Considering adding a dark brown wood stain to your wood project? Check out Varathane Jacobean – our full review & how it looks on 4 types of wood!
Brown wood stains are a great way to take lighter wood and disguise it as something a little bit nicer.
Varathane Jacobean is a great medium to dark toned brown wood stain option to consider.
Varathane Jacobean
Varathane is a brand commonly carried at the Home Depot.
Jacobean is a medium toned brown wood stain with golden undertones.
It is a good option if you want to darken wood and highlight the wood grain without going too dark or too full coverage.
Here is how Varathane Jacobean looked on each of four wood types!
How does Varathane Jacobean stain look on oak?
Oak is a really beautiful wood with natural red undertones.
Oak is a hardwood that mostly absorbs stain into the wood grain. Jacobean gives the oak a nice depth in the grain, and just a small amount of pigment to the rest of the wood.
I think this is a nice option on oak!
How does Varathane Jacobean stain look on pine?
Pine wood has natural yellow tones with some slightly darker graining.
I love that the color that Jacobean turns pine. It is a rich, slightly warm, darker-mid-toned brown.
I think that it is the perfect balance of darkness without being overly dark, so you can still see the grain.
How does Varathane Jacobean stain look on poplar?
Poplar has natural green and some purple undertones.
Poplar has little almost dashes it it’s wood grain which gives it the look of a lot of texture.
Dark stains tend to bring out this texture so for this reason I don’t love this combo.
How does Varathane Jacobean stain look on a 2×4?
2x4s are usually very light wood with darker knots and holes. Most people don’t use 2×4 for projects you would really stain, but we still tested it for you!
2x4s have grain that varies widely between white and golden yellow. I find that stain takes to this grain differently, giving it a striped look.
Jacobean gives medium coverage on a 2×4, but I tend to prefer more full coverage here – so this isn’t my favorite combination.
Once your stain has completely dried, don’t forget to seal it! Here are our tips for sealing stained wood.
Need to fill a project? Here are our favorite wood fillers compared!
Before you stain, learn about pre-stain wood conditioners and if you should use one!
We tested these ten stains on five different wood species!
Check out our favorite white wood stains and black wood stains and gray wood stains!
Here are our favorite light wood stains + dark wood stains!
Be sure to watch my video on how to open a can of wood stain.
Be sure to check out our other DIY wood stain ideas!
Any more questions about Varathane Jacobean?
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Hello, I’m Morgan, half of the creative force behind CharlestonCrafted.com! With a passion for DIY that dates back to 2012, I’ve transformed three homes and now I’m dedicated to helping others craft their dream spaces. Let’s turn your house into a home together!