- 1). Find a spot on the furniture or wood to test out your stain colors. An inconspicuous spot on the back of the cabinet or underneath the table, for example, would be ideal. If there is no inconspicuous spot, get a piece of scrap wood that is same type and color.
- 2). Pour a small amount of the base stain into mixing container. Light oak as a base stain would look tan. Maple would offer a yellow-orange base. A base stain of walnut would look brown. If you desired a reddish base color, you would use mahogany.
- 3). Add the second stain color to the mixing container. You can mix two base shades together, or add a drop of black stain to dull the base shade.
- 4). Mix the stains together with a stirring stick.
- 5). Apply the new stain color to the wood with a clean cotton cloth.
- 6). Allow the stain to dry and see if you like the color. If not, continue experimenting. Add a little more of one stain to the mixture, or even add another stain color. Mix the new stain and apply it.
- 7). Keep experimenting until you find a color combination that you like. Take notes of which stain and how much you add to the mix each time. Getting just the right color may take several attempts.
- 8). Mix enough of the desired stains together to stain the entire wood piece once you've arrived at the perfect color combination.