How to Stain Wood with Coffee

Since beginning our kitchen design and build process I had it in my mind that I wanted open shelving. I’m not a fan of upper cabinets and despite the fact people say open shelves get dusty, I love the look. For our kitchen, I decided to make rustic kitchen shelving. And because our kitchen is built from repurposed antiques, I was keen to replicate the patina of the cabinets, if I could. That’s where coffee came in. I created my own wood stain from a cold cup of coffee. So, in this post I thought I would share how to stain wood with coffee (or pother natural products). It’s and easy and cost effective way to give raw timber a new look.

Why not Use Conventional Wood Stain?

Wood stain and I do not, historically, have the best relationship. I have never found it easy to get a finish without streaks and patches. I’ve tried many products and methods over the years. So when I came across an Instagram friend using coffee to age a dresser, I was intrigued. I decided to give it a try, mostly to see if I could get a finish without streaks. And it worked.

It is relatively easy to stain wood with coffee and the best part is you can make the stain as dark or as light as you want. To colour these two chunky pine shelves, I used one espresso shot from my machine. Instant coffee might work too, but I think you would need to add quite a few teaspoons to get a dark, strong brew. After the coffee was cooled I painted the coffee on and allowed each coat to dry. The stain went on easily and with no streaks which made me happy so to speed up the drying process, I took to the shelves with my hairdryer. This step is not essential. I’m simply impatient.

I applied three coats to stain the wood with coffee. I waited a small amount of time between each coat. The advantage to this method is if the finish is too dark, you can dilute it even to achieve the desired finish,. after the coffee has been applied. Grab a damp cloth and wipe off. If you want to remove even more of the stain, soapy it with water and wipe dry. Bingo!

Sealing the Wood

When the staining process was complete and dry, I sealed the wood with wax. Alternatively, you could use a Matt or satin varnish. According to a cabinetmaker I know, the stain will darken over time, so I’ll be interested to see how is pans out. For the moment, I think this method is the one of the easiest wood finishes I’ve tried. And I love the instant patina it’s give the new wood. It doesn’t look exactly like the antique pine but it blends nicely. It also adds warmth and texture to the wall area next to the rangehood. I also stained the new timber detailing around the ranghood to match and love the result. What to you think? Would you try this?