How to make our Beachwood Stain

There are way too many of you to count. Seriously. I’ve been asked most likely over 1,848484 times how to make our custom Beachwood stain. I’m always pretty privy about our custom stuff – but it isn’t hard folks! I’m here to spill the beans so you can create our envied stain & get that Restoration Hardware Look!

Seems pretty easy, right? It is! Basically you mix 3/4 Classic Grey & 1/4 Dark Walnut to get a awesome beachwoody/Restoration Hardware Finish. I normally store about 3 or 4 mixtures downstairs as this is one of our most popular stains ever. When Applying it, you can use any brush you like, but we like to use higher end brushes that don’t lose hairs. Nothing more annoying than picking a bunch of hairs off your piece before varnishing! After applying one coat of stain, wipe and let dry for 24 hours. I usually then take a hand sander ( as shown above ) and distress the color. It really helps blend it and make it even more vintage & high end looking. If you don’t have a hand sander, no worries! You can get some 120 Grit sandpaper and do a little distressing by hand. It’s more work, but worth the finish!
Be careful that you do not sand too much or it will look distressed and that isn’t something you want. You want it to look weathered and classic.

After doing all of that make sure you always seal your wood. If you do not, it fades over time. Also, if any food/liquids are dropped on your piece, it will be stained for life. I know certain businesses that sell their pieces unsealed, but I don’t think that’s practical at all! Who wants a piece that you can’t do life with?
For sealing a piece you can use any polyurethane. We are a huge fan of the cans that have a matte label – stay away from the shinny/metal labeled cans as they are stinky and don’t apply as nice ( we use Minwax ). You want something durable, but also that won’t stink up your home for weeks to come! I normally let each coat dry for 24 hours, even though they’re dry to touch in about a hour. We bring our pieces up after a day as we are immune to the smell. But for clients, we normally let their pieces sit for 2-3 days after varnishing to give it a extra time.
Also note, pieces that are varnished are completely cured after 24 hours but please refrain from putting super hot liquids on until 7 days after completion.