Can you use paint like a stain?

Question

I want to stain my china hutch balck on the bottom and honey oak on the top. I can't find a stain that is black enough and still lets the wood grain show through. I am wondering about using black oil based paint like a stain. Paint on and rub off. Has anyone tried this? What were the results?

Answer 1

Yes, you can.  

Answer 2

You can use the paint. Just thin it out with some paint thinner first. I would test a spot that won't show first.

Answer 3

Yes, you can just use black paint thinned down. You could also look for milk paint which is waterbased and can be thinned with water to whatever intensity you like. It shows grain nicely, and if you want an antiquey look it does that well. It can be sanded off a bit after it's on if you want to take some off. Practise on some scrap wood because it's easy to use but it's not like regular paint. It isn't very washable, though, it's a very flat finish, so you might want to varathane it after if you want washable.