TWP 1503 Dark Oak highlights your wood with a rich Dark Brown. This color is very popular with consumers who are looking to stray away from the cedar and reddish color choices.
TWP 1500Â Series is available in 9 semi-transparent color choices that penetrate into the wood while enhancing the natural wood grain. The 1500 Series is higher in solids content which may result in “richer” colors than the 100 Series. In general, the TWP 1503 Dark Oak color will not match the colors in the 103.
Final TTWP 1503 Dark Oak color will vary based on:
Type of Wood
Age of Wood
Prepping of Wood
Application method
TWP 1503 Dark Oak Photo Gallery
If you have used the TWP 1503 Dark Oak we would love to see your photos!
Please add them in the comment area below.
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Megan Bradley
4 days ago
Just wanted to share our newly stained porch! We used TWP in Dark Oak (2 coats) on pressure-treated wood and hired a contractor to do the work. It’s still very fresh, so we can’t speak to how it will hold up yet, but we’re really happy with the color so far.
Hi. If I want a bit of a shine and protect my deck from water a bit more, can I put a water sealant on top of my two coats of TWP? (like Thompson’s water seal or is there another product you recommend)? Thanks and Merry Christmas.
Color varies based on the age of the wood more so than the type of wood. Best to test samples.
Bob Meagher
1 year ago
I am interested in using the 1500 dark oak. My deck is 25 years old. It originally had Sikkens Dek which was like a finished floor. Then I went to Sikkens SRD because I did not want a film on top. No longer available in my area due to VOC. Most recent was Sherwin William’s Deck Scape two part application which is no longer. First part was oil, second coat was water based. Several years of the water base was the last. Just used Behr wood stain and finish stripper. Then I spot sanded with 40 grit to get the finish that did not come off. I also bought Valspar all-in-one wood prep use before ,stain projects. I know you recommend your own product but can use the Valspar? Restores wood natural color, eliminates tanin stains. The other question is some of your photos show a sheen on the deck. I want no sheen and never want to sand again. If I just put one coat vs the wet on wet, and recoat as needed, will that work? I am afraid of build up over the years of multiple coats. Or would I be better with a water based stain. My thought is the oil will seep in and allow me to clean it in the spring with power washer since oil and water don’t mix.
You can use it on hemlock without issues. It would be your best option.
M.
2 years ago
We like dark oak, but seems too dark … add honey tone to it to make it more brown like 2:1 (2 honeytone and 1 dark oak mixed gallons Would that show too much honeytone or would that be a good blend for a more brown look? What would be the ratio if not that ratio? Thanks.
Any ratio will work and there is no way to say how it will look on your wood since it will vary on age and type of wood. You will have to test ratios on your own but would suggest starting at 1 to 1.
Anna
2 years ago
Hello, I am having a problem and looking for advice. We stripped our cedar deck with the RAD strip + brighten products. The smooth cedar deck cleaned up just fine stripping once. The rough cut cedar skirting (which I never liked anyway) did not. We stripped the skirting a second time then proceeded with the brightening + drying + oiling process. The smooth cedar deck stained with 1503 dark oak looks beautiful but the rough cut cedar did not stain evenly. I can clearly see we still have some of the previous oil based product we used stuck in the depth of the rough cut cedar grain. The end result is uneven and patchy with dark oak stain in places and the old stain coming through in places.
We can replace the skirting but then the problem is that we have a 120 foot rough cut cedar fence we were going to strip and stain with dark oak to match the deck. We now fear we won’t be able to completely strip the rough cut cedar fence and won’t be able to stain it the dark oak color to match as we wanted. Do you have any thoughts? Replacing the fence with fresh cedar is too expensive. Should we strip the dark oak off the deck and go back to a cedar tone to match the fence? The fence currently has Cabots timber oil in natural which is an orangey cedar tone stain (and I wish we hadn’t used it. It is a lousy product).
The TWP dark oak stain is beautiful and the product is great. It produces a rich color and I love the shade variation on the smooth cedar. The problems we are having are due to the lower quality Cabots product we unfortunately used on our cedar prior to the TWP.
There is no way to make it blend unless you remove all of the prior stain that is showing through or replace the wood. If you cannot get all of the old stain off then using a TWP color that is similar will make it less noticeable.
Anna
2 years ago
Reply to
Yes, we came to the same conclusion. Sadly, an inferior prior product basically ruined our rough cut cedar. Wish we had used TWP originally. Thanks for your help. TWP products are the way to go people; if you’re reading this please don’t use anything else but TWP for your decks and fences. Don’t make our mistake.
