If you are working on a project and want to know how different stains look on whitewood then you are in the right place! I tried 20 different colors and am sharing all the results with you here today for the best wood stains for whitewood.
Whitewood is readily available at local home improvement stores and it’s also pretty cheap. That’s my favorite kind of wood to work with!
Each photo you will see has not been altered in any way except for me to add text so you know which color is which. I took the photos in the sunshine on a white background so nothing would alter the undertones in the wood stain.
*This post contains affiliate links. For more details see my full disclosure.
What is whitewood?
Whitewood is a light-colored, soft wood that is available at most home improvement stores. It’s cheap because it’s usually wood that has something wrong with it.
For example, it might be warped or bent.
Most often whitewood is either some type of pine, but it could be aspen or balsam. It all depends on where you live.
Can whitewood be stained?
Absolutely whitewood can be stained! It takes stain differently so it’s important to prep it correctly.
Because it’s cheap wood staining it will make it look like more expensive wood.
Does whitewood stain easily?
Yes, it does. I highly encourage you to use wood conditioner to prep the wood so the stain doesn’t come out blotchy.
You will see in my photos below that whitewood can be stained very dark. It’s actually the lighter colors that don’t take too well. Then again whitewood is already pretty light so if you want a light color then you really don’t need to stain.
How do you stain whitewood darker?
If you want a color to be darker on whitewood then all you need to do is use a wood conditioner before staining. If one coat of stain doesn’t give you the dark color you are looking for then after it’s dry add another coat of stain.
Adding additional coats will darken the color and help you achieve the look you want.
The Best Light Stains for Whitewood
Out of all the 20 different colors, I tried here are the lightest (excluding white). Weathered Oak didn’t really do anything on whitewood but Special Walnut gave it more of a wood look. I like the way Special Walnut came out.
The Best Medium Stains for Whitewood
Now we are talking! I really like how these colors came out on whitewood.
The only one here that I didn’t love was Dark Walnut. Maybe if I had used wood conditioner it would have looked better but I really like the way the others turned out. I especially like the way Provincial looked.
The Best Dark Stains for Whitewood
Check out how nicely these dark colors turned out! I personally love Jacobean (it’s my favorite stain color). Espresso also came out really well here.
The Best White Stains for Whitewood
I included these stains but as you can see they really did nothing. Why put a white stain on whitewood? Seems a bit redundant to me.
The Best Gray Stains for Whitewood
My favorite gray stain is Minwax Classic Gray and you can see by this photo that it’s the only one that showed up gray at all. It’s a gorgeous color and stains almost any wood really well.
The Best Black Stains for Whitewood
Varathane Classic Black really was the best in terms of pigment. The others really didn’t do much. If you wanted more of a black color then I suggest adding a few more coats.
The Best Wood Stains for Whitewood
And here are the favorites! Personally, my choice for whitewood would be Jacobean, Provincial, and Classic Gray.
I know that all the best ones here are all Minwax and that was not intentional. I personally feel Minwax has better pigment than Varathane.
- Minwax Jacobean
- Minwax Espresso
- Minwax Red Mahogany
- Minwax Early American
- Bare Whitewood
- Minwax Provincial
- Minwax Special Walnut
- Minwax Weathered Oak
- Minwax Classic Gray
Well I hope you got some ideas on what stain colors you want to use on your whitewood project. There are a lot of great ones here and I think you can’t go wrong with almost any of them!
Check out my other posts on wood stain:
- The Best Wood Stains for Poplar
- The Best Wood Stains for Oak
- The Best Wood Stains for Pine
- The Best Wood Stains for Birch Plywood
- The Best Wood Stains for Red Oak
- The Best Gray Wood Stain Colors for All Types of Wood
As a licensed Real Estate Agent and an avid home decorator, I strive to give my clients the very best I can when it comes to staging, selling, and decorating their homes. I have lots of experience with paint color choices and love to DIY my home so I can have everything just the way I want it. I share my ideas and projects with the world in the hopes that I can help others have their homes just the way they want as well.