How to make wood stain from black walnut hulls

Have you ever noticed black blotches, dotting back roads through the countryside? Or stained your hands, peeling away the bright green hulls of black walnuts? Then you’re aware of their powerful pigment.

Personally, I’ve yet to discover a good way to remove black walnut stains. Time seems to work best, as the black blemishes walnuts leave behind are unfazed by soap and water and other traditional cleaning methods.

Black walnuts can create quite a mess if they’re left to lay in your yard or driveway. If left to lay, the evidence they leave behind takes a while to fade.

On the other hand, they can be quite useful when used to create a natural homemade wood stain. All the qualities that make black walnuts such a nuisance to landowners, make them ideal for staining wood. Plus, utilizing the hulls to make a stain is a great way to reduce waste if you’re collecting walnuts to preserve and eat.

Making black walnut wood stain

There are a few different ways to make a wood stain from black walnut hulls. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. The first method is probably the most involved and tedious, but offers the most control, allowing you to get the color you desire.

Wood stain made from walnut hull powder

Using walnut hull powder to make your own custom wood stain allows you to add as much or as little pigment as you want to create your stain. It also offers the advantage of simpler storage as you can simply store the walnut powder to make stain as you need it rather than producing a lot of stain and having to store it in jars. However, it also requires some extra steps to make powder from your discarded walnut hulls.

Making powder from walnut hulls

1. Peel off the hulls. If you’re planning to store and preserve walnuts, you’re going to have to de-hull them anyways. If you have a small amount of walnuts, you can probably accomplish de-hulling them by hand using a hammer and chisel. If you have a large amount you may want to use a de-huller. When hulls are firm and difficult to remove, set the walnuts aside for a few days. The hulls will soften enough to remove on their own.
2. Chop up the hulls. Once you’ve removed the hulls, chop them up as finely as you can and set them aside.
3. Dry out your chopped hulls. Spread thin layers of hulls on mesh-bottomed racks and store in a cool dry place to dry out. Stir them occasionally until they are dark brown to black with a leathery texture.
4. Grind your dried out hulls. Using a coffee grinder or a food processor grind up your dried hulls. By running your hulls through multiple times, you can make finer powders.

Using walnut-hull powder to make a stain

Once you’ve turned your walnut hulls into a useable powder, you’re ready to make your wood stain.

Supplies

• Glass jar
• Walnut-hull powder
• Water

Steps

1. Boil a pot of water.
2. Mix your stain. Add walnut-hull powder to the boiling water, using 1 ounce of walnut-hull powder per quart of water. If you want to make a darker pigment, add more walnut-hull powder to darken your stain.
3. Remove from heat and stir.
4. Transfer the stain mixture to the glass jar.
5. Cool the stain overnight.
6. Shake the container before use.

Pro tip: If stored out of direct sunlight, your stain should last for a long time.

Wood stain from walnut hulls

If you want to skip making the walnut-hull powder, you can also produce black walnut wood stain by using the husks.

Supplies

• 15 walnuts
• 1 gallon of water
• Glass jars

Steps

1. Remove the walnut husks, using the above tips.
2. Place the husks inside a pot filled with 1 gallon of water.
3. Bring the water and husks to a boil for one hour, stirring the mixture periodically.
4. Remove the stain from the heat and allow it to cool down.
5. Separate the husks from the stain using a strainer.
6. Transfer the stain into your glass jars.
7. Allow it to cool completely before use.

Wood stain from walnut hulls without heat

The final method for making a wood stain from walnut hulls is the least labor intensive but requires the most time for the stain to mix.

Supplies

• 15 walnuts
• 1 gallon of water
• Large jar

Steps

1. Remove the walnut husks, using the above tips.
2. Fill the large jar with the husks and gallon of water and seal it.
3. Let the mixture sit anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, depending on your desired color.
4. Strain out the husks, pouring your mixture into a separate jar or jars for use.

Related Content

• How to grow black walnut trees from seed
• Foraging for black walnuts: How to find and gather black walnuts
• How to find nuts in Ohio during fall
• How to harvest, process and store black walnuts

Resources

• Mother Earth News
• Hunker
• Ace Paints