The Art of Coloring Wood: A Woodworker's Guide to Understanding Dyes and Chemicals

Learn How to Use Dyes and Chemicals Like a Pro

If you're a woodworker looking to take your skills-and your next project-to a higher level of craftsmanship, you might want to consider coloring your wood with chemicals and dyes instead of stains. Unlike stains that can trap light and obscure grain patterns, chemicals and dyes, when handled properly, are one of the best methods for enhancing a wood's color or accentuating the grain pattern. A classic technique that's been practiced for centuries, coloring wood is a sure way to infuse a "wow" into your woodworking efforts.

With expert guidance by Brian Miller, a professor of Wood Technology who teaches an actual course on coloring wood, The Art of Coloring Wood removes any and all intimidation of working with chemicals and dyes and is the perfect entry point for anyone looking to move on from simple stains to learn the art of coloring wood for dramatic effect. To keep the information accessible and relevant.

The Art of Coloring Wood focuses on the six most popular woods used by woodworkers-maple, quartersawn white oak, mahogany, walnut, cherry and alder-and outlines the unique characteristics with regard to coloring each. After the six woods are outlined, The Art of Coloring Wood moves onto the supplies needed, including brushes, sandpaper, and much more, before proceeding into the easy-to-follow and engaging chapters on the different chemicals and dyes that will make your woodworking shine. The beauty of The Art of Coloring Wood is Miller's simple approach that makes the chemistry very easy to understand. Each chapter offers recipes, insights, and many "a-ha!" moments that make learning about chemicals and dyes both fascinating and within easy reach.

With the helpful sidebars throughout the book offering tips, mistakes, and countless nuggets of information, The Art of Coloring Wood will have you understanding the methods and many worthwhile reasons for coloring your wood while chomping at the bit to get a project completed so you can finish it with style and flair.

BRIAN MILLER entered the finishing business in 1975 with All West Paint in Reseda, CA, and eventually started his own contracting company specializing in wood finishing and custom painting. In the early 1990's, after reading Adventures in Wood Finishing: 88 Rue de Charonne, Brian was hooked coloring wood and taught himself all about chemicals and dyes while spending countless hours in his garage experimenting with recipes. After a tour of the legendary Gamble House in Pasadena, Brian was inspired to expand into historical preservation work. Among the many architectural treasures he has restored are several Greene & Greene homes, including the interior and exterior of the famed Blacker House as well as Charles Greene's personal home and the woodwork on several homes of Frank Lloyd Wright and his son, Lloyd. Since 2002, Brian has been an adjunct faculty member in the Woodworking Technology department at Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA, where he teaches a wood finishing course he designed. In 2016, Brian was honored for his historic wood preservation work by the California state legislature and the Pasadena Historical Society.

MARCI CRESTANI is a former lifestyle columnist for the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News. As a freelance journalist, she wrote for Family Circle, Brides, and Popular Woodworking, among many others. She has served as executive editor of FLOWERS - a magazine for the floral trade industry - and as an editor for numerous medical trade magazines. She is also the author of a book of essays called Halfway to Dead: After 50, You Just Have to Laugh.