Staining wood with coffee

I bought some squared timber to build an improvised door anchor for rappelling in urban environments. However, the untreated wood was very light in color. I wanted to avoid applying harsh or aggressive dyes, so I decided to try staining it with coffee. This simple method could also be great for DIY crafts or decorative projects. Here’s what I did:

1. Boiled used coffee grounds and two bags of black tea in a pot of water for about 15 minutes
2. Strained the mixture through a sieve to reduce the amount of coffee grounds in the “dye”
3. Applied the mixture generously to the untreated wood with a brush
4. Let the wood and the liquid sit overnight
5. Applied a second thick layer to the timber the next day
6. Let it dry overnight
7. Brushed off the remaining coffee grounds from the wood with a stiff brush
8. DONE!

So far, I’ve only used the wood indoors in dry conditions, and the color has held up well. Even with occasional contact with white wallpaper, I haven’t noticed any staining. However, it’s still possible, so I definitely wouldn’t hang white laundry on it 😉 For decorative use in the garden, I’d probably oil the wood before placing it outside.

Here’s the result. I intentionally skipped salt and vinegar as fixatives to avoid leaving anything aggressive on the wood and to prevent premature aging. My main goal was simply to create a more discreet color — that’s why I’ve included a comparison to the Multicam camouflage pattern.

Here’s a photo taken just before brushing. You can clearly see how much coffee residue remained on the wood after drying.