The Color of Wood Part 1

Whether you're going to make something in wood or have someone make it for you, at some point you need to decide on the type of wood for color, texture, strength, etc.  So, I am going to talk about some of the things you should consider when selecting the wood for color. 

Wood is consistently changing color no matter what finish you apply.  Clear finishes, especially, change color over time, but a heavily-pigmented stain or tint will change also.  Direct sunlight has the most pronounced effect, but even rooms with only North-facing windows receive indirect light which will have an effect on color.  The idea is not to pick a wood for  it's color when first milled, but for what it is going to look like in one, five, or ten years.  Otherwise you might be very disappointed. 

I can't list every type of wood here, so I'll give some general changes you should consider.  Almost all tropical woods (woods growing close to the equator) become darker, even with direct sunlight.  Some become very dark.  Also, in some species, the degree of darkening will vary quite a bit from board to board.  You may mill the wood, select color matches, and one or two years later the match is not even close.  When matching different boards for color you need to select for color, texture, and density (weight) to make sure the color remains matched over time. 

UV finishes will only slow this darkening and lightening process down between 10% and 50%, but not stop it.  If the tropical wood piece is getting only indirect sunlight the wood will only darken.  Most tropical woods have bright distinct colors when first milled, but as the darkening occurs, the purples, reds, pinks, and greens usually become less bright and more brown.  Purple heart, for example, will be completely dark brown in a few years with no purple.  Burmese teak, when first milled, is very light tan with pinks and greens.  Within days the pinks and greens are gone leaving an even light brown, becoming more and more golden medium brown over time.

All woods change, and that is part of their beauty.  Knowing what that change is going to be eliminates the surprise and allows you to enjoy this natural process. 

In my next blog entry, I am going to talk about domestic hardwood color changes which are very different than tropical woods.