Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - 1950's blonde woodwork (matching?)

i have stripped, sanded, bleached(2 part),bathroom window. how can i get the blonde finish back on? the closest stain i have seen is clear (minwax), but i tried a test piece and not even close. hhf86@yahoo.com

Do you have something with the original finish on it? If so, take it to a paint shop (not the paint department in a bigger store) and see if they can match it for you.

i took a piece to sherwin williams and the 21 year old clerk was no help. i was hoping an older painter would know.lol

Was the young clerk the only one at SWP? I have always found the majority of help at paint stores to be fairly helpful. You might try again or at another paint store. A lot of woodwork in the 50's was finished with shellac but it's usually more of an orange tone. What I have done before when I just couldn't get the right stain is to alter varnish/poly by adding a little paint [must be same base - oil with oil] to get the correct tone. It may take a bit of experimentation to get it right. I'm sure it would be easiest to find a knowledgable paint rep for help.

i'm not sure but i almost feel like that finish has some pigment in it like an ultra thinned paint. something had to give it that lighter than bare wood color and stain can't do that. i have a piece i need to touch up myself.

Sherwin Williams is a good place, you just didn't get a good employee. I'd go back and ask for the manager (or at least someone more experienced than a 21 year old).

Over the years I've done several pieces of "blonde" matching existing pieces. The trick is finding the right color of paint (I use Ben Moore latex) to get the final color you want.

I thin the paint (about 50/50 with water) wipe on and wipe off to reach the shading I want. Let dry thoroughly and coat with an acrylic. I use acrylic because it doesn't have a yellow sheen to it and doesn't change the color of the paint. It's also a quite durable finish.