How to use triangle color in wood finishing

There are so many types of stain with many brand and variety colors available today. There so many stain or paint available in many color, that we can choose and pick up and used according to our need. The service provided by he paint company also is quite good. If we buy the paint in the big amount we may ask the paint company to make the paint for the color we need.

However as the people who work in the finishing industry we must have skill to mix the color. Sometimes we will meet the color that is not available in the store. Also when we make the transparent color, then we have to consider that the color of finishing is resulted by the mixing from the stain colors and the wood base color. The biggest problem in the wood finish is the fact that the wood color could be varied from batch to batch. To handle this situation then the finishing peoples need to have color matching skill. 

Triangle color schema or Prang color diagram is one of the simple but useful tool to make and mixt the stain. The theory is based to the color theory that we have basic color it is the color that can bed used and mixed to make other color, they are : red, yellow. blue and black. beside that basic color there is white color. Based from the basic color with white color we can make many color.  Actually the mixing color can be done in simple way with the tool called the triangle color diagram. The triangle color diagram is a simple tool but very useful to help the mixing color process. It is the triangle with some color at the edges.

The explanation of the triangle color can be read below.

The triangle color diagram with blue

The color triangle can be used as follows:

• Red, yellow and blue are primary colors are the basic colors that can be mixed to create other colors.

•  Orange, green, purple are the secondary color; it is made by mixing primary colors.

•  Orange is obtained by mixing the red with yellow.

•  Green obtained by mixing the blue with yellow

• Purple obtained by mixing of blue with red

• Brown is obtained when all colors are mixed with the same strength.

• Colors that are mixed to the center of the triangle will go to brown. The mixed of green with red, yellow with purple, blue with orange goes to the brown color.

Beside of the primer colors and the mixed, there are two other, the black and white color. For black color, the mixing result is similar with the blue. The yellow mixed with black will produce green; red mixed with black will produce purple. 

     

triangle color diagram with black

While white color if added to the other color will reduce the strength of the color and form the pale color. Little white pigment if added will make the color to be paler or duller. In the other site, when the small pigment is added to the white, it will color the white. For example, white mixed with some blue will produce bluish white colors; white added with red color will produce reddish white, white with some brown will produce the brownish white. 

The triangle theory and diagram is very helpful to mix the stain and select the color stain to finish the wood. With the right knowledge and technique of mixing all kinds color can be made. Need to be note that in the mixing stain the pigment inside must be the same type. Stain with the organic pigment must be mixed with the stain with the organic pigment; on the other hand, the stain with the inorganic pigment material may only be mixed with inorganic pigment. It is advisable to mix the stain from one supplier. Mixing different types of pigment in stain will make the stain is unstable. The different type of pigment will make the stain change in color and won’t produce the desired result. 
The triangle color theory is also very helpful to choose the right color stain on the coloring process for transparent wood finish. In the transparent finish, final finishing color has to be considered as a mix between the base color of the surface and the stain colors used.