Colour matching timber – Coastal Staircases
February 12, 2019As timber is a natural product it is virtually impossible to match the colour exactly. Let’s start from the very beginning. Each tree of the same species will contain a different colour and different features, so each pack of timber will vary significantly. Which is why your staircase, even though from the same pack of timber from the same supplier will show light colours and warm colours throughout.
Natural light, lighting in your home and wall/floor colours can also cause natural timber to look different and make certain colours within that timber lighter or darker. For example; if you take a sample from one room to another that has different coloured paint and/or different shades of light, it can look like 2 separate samples.
Matching a flooring sample – Most customers will choose a timber to match their timber floors or furniture around the home. With the wide range of timber flooring going around, it may be hard to match your flooring exactly (this could be due to the quality of material or sizes available to us), we will do our best to get the stairs to match but unfortunately this is not always possible.
Matching a photo – Once a photo is taken, it has already changed the colour of the timber essence you are trying to capture. It will change depending on the camera and the lighting. From the moment you put the photo on your computer it will change again depending on your computer lighting and sometimes even the program you open the photo in. The moment you hit send the person opening it will have different quality programs and lighting on their computer screen which will change the colour again. It is virtually impossible to match timber to a photo because the timber itself will be different to the photo you took by the time it gets to the receiver.
Matching an old staircase – We often get customers that require a handrail to a staircase or would like to replace their old one expecting it to match their staircase once it is in. You will be very lucky if the timbers match as the staircase installed has already changed colour with age, with sunlight and with use. It may also contain a different finish. Over time it will look more and more similar but do not expect it to look the same at installation of handrail.
Matching engineered flooring – Matching engineered flooring is also difficult as some are not a natural timber. We can try to find a timber to match or you could get someone to stain your staircase. We recommend installing a budget staircase for your floor layers to lay the engineered flooring over the top (see blog for more information on your budget staircases).
Google imaging a timber species alone will show you how the colours can vary dramatically (see below).
Feel free to come into our display room where one of our friendly staff members can help guide you as best as possible to help you with your timber selection. We do have some samples on display and may be able to give you an off-cut of timber to take home. Hopefully this will help you with your timber selection.