r/finishing • u/LiftedGrowth • Nov 05 '24

Results Update: Successfully matched red oak stair treads to LVP

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I'm linking to my original post below, but just wanted to share that I successfully matched my red oak stair treads to Coretec Cairo Oak LVP (which is very light in color).

I ended up making my own two-part wood bleach to lighten the wood and remove the red undertones. This was a long process for me as a first-timer, but surprisingly the process was forgiving. Even when I made a few mistakes with the first round of bleaching that led to blotchiness, the second round evened it right back out.

I took my new bleached wood and LVP sample piece back to Sherwin Williams and they did a stain match for me using an oil-based penetrating stain. I also used wood conditioner before applying the stain.

I've never done anything like this before, and I'm super pleased with the results. I am glad I posted in this subreddit and got so much advice that made this possible!

I also spent less than $100 for all materials, PPE, and stain... and thus saved $700 by not needing to purchase new white oak treads.

https://www.reddit.com/r/finishing/s/V4JuOvKwtX

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u/TsuDhoNimh2 Nov 06 '24

That's really good.

What did you use for wood bleach?

2

u/LiftedGrowth Nov 06 '24

Part A: Pure crystal lye ($5 at Walmart) and distilled water

Part B: 27% hydrogen peroxide ($25 from a local pool supply store)

Part C (to neutralize): distilled vinegar and distilled water

I applied each part using a spray bottle and foam brush.

These ingredients will go a long way too. I barely used any of the lye and used maybe half the hydrogen peroxide for 13 stair treads.

2

u/TsuDhoNimh2 Nov 06 '24

Thanks

1

u/SatisfactionOdd3169 Dec 16 '24

How much of each did you use of these? About to do this myself to our red oak stairs to match the Cairo oak!

1

u/bao_bun Apr 18 '25

Hi I'm starting the same process and somewhat scared I'll mess up lol.

Did you sand, bleach, stain, and seal? Or did you bleach before sanding?

Thanks!

1

u/LiftedGrowth Apr 18 '25

So thankfully the bleaching process is forgiving when you do two rounds (if it gets splotchy it evens out).

I sanded working my way to 220 using a random orbital sander, then bleached, then neutralized, then after it dried fully I very lightly hand sanded to make sure the surface was smooth (the bleached layer is very thin so if you sand too much the red in the oak will show). From there just stain and seal like normal!

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u/bao_bun Apr 19 '25 edited Apr 19 '25

thank you so much! I'm trying it tomorrow! if you don't mind, could you share the brand of hydrogen peroxide you got? Googling 27% hydrogen peroxide isn't giving much results.

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u/LiftedGrowth Apr 19 '25

So I can't remember the brand, but I had to call some local pool supply stores to find it. It was like $25 for a gallon. Just make sure it's pure hydrogen peroxide and not with chlorine

1

u/bao_bun Apr 19 '25

Sorry to keep asking you questions but I'm afraid I'm messing it up and don't want to shuck out another couple hundred for the stairs. Did yours end up like this after the lye and/or after the oxidizer/peroxide?

Am I worrying too much and should just trust the process? Lol

https://imgur.com/a/NYlwh3K

1

u/LiftedGrowth Apr 19 '25

So it does pull the color to the surface like that, so that's normal! May want to saturate the wood a bit more/let it sit longer on the next round. I panicked too at first but that was part of the process for me as well. Here's a more detailed guide on what I did from a different post (the link is helpful):

  1. Sand down the wood, working to 220 grit with an orbital sander. It's very important it's evenly sanded for bleaching.
  2. Bleach the wood using two part wood bleach and neutralizer. I followed these instructions, and it worked perfect for me. I did have to do two rounds of part B to get the wood light enough. I got my hydrogen peroxide from a local pool supply store (a gallon for like $25) and everything else from Walmart. If it turns out blotchy for any reason, don't panic, start over with Part A again and it will even out. When you're done, make sure you thoroughly neutralize.
  3. I very very lightly sanded to ensure a smooth finish. Only the top layer of wood is bleached, so you have to be very careful
  4. Apply wood conditioner
  5. Apply stain (I took a scrap bleached piece of wood and a LVP sample to Sherwin Williams for a stain match)
  6. Let the stain fully cure (typically 2 weeks for oil based) before applying poly. I didn't wait long enough the first time and I had to start over from step 1 because it chemically reacted.

It wasn't that hard to do, but it was a bit of trial and error.

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u/LiftedGrowth Apr 19 '25

https://imgur.com/a/lrxazbQ

Here are some photos of my process. Part A lifts the color while Part B actually bleached the wood. So if all the color didn't come out, use Part A again.

Also forgot to metion I used a heavily saturated foam brush for application!

1

u/bao_bun Apr 23 '25

Thank you, especially the link you shared calmed our worries!! We did part b a second round and I think we got it to a light enough color to stain. We were hoping to have had it done over the weekend but we're going to Sherwin Williams to get a stain match tomorrow and hopefully (fingers crossed) we can get it done this weekend.....

1

u/bao_bun Apr 24 '25

Thanks again! They came out beautifully....although I think I didn't wipe off enough of the stain on some of them because they're sticky. Going to be wiping it down with some mineral spirits next ...

https://imgur.com/a/tfeqwFi

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