Ralph Mullvihill
2 years ago
Can you apply any 1500 series color over an existing 1500 color?
Delivery time is based on where you live. 2-5 days is normal.
Vadym
2 years ago
Hey, TWP. Did my project and have full 5 gal bucket of leftovers. Trying to sell, but no one interested plus my return period is over.
What is the shelf life for it?
After power washing, can I apply TWP 1503 Dark Oak semi-transparent on deck stained six years ago with TWP 103 Dark Oak semi-transparent, without needing to do any stripping? Are there any other considerations to look out for?
Use the Gemini Restore Kit while pressure washing and then you can switch.
3 years ago
Will the dark oak stay the same color. Or will it fade or turn black over time.
Author
3 years ago
Reply to
It will fade, not darken lightly over time.
Lisa F
3 years ago
We are building a new home and have a lot of cypress beams and cypress board decking under front porch and patio. Having such a hard time deciding on what color to use between pecan and dark oak. Do you have pictures of those two colors mixed or more of dark oak and clear?
We put in new deck flooring and top railing last year (pressure treated) so this year it was time to stain: I wanted a brown with some warmth and was torn between dark oak and rustic. In the comments I saw a mention of mixing dark oak and rustic so we took a chance and did that. I couldn’t be happier with the result. The ratio was 2:1 (dark oak:rustic). We only needed 3 gallons so it was easy to mix.
3 years ago
can you add a new 1500 stain in different color over a newly done 1500 stain if I use cleaner and brightener ? Or stripping or sanding needed first?
Author
3 years ago
Reply to
You will need to strip and then brighten.
Deborah
4 years ago
I am wanting to stain my never-treated cedar pavilion. I want to go dark, but not too dark. I see conflicting pictures of how dark oak and black walnut look. In some case I like black walnut, in others it looks way to dark and chocolate. I see that there are 4 conditions that can alter the look. I would like to know what to expect. Can you help?
Colors will always vary based on wood type and age. There is no way to say for certain how it would look on your wood.
Deborah Mack
4 years ago
Reply to
Can you say if cedar is typically lighter or darker than than the pic you have posted for pine? Also, the wood is fairly new. It was assembled in December.
Can you tell me if I can lighten dark Oak to a Pecan level ? I love the brown but don’t want as dark and I don’t want any orange which Pecan has. 1500 series. What product and how much to lighten. Thanks
Author
4 years ago
Reply to
You can lighten it with the Clear TWP but it will not look exactly like Pecan.
5 years ago
My redwood fence is about 3 months old, so I need to do any prep work before staining? Thank you.
Can you describe the color difference between dark oak and black walnut (for pressure treated deck). Trying to find the best color to “match” another adjacent deck in Trex Spiced Rum color (warm brown with dark streaks). What about mixing dark oak and black walnut? Thanks!
Black Walnut is a darker brown than Dark Oak. There would no reason to mix them.
Mike
5 years ago
This pic didn’t load the first time. Same questions as below.
Mike
5 years ago
Dark Oak or Pecan? NY, so I’ll be using the 1500… Also, there is a sizable deck area at the top of the stair tower. Approx how many gallons would you recommend. The structure is 3 years old, pressure treated and has never been stained.
Either color that you like will work. We would need a sq footage for help with how much.
5 years ago
TWP 1503 Dark Oak
Tonya
4 years ago
Reply to
What type of wood is this?
Becky
2 years ago
Reply to
is this color on Cedar?
Bob
5 years ago
What could I expect with an equal mix Dark Oak 1503 with Cedartone 1501? I have a 3 yr old cedar fence, prepped, and brushed on some Cedartone, which the shade was good but more orange tint than I expected. Could adding Dark Oak take away some of the orange and replace it with a light/medium brown instead? Dark oak itself is a little too dark for what I’m wanting. Thanks
I screwed up and didn’t stir the stain well enough from the beginning. I purchased Rustic Oak color. I know have brown and red sections on my deck. Is it possible to go over it with a darker color like 1503 dark oak to try to cover up the red a bit ? Thanks Mike
No that probably will not work. Reapplying now could create issues with curing and drying. Best to strip and start over or wait until Fall, lightly clean, can reapply the same color.
Paul
6 years ago
What color can I mix with Dark Oak to get it lighter, a lighter brown with a red hint?
TWP 1503 Dark Oak highlights your wood with a rich Dark Brown. This color is very popular with consumers who are looking to stray away from the cedar and reddish color choices.
