Minwax Navy vs Varathane Worn Navy
Minwax Navy and Varathane Worn Navy are about as close as two brands get: both are deep, muted navies meant for a painted-look accent where the grain still shows faintly.
Pick Minwax Navy if you already have Minwax Wood Finish on the shelf and want to stay in one system for the topcoat and conditioner.
Pick Varathane Worn Navy when you want the fast-dry formula, which is ready for another coat in roughly an hour.
How close are they?
Delta-E (perceptual color distance) between Navy and Worn Navy is 0.9 (close enough that most eyes will not tell them apart on the same wood).
Side by side
| Navy | Worn Navy | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand and line | Minwax Wood Finish | Varathane Premium Fast Dry |
| Color code | 286 | |
| Stain type | oil | oil |
| Hex (approx.) | #33404A | #333F4A |
| Lightness (L*) | 26 | 26 |
| Undertone | deep muted navy-gray | deep worn navy |
Navy is the lighter of the two by about 0 points of lightness on a 0 to 100 scale, so Worn Navy will hide more of the wood's own grain and color on the same board. Hex values are on-screen approximations of each published swatch; confirm on a test board of your own wood before committing.
How each behaves on pine, oak, maple and cabinets
Pine
Navy: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Navy (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Worn Navy: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Worn Navy (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Oak
Navy: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Navy unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Worn Navy: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Worn Navy unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Maple
Navy: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Navy blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Worn Navy: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Worn Navy blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Cabinets
Navy: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Navy can lap-mark where one panel overlaps the next during application; wipe fast and work one door at a time to keep the color even.
Worn Navy: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Worn Navy can lap-mark where one panel overlaps the next during application; wipe fast and work one door at a time to keep the color even.