color out and rinsing it with a hose, hydrogen peroxide, there is this stuff called hydroquinone but it's expensive. Google bleaching wood and a lot of options come up.

https://www.thecoastaloak.com/bleaching-wood-which-method-is-the-best/