Weathered Gray vs Carbon Gray
Both Varathane grays chase a weathered look, but Weathered Gray sits at a medium depth while Carbon Gray goes considerably darker, closer to charcoal.
Pick Weathered Gray for a lighter, more classic reclaimed-wood look.
Pick Carbon Gray for a darker, more modern gray-black finish.
How close are they?
Delta-E (perceptual color distance) between Weathered Gray and Carbon Gray is 16.8 (a clearly distinguishable difference once you see them next to each other).
Side by side
| Weathered Gray | Carbon Gray | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand and line | Varathane Premium Fast Dry | Varathane Premium Fast Dry |
| Color code | ||
| Stain type | oil | oil |
| Hex (approx.) | #736F68 | #4A4744 |
| Lightness (L*) | 47 | 30 |
| Undertone | medium weathered gray | deep charcoal-gray |
Weathered Gray is the lighter of the two by about 17 points of lightness on a 0 to 100 scale, so Carbon Gray 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
Weathered Gray: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Weathered Gray (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Carbon Gray: Pine's grain runs soft and uneven in density, so Carbon Gray (a thin, deep-penetrating oil stain) is prone to blotching here unless the wood gets a pre-stain conditioner first.
Oak
Weathered Gray: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Weathered Gray unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Carbon Gray: Oak's large, open pores soak up an oil stain like Carbon Gray unevenly in a good way: it settles into the grain and makes the natural texture pop rather than looking flat.
Maple
Weathered Gray: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Weathered Gray blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Carbon Gray: Maple is dense and tight-grained with almost no texture to hide unevenness, so Carbon Gray blotches badly here without a conditioner or a test board first. This is the wood oil stains struggle with most.
Cabinets
Weathered Gray: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Weathered Gray 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.
Carbon Gray: On cabinet doors, an oil stain like Carbon Gray 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.