Matching seasoned maple cabinets with unseasoned.

[Shag]

I’m planning on modernizing the interior of our fifth wheel while it’s in storage. Vinyl floors, real wood on some of the moldings, new cabinet hardware, maybe changing the window valances are on the agenda. I started with the cabinet hardware, figuring I could work on it while on our next two trips. The old hardware covered more of the door and left an area that looks new, compared to the rest of the door. I’m not looking to refinish all of these doors but would like to blend the areas in. Suggestions appreciated, including don’t bother with it if you think it’s not worth it. The camper will be 20 yo in March. It’s been our family’s mobile beach house, the entire time.

[Ben Lippen]

I would try a little wood conditioner first. My experience is it will darken that kind of maple just a little bit. 

Dab a bit with a rag just at the very bottom of one door pull , and see. Not likely to be darker than what you need, so it's worth the effort. If it get's you halfway there you are golden, 'cause a coat of satin or semi poly will add a bit more. Hard to tell from the photo flash, the sheen of the finish you have.

FWIW, I use wood conditioner all the time on my projects that aren't getting painted. 

 

[Shag]

13 hours ago, Ben Lippen said:

I would try a little wood conditioner first. My experience is it will darken that kind of maple just a little bit. 

Dab a bit with a rag just at the very bottom of one door pull , and see. Not likely to be darker than what you need, so it's worth the effort. If it get's you halfway there you are golden, 'cause a coat of satin or semi poly will add a bit more. Hard to tell from the photo flash, the sheen of the finish you have.

FWIW, I use wood conditioner all the time on my projects that aren't getting painted. 

 

Thanks John, 

I don’t know the term wood conditioner, would you be so kind to tell me the brand name of the product you use? 
Pete

[richie c]

56 mins ago, Shag said:

Thanks John, 

I don’t know the term wood conditioner, would you be so kind to tell me the brand name of the product you use? 
Pete

Minwax 

[Shag]

1 hour ago, richie c said:

Minwax 

Is wood conditioner the same as stain?

I have some Honey Maple stain I used on pine interior doors to darken them just a hint before the polyurethane top coats. 

[richie c]

8 hours ago, Shag said:

Is wood conditioner the same as stain?

I have some Honey Maple stain I used on pine interior doors to darken them just a hint before the polyurethane top coats. 

Conditioner is used to make the top coat of stain uniform without blotching. In your case it might be just enough to mask the shadows that the old hardware left behind. 

[DerrickT]

Shading pencil from a hobby store.

 

Mohawk sells them too but I think Micheals has a much bigger color spectrum.

 

Or if you are lucky enough you might be able to find a touch-up marker somewhere that's close.  20 year old stain wood is very hard to match.  The color under the old handle is what the original color was before UV light hit it for 20 years so the exposed wood is alittle darker and alittle more yellow then the original

[Shag]

Thanks everyone, going to go slowly. 

[rathrbefishn]

You could also look to see if you can buy a backer plate that would fit with the pull and just cover it up.  It would be a different look but would be an easy way to make the color difference go away

[Shag]

2 hours ago, rathrbefishn said:

You could also look to see if you can buy a backer plate that would fit with the pull and just cover it up.  It would be a different look but would be an easy way to make the color difference go away

I have like 60 handles and 15 cup pulls to install. Although I like the idea, I don’t like the added expense, and I was trying for a more modern look. I think the plates might make the look a little more clunky. I’m going to try the conditioner idea first see where it ends up. Then take it from there. Thanks for the idea though. 

[rathrbefishn]

2 hours ago, Shag said:

I have like 60 handles and 15 cup pulls to install. Although I like the idea, I don’t like the added expense, and I was trying for a more modern look. I think the plates might make the look a little more clunky. I’m going to try the conditioner idea first see where it ends up. Then take it from there. Thanks for the idea though. 

Understood-  Its' amazing how fast the number of handes and pulls adds up, and I agree that the look without the plate is probably preferrable.  I suspect that the cabinets were sprayed with some kind of finish before the original handles were installed.  If so, I doubt the conditioner will soak in without sanding the finish off first. One thing that might also work would be to get some colored shellacs and blend then till you get the right shade.  I had a furniture repair guy do that to fix some shipping damage years ago and you have to look close to see the repair.  But that might take some expertise.    Good luck