Is this Mahogany - How to Darken? ( hopefully pics work)

[paulc]

Hello all,

A friend had a new door fitted and wanted it to colour match – to some degree at least – the surrounding doors which he thought were mahogany.
He was told the new door was mahogany but it’s much pinker and lighter than he thought it would be, so he asked me to have a look. I’ve checked it against the samples in William A.Lincolns ‘World Woods in Colour’ book and the closest I can see is a ‘padang’. Anyone any ideas how this could be treated stained to be closer to the other door?

How will time light effect the colour?

New Door

Other Doors

Contrast

How to treat stain New Door to be closer to this?? Cheers


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[marcros]

is it finished at all yet? i think some oil would darken it to be broadly similar but test on a piece of scrap first.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

It's not mahogany, and it's more likely to be sapele, or possibly one of the merantis, which are sometimes sold as Philipine mahogany.

I think you're likely to get a close colour match by simply applying an oil based varnish-- try some on the sample of wood you've got there. It looks like the new door is reasonably well protected from the worst of the weather through it being inside an alcove or under some sort of awning, although I may be wrong there. But if it is reasonably well protected and you go with varnish, use a good long oil marine one such as the Epifanes brand designed for outside use. Slainte.

 

[RogerS]

Out of curiosity, how can one tell the difference between mahogany and sapele? To my unskilled eye, they look very similar.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Out of curiosity, how can one tell the difference between mahogany and sapele? To my unskilled eye, they look very similar.

Sapele tends to be a little harder and darker with a slightly coarser texture. It also lacks the chalky deposits you'll sometimes see in mahogany. It also is generally a little heavier. Recently felled mahogany tends to be a bit pink and woolly which you don't see much in sapele. Slainte.

 

[RogerS]

That's helpful, thanks, Richard....gives some good ideas what to look out for.