Lavender finish for kitchen doors (with grain visible)?

[sploo]

I'm trying to work out a colour scheme for a kitchen that has a newly laid oak floor. For the worktop, I've previously used a solid oak strip; which both I and the wife like, and it's something I can do myself.

However, an oak floor and worktop somewhat limits the door options; oak would just be too much of the same. We don't really like solid grey (painted), and black (painted) is a bit stark.

We're currently considering a grey-ish lavender, but the wife likes the idea of still seeing the wood grain. I could make a simple frame door from a light wood such as ash and either use a lavender wood stain or lavender paint and sand back a little, but that sort of finishing is not something I've done before.

Would anyone have examples or suggestions, and possibly ideas of appropriate products?

 

[custard]

Sadolin specialises in semi transparent stain/paint that shows the grain. I mainly think of them as exterior finish specialists, but maybe they do something for interior work too?

 

[sploo]

Sadolin specialises in semi transparent stain/paint that shows the grain. I mainly think of them as exterior finish specialists, but maybe they do something for interior work too?

Thanks Custard. Waffly reply below, but towards the end I have a question that would benefit from your furniture making experience (just in case you get bored after the first couple of paragraphs :wink

I just took a look at their website, and they do have an interior product, but the colours are limited.

I'm away from home at the moment but I have got an oil based stain from another manufacturer (that does a huge range of colours). It's intended for flooring, but I used their black product to get a very solid black satin finish on some pine shelves. Each coat takes ~24 hours to dry, and it stinks, but it's really good stuff (no issues at all with a few years wear and tear from loads of heavy books). When I get home I'll check to see if they have something suitable.

The wife is now also suggesting a dark purple/aubergine would be good - and for that she'd be happy with a solid paint coat (no grain showing through).

If I make frame & panel doors, the largest would be 60cm (wide) by 80cm (tall), with maybe something like a 5cm wide by 2cm thick frame. For the panel, would you try to laminate thin (e.g. 9mm thick, but wide) strips of the ash, or would you just go for an ash veneered plywood/MR MDF sheet? The former feels more "honest", but I suspect it's a lot more work. For the latter I'd be worried about getting a good grain and colour match between the veneer and the solid timber.

If we were however to go for a solid paint coat (no grain showing) it occurs to me it might be more sensible to just use MR MDF for the whole of the doors, or is there still a good reason to use timber? I hear American Yellow Poplar / Tulipwood is good for kitchen work?

 

[RobinBHM]

Tulipwood is the most commonly used paintable timber. I personally find the greenish tinged stuff machines the best. Boards that are a dirty greyish tend to have woolly grain.

Ash is a good timber for painting, the grain shows through and looks like painted wood.

 

[sploo]

Tulipwood is the most commonly used paintable timber. I personally find the greenish tinged stuff machines the best. Boards that are a dirty greyish tend to have woolly grain.

Ash is a good timber for painting, the grain shows through and looks like painted wood.

Thanks. That's useful to know; given that the wife might decide she wanted the grain to show through.