Just wanted to share our newly stained porch! We used TWP in Dark Oak (2 coats) on pressure-treated wood and hired a contractor to do the work. It’s still very fresh, so we can’t speak to how it will hold up yet, but we’re really happy with the color so far.
Looks great!
Do you have any pictures of dark oak mixed with either pecan or natural?
best if on pine, but whatever you have. Thanks
We do not.
Can this 1503 dark oak stain be used on vintage trex.
No, it cannot.
Hi. If I want a bit of a shine and protect my deck from water a bit more, can I put a water sealant on top of my two coats of TWP? (like Thompson’s water seal or is there another product you recommend)? Thanks and Merry Christmas.
You cannot have a shiny finish or top coat over the TWP. It will peel if you do this.
is dark oak darker on pressure treated wood
Color varies based on the age of the wood more so than the type of wood. Best to test samples.
I am interested in using the 1500 dark oak. My deck is 25 years old. It originally had Sikkens Dek which was like a finished floor. Then I went to Sikkens SRD because I did not want a film on top. No longer available in my area due to VOC. Most recent was Sherwin William’s Deck Scape two part application which is no longer. First part was oil, second coat was water based. Several years of the water base was the last. Just used Behr wood stain and finish stripper. Then I spot sanded with 40 grit to get the finish that did not come off. I also bought Valspar all-in-one wood prep use before ,stain projects. I know you recommend your own product but can use the Valspar? Restores wood natural color, eliminates tanin stains. The other question is some of your photos show a sheen on the deck. I want no sheen and never want to sand again. If I just put one coat vs the wet on wet, and recoat as needed, will that work? I am afraid of build up over the years of multiple coats. Or would I be better with a water based stain. My thought is the oil will seep in and allow me to clean it in the spring with power washer since oil and water don’t mix.
For prep, use this kit, not the Valspar: https://www.twpstain.com/gemini-s-restore-a-deck-cleaner-and-brightener-kit
TWP 1500 does not have a shine, it is a penetrating wood stain. If doing 2 coats, it needs to be done wet on wet.
Has anyone used Dark Oak 1503 on Hemlock? Is that the best series to use? This is an interior roof & posts over a porch
You can use it on hemlock without issues. It would be your best option.
We like dark oak, but seems too dark … add honey tone to it to make it more brown like 2:1 (2 honeytone and 1 dark oak mixed gallons Would that show too much honeytone or would that be a good blend for a more brown look? What would be the ratio if not that ratio? Thanks.
Any ratio will work and there is no way to say how it will look on your wood since it will vary on age and type of wood. You will have to test ratios on your own but would suggest starting at 1 to 1.
Hello, I am having a problem and looking for advice. We stripped our cedar deck with the RAD strip + brighten products. The smooth cedar deck cleaned up just fine stripping once. The rough cut cedar skirting (which I never liked anyway) did not. We stripped the skirting a second time then proceeded with the brightening + drying + oiling process. The smooth cedar deck stained with 1503 dark oak looks beautiful but the rough cut cedar did not stain evenly. I can clearly see we still have some of the previous oil based product we used stuck in the depth of the rough cut cedar grain. The end result is uneven and patchy with dark oak stain in places and the old stain coming through in places.
We can replace the skirting but then the problem is that we have a 120 foot rough cut cedar fence we were going to strip and stain with dark oak to match the deck. We now fear we won’t be able to completely strip the rough cut cedar fence and won’t be able to stain it the dark oak color to match as we wanted. Do you have any thoughts? Replacing the fence with fresh cedar is too expensive. Should we strip the dark oak off the deck and go back to a cedar tone to match the fence? The fence currently has Cabots timber oil in natural which is an orangey cedar tone stain (and I wish we hadn’t used it. It is a lousy product).
The TWP dark oak stain is beautiful and the product is great. It produces a rich color and I love the shade variation on the smooth cedar. The problems we are having are due to the lower quality Cabots product we unfortunately used on our cedar prior to the TWP.
There is no way to make it blend unless you remove all of the prior stain that is showing through or replace the wood. If you cannot get all of the old stain off then using a TWP color that is similar will make it less noticeable.
Yes, we came to the same conclusion. Sadly, an inferior prior product basically ruined our rough cut cedar. Wish we had used TWP originally. Thanks for your help. TWP products are the way to go people; if you’re reading this please don’t use anything else but TWP for your decks and fences. Don’t make our mistake.
Can you apply any 1500 series color over an existing 1500 color?
After you prep correctly and you can go darker in color but not lighter.
Thinking going with dark oak 1503 .what is the prep .How long is the delivery time.
