Minwax Sedona Red vs Varathane Barn Red
Minwax Sedona Red is a warm terracotta-red; Varathane Barn Red is a more saturated, genuinely red stain.
Pick Sedona Red for a Southwestern or rustic look that leans earthy and orange.
Pick Barn Red for barn-wood and rustic-decor pieces where a true red is wanted.
How close are they?
Delta-E (perceptual color distance) between Sedona Red and Barn Red is 9.5 (a clearly distinguishable difference once you see them next to each other).
Side by side
| Sedona Red | Barn Red | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand and line | Minwax Wood Finish | Varathane Premium Fast Dry |
| Color code | 222 | |
| Stain type | oil | oil |
| Hex (approx.) | #8C4432 | #7A2E28 |
| Lightness (L*) | 38 | 30 |
| Undertone | warm terracotta-red | saturated barn-red |
Sedona Red is the lighter of the two by about 8 points of lightness on a 0 to 100 scale, so Barn Red 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
Sedona Red: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Sedona Red (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Barn Red: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Barn Red (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Oak
Sedona Red: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Sedona Red unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Barn Red: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Barn Red unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Maple
Sedona Red: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Sedona Red blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Barn Red: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Barn Red blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Cabinets
Sedona Red: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Sedona Red 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.
Barn Red: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Barn Red 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.