At Davis Frame, we have found that requests for custom finishes for our timber frame homes have become increasingly popular over the past couple of years. Although our standard timber finish is a clear tung oil that brings out the natural beauty of the Douglas fir or Eastern White Pine, stains have become increasingly popular. Recently, many clients have expressed that they don’t care for the natural red tone that Douglas fir features. To combat the red undertones, a stain can be added to minimize the natural redness of Douglas fir. Besides reducing the red undertones, adding a stain to a Douglas fir timber frame can also give your space a unique look! Over the years, we’ve whitewashed timber as well as stained them espresso brown, black, gray, and light brown.
In recent years, there is one stain color that has become wildly popular among our clients – it’s a Varathane stain called Briarsmoke. It offers a nice balance of brown and gray. To date, we’ve shipped 2 projects with this stain and have created samples of the Briarsmoke for many other clients. We believe this color will continue to be a popular choice in the future.
Recent Projects Featuring Briarsmoke
Massachusetts Timber Frame Addition
Our clients in Massachusetts built a large addition to their log home. The first floor features an open concept living room, dining room, and kitchen. Our client wanted a more contemporary and less rustic look, but still wanted the wood to blend in with her existing log home. Because of all the different customizations available, we could provide just the look they wanted in their new space by adding a custom stain to the timber frame and offering a whitewash on the tongue and groove wood ceiling decking.
Pictured above is a view of the foyer looking into the living room. The Briarsmoke stain blends nicely with our client’s choice of décor, such as crisp linen couches and the pop of green that flow nicely with this neutral stain. This decor style offers a touch of elegance to a shabby chic look.
Here is a view of the stain up close on the second floor. Our client chose a whitewashed tongue and groove wood decking for the ceiling. The whitewash accents the stained wood perfectly, adding a refined look to the space. We are finding a lot more clients requesting the whitewash tongue and groove. The subtle tint of white helps to soften and brighten the space.
Here is another view of the second floor – the spacious master suite. In fact, the master suite makes up the entire second floor of this addition. It’s a great private space to which the homeowners can escape. The brown, gray, and cream colors chosen for the decor of this space harmonize nicely with the timbers. What is great about choosing a stain with brown and gray is that it can work well with many color palettes.
New Hampshire Timber Frame Mountain Home
Our client’s timber frame home in New Hampshire’s White Mountains is under construction and coming along nicely! They chose our Mountainside timber frame model as a baseline for their floor plan. Our design team customized it for their needs, with entertaining family and friends in mind. The final version of their customized Mountainside plan turns it into the ultimate ski home floor plan. The plan features 6,200 square feet of living space, including guest and entertaining space in the finished basement. This timber frame ski home will be the perfect place for our clients and their family to spend time together on the weekends.
As our client above also did, our clients for this mountainside home also wanted to minimize the red undertones of the Douglas fir timber frame. After seeing the Massachusetts home featured above in person, our client’s also decided to use the Briarsmoke stain for their timber frame. The tongue and groove decking shown in between the timbers is the clear coat pine.
Here is a view of the dining area and one of the glass walls of windows. This mountainside timber frame home features a wall of glass in every direction in the dining room and the great room. How impressive!
Here is another view of the Briarsmoke stained timbers. We can’t wait to show you this timber frame home when it’s finished! Once the furnishings are in, you will get a good idea of how the stained timbers look in context. It truly is an amazing color and we look forward to seeing more timber frame homes with it!
Interested in learning more about our stains for timber frame homes and other available customizations? Call us today at 800.636.0993!
