Minwax Nutmeg vs Varathane Aged Barrel
Minwax Nutmeg is a warm medium-dark brown; Varathane Aged Barrel is a deep warm barrel brown, noticeably darker with a reclaimed-wood feel.
Pick Nutmeg for a plain warm wood brown on furniture.
Pick Aged Barrel for rustic furniture and shelving that should look older and deeper.
How close are they?
Delta-E (perceptual color distance) between Nutmeg and Aged Barrel is 12.3 (a clearly distinguishable difference once you see them next to each other).
Side by side
| Nutmeg | Aged Barrel | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand and line | Minwax Wood Finish | Varathane Premium Fast Dry |
| Color code | ||
| Stain type | oil | oil |
| Hex (approx.) | #6E4A34 | #4E3527 |
| Lightness (L*) | 35 | 25 |
| Undertone | warm medium-dark brown | deep warm barrel-brown |
Nutmeg is the lighter of the two by about 10 points of lightness on a 0 to 100 scale, so Aged Barrel 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
Nutmeg: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Nutmeg (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Aged Barrel: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Aged Barrel (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Oak
Nutmeg: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Nutmeg unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Aged Barrel: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Aged Barrel unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Maple
Nutmeg: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Nutmeg blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Aged Barrel: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Aged Barrel blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Cabinets
Nutmeg: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Nutmeg 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.
Aged Barrel: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Aged Barrel 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.