Use this for prep: https://www.twpstain.com/gemini-s-restore-a-deck-cleaner-and-brightener-kit
Delivery time is based on where you live. 2-5 days is normal.
Hey, TWP. Did my project and have full 5 gal bucket of leftovers. Trying to sell, but no one interested plus my return period is over.
What is the shelf life for it?
Unopened about 3 years.
Thanks. And what about if I popped the lid?
12 months.
After power washing, can I apply TWP 1503 Dark Oak semi-transparent on deck stained six years ago with TWP 103 Dark Oak semi-transparent, without needing to do any stripping? Are there any other considerations to look out for?
Use the Gemini Restore Kit while pressure washing and then you can switch.
Will the dark oak stay the same color. Or will it fade or turn black over time.
It will fade, not darken lightly over time.
We are building a new home and have a lot of cypress beams and cypress board decking under front porch and patio. Having such a hard time deciding on what color to use between pecan and dark oak. Do you have pictures of those two colors mixed or more of dark oak and clear?
We do not have any pictures if them mixed.
We put in new deck flooring and top railing last year (pressure treated) so this year it was time to stain: I wanted a brown with some warmth and was torn between dark oak and rustic. In the comments I saw a mention of mixing dark oak and rustic so we took a chance and did that. I couldn’t be happier with the result. The ratio was 2:1 (dark oak:rustic). We only needed 3 gallons so it was easy to mix.
can you add a new 1500 stain in different color over a newly done 1500 stain if I use cleaner and brightener ? Or stripping or sanding needed first?
You will need to strip and then brighten.
I am wanting to stain my never-treated cedar pavilion. I want to go dark, but not too dark. I see conflicting pictures of how dark oak and black walnut look. In some case I like black walnut, in others it looks way to dark and chocolate. I see that there are 4 conditions that can alter the look. I would like to know what to expect. Can you help?
Colors will always vary based on wood type and age. There is no way to say for certain how it would look on your wood.
Can you say if cedar is typically lighter or darker than than the pic you have posted for pine? Also, the wood is fairly new. It was assembled in December.
New wood is always lighter in color, does not matter the wood type. Try some samples: https://www.twpstain.com/stain-samples
Can you tell me if I can lighten dark Oak to a Pecan level ? I love the brown but don’t want as dark and I don’t want any orange which Pecan has. 1500 series. What product and how much to lighten. Thanks
You can lighten it with the Clear TWP but it will not look exactly like Pecan.
My redwood fence is about 3 months old, so I need to do any prep work before staining? Thank you.
Clean and brighten: https://www.twpstain.com/gemini-s-restore-a-deck-cleaner-and-brightener-kit
Can you describe the color difference between dark oak and black walnut (for pressure treated deck). Trying to find the best color to “match” another adjacent deck in Trex Spiced Rum color (warm brown with dark streaks). What about mixing dark oak and black walnut? Thanks!
Black Walnut is a darker brown than Dark Oak. There would no reason to mix them.
This pic didn’t load the first time. Same questions as below.
Dark Oak or Pecan? NY, so I’ll be using the 1500… Also, there is a sizable deck area at the top of the stair tower. Approx how many gallons would you recommend. The structure is 3 years old, pressure treated and has never been stained.
Either color that you like will work. We would need a sq footage for help with how much.
TWP 1503 Dark Oak
What type of wood is this?
is this color on Cedar?
What could I expect with an equal mix Dark Oak 1503 with Cedartone 1501? I have a 3 yr old cedar fence, prepped, and brushed on some Cedartone, which the shade was good but more orange tint than I expected. Could adding Dark Oak take away some of the orange and replace it with a light/medium brown instead? Dark oak itself is a little too dark for what I’m wanting. Thanks
Adding Dark Oak will lighten the orange and yes you can mix colors.
What color can I mix Dark Oak with to get a lighter brown? (ideally without red tint)
Mix with the TWP 1500 Clear.
Andrew, any photos of how it turned out?
I screwed up and didn’t stir the stain well enough from the beginning. I purchased Rustic Oak color. I know have brown and red sections on my deck. Is it possible to go over it with a darker color like 1503 dark oak to try to cover up the red a bit ? Thanks Mike
No that probably will not work. Reapplying now could create issues with curing and drying. Best to strip and start over or wait until Fall, lightly clean, can reapply the same color.
What color can I mix with Dark Oak to get it lighter, a lighter brown with a red hint?
Here is an option but color will vary based on wood type and age. This is newer cedar wood, about a year old. Stripped and brightened for the prep.
Dark Oak 103 and Rustic 116. Mixed 2:1 (Oak:Rustic)