Ready Seal Stain Colors

Preview Ready Seal Stain Colors on Your Fence or Deck

Ready Seal has a short list of eight colors that can be mixed with each other. Upload a photo of your fence or deck, describe the shade, and see whether a light cedar tone or a dark brown suits it before you buy.

Free account required. New accounts get 1 free render (watermarked), then paid plans.

Not affiliated with Ready Seal. Colours are AI approximations; check real samples before you buy.

Try it on your own photo

Upload a photo of the fence or deck and describe the stain color in words, such as “a warm orange-tan natural cedar stain so the grain shows.” Say what must stay the same: the lawn, the plants, the house.

Open the full paint tool in Custom mode

Ready Seal-Style Stain Looks, Before and After

AI-generated sample edits. We described each stain look in plain words; we did not apply a Ready Seal product, and the image model does not know Ready Seal’s colour chart, so these renders are not Ready Seal colours. The before photos are AI-drawn stand-in scenes, not photos of real homes. Each edit was run once, and each caption shows the exact instruction we typed, what changed and what the model got wrong. The samples were made with an image model and settings that may differ from the live paint tool, so your own render may look different.

Weathered gray wooden privacy fence along a green lawn with trees behind, before — Gray privacy fence to a natural cedar tone, the kind of look Ready Seal’s Natural Cedar is named for. We typed: “Stain only the fence boards and posts with a warm orange-tan natural cedar wood stain so the wood grain shows. Keep the lawn, the trees, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.” The boards and posts changed and the grain and knots show. What we missed: the color came out brighter and more saturated orange-gold than most cedar stains look on old gray wood.

The same fence stained a bright orange-gold cedar tone with the grain showing, with the lawn and trees unchanged — Gray privacy fence to a natural cedar tone, the kind of look Ready Seal’s Natural Cedar is named for. We typed: “Stain only the fence boards and posts with a warm orange-tan natural cedar wood stain so the wood grain shows. Keep the lawn, the trees, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.” The boards and posts changed and the grain and knots show. What we missed: the color came out brighter and more saturated orange-gold than most cedar stains look on old gray wood.

Weathered gray deck with a wooden bench, gray railings and metal planters, before — Gray deck to a dark walnut brown. We typed: “Stain only the deck boards and the bench with a deep dark walnut brown wood stain so the wood grain shows. Keep the planters, the plants, the lawn, the house, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.” The deck boards are now dark walnut brown with the grain showing and the planters stayed the same. What we missed: the boards look wet and glossy, the bench came out a lighter warm brown instead of matching the boards, and the railings stayed mostly gray because we did not name them.

The same deck with dark walnut-brown boards, a lighter brown bench and the railings still mostly gray — Gray deck to a dark walnut brown. We typed: “Stain only the deck boards and the bench with a deep dark walnut brown wood stain so the wood grain shows. Keep the planters, the plants, the lawn, the house, the sky and the camera angle exactly the same.” The deck boards are now dark walnut brown with the grain showing and the planters stayed the same. What we missed: the boards look wet and glossy, the bench came out a lighter warm brown instead of matching the boards, and the railings stayed mostly gray because we did not name them.

How to Preview a Ready Seal Color on Your Photo

Photograph the fence or deck. Stand back far enough to show the whole run of fence or the full deck surface. Overcast light shows the grain best.
Describe the color and what to stain. Type something like: “Stain only the deck boards, the railings and the bench a deep dark walnut brown so the grain shows. Keep the planters and the house the same.” Name every part, because in our deck sample the railings we did not name stayed gray.
Compare a light and a dark option. Ready Seal’s list runs from Natural to Burnt Hickory. Render one light and one dark shade, download them, then test the real stain on a spare board.

For any deck or fence, try the deck stain color visualizer. To compare other brands, see Cabot, TWP and Sikkens stain colors.

The 8 Ready Seal Stain Colors

Light: Natural and Natural Cedar

Natural (Ready Seal says it was formerly called Light Oak) is the lightest color. Natural Cedar is a warm cedar tone. Our rough descriptions are pale honey and warm orange-tan.

Mid: Pecan and Redwood

Pecan is a golden mid-brown in our description, and Redwood is a red-toned color. Check both against the official swatches, because the wood underneath changes how they look.

Dark: Mission Brown, Dark Walnut and Mahogany

Mission Brown reads as a medium chocolate, Dark Walnut as a deep brown, and Mahogany as a red-brown. These are our words, not Ready Seal’s.

Darkest: Burnt Hickory

Burnt Hickory is the darkest on the list, a deep smoky brown in our description. Ready Seal says its colors can be mixed with each other to get an in-between shade.

Before You Choose a Ready Seal Color

Use the current list of eight colors on Ready Seal’s wood stains page. Older data sheets say seven.
Golden Pine is still sold by some stores but is not on Ready Seal’s own page, so check before you plan around it.
The “500” you may see on cans is not a product line. It appears to be the 5-gallon item numbering (510, 515 and so on).
Some older 5-gallon item numbers are listed as discontinued by a Canadian distributor, so confirm stock in the size you need.
Test the real stain on a spare board of the same wood, since old gray wood and new wood take color differently.

Ready Seal Stain Colors FAQ

Is it free to try?+

You need a free account to generate. New accounts get 1 free render, and free renders carry a small watermark. After that, paid plans on the pricing page give you more renders without the watermark.

Do I need to sign up?+

Yes. Rendering requires an account so your credits and results can be saved. You can sign in with Google or a one-time code sent to your email.

How many Ready Seal stain colors are there?+

Eight on Ready Seal’s wood stains page: Natural (formerly Light Oak), Natural Cedar, Pecan, Redwood, Mission Brown, Dark Walnut, Mahogany and Burnt Hickory.

Can I mix Ready Seal colors?+

Ready Seal says its colors can be mixed with each other. You can describe an in-between shade in the tool, but the render is only an idea, so test your real mix on a spare board.

Is Ready Seal Golden Pine still sold?+

It is not on Ready Seal’s own color page, but some retailers still list it. Treat it as unconfirmed and check with the store.

What does Ready Seal 500 mean?+

It is not a separate product line on Ready Seal’s site. It appears to be the 5-gallon item numbering (510, 515 and so on), while gallons use 1xx numbers.

Will the render match the real stain?+

No. A render shows a color idea, not the real product. Stain color depends on the wood species, its age, how much it absorbs and how many coats you apply. Test the real stain on a hidden board or a spare piece of the same wood before you do the whole job.

Sources

Ready Seal: Wood stains – the current 8 colors
Envirospec: Ready Seal stains – Canadian distributor, some 5-gallon items listed as discontinued

Related Color Visualizers

Deck stain color visualizer – decks, fences and railings
Wood stain visualizer – any wood surface
Cedar siding stain colors – stain on cedar siding
Log home stain colors – stain on logs
Fence paint and stain colors – fences
Stain colors for pine – pine boards
Cabot stain colors – Cabot by opacity
TWP stain colors – 100 and 1500 Series
Sikkens stain colors – ProLuxe SRD
Pergola stain colors – pergolas

See a Ready Seal-Style Color on Your Fence or Deck

Upload one photo and compare a light and a dark stain look before you buy.

Try Stain Colors on Your Photo See Plans