Kiwi I'll share a pic of our new garage doors. Our windows are also black and I had originally wanted stained garage doors but found these instead. Martin pinnacle line they function beautifully. Just installed last month. I am staining my fiberglass doors. I did the front doors and used Zar stain in moorish teak but went over it with Cetol finish that had an oak stain. So far everyone has had positive comments on the black doors. We still are under construction with gravel and dirt everywhere and other than the bird poop don't collect much dirt...

Fir is one of the woods that is difficult to stain evenly, even when new/freshly dried. What you can do nis apply a prestain product(some of those make fir dark, so test a small easily sanded area first. That seals(not a sealant for weather, just one that prepares the wood for a more even absorption of stain) the different grain areas and helps create a surface that takes stain more evenly. Keep in mind you cannot stain a wood to a lighter color. There are ways to do that, but few are newby or DIY friendly. Then stain(again, testing first). For a finish, use untinted Ultra Deep Tint base paint(That is from Sherwin Williams. Without color added, the base dries clear.

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Oh, I agree...no fun to make decisions under pressure, but it feels like thats been the story of this build...Ive learned so much and it feels like 80% has been under a deadline...so am considering trying to figure out the paint stuff tomorrow-or at least take a guess...the walls are so small it wouldnt take much to repaint if needed-Thanks so much for the suggestions of those colors...I just looked them up--I really like both of them. They do look clean/fresh. The laundry room will basically be filled up with the rustic hickory cabinets (lowers along the sink wall- a silgranite sink (blanco laundry sink) which I'll need to choose a color for as well---thinking something of a medium to darker shade just b/c it will be easier to keep clean), & then upper cabinets on the washer/dryer wall) with a quartz countertop (doing granite in kitchen, but figure quartz will be easier to maintain in laundry room)-color tbd...that will take up the log/sink wall and the right/garage door wall....the opposite 'longer' wall we are planning to build a bench/cubbies 'mud room' type piece that will run along that wall...perhaps paint/stain that. There will be a light (pendant or semi flushmount) over the sink, and a flushmount mid room in front of the washer/dryer-oil rubbed bronze and frosted glass. I was also thinking about putting some simple, maybe live edge shelves to the left and right of the window, or maybe those could have some color too. We're doing most of the finish work ourselves & are both working full time--nothings been ideal about this build & I know I should have these things picked out by now- this is my first house I've even owned (I've always rented & have moved A LOT-so maybe have painted a wall or two, but never had the opportunity to design/paint/etc anything from scratch...its a gift, a challenge, and outside my comfort zone all at the same time. :)