Finishing over half a million pieces per year, Conestoga’s published finish palette consisted of 38 stains and paints, along with 6 primers and 9 glazes. Observing market trends and customer preferences, we sensed that some of our finish colors were falling out of favor with designers and the consumer, and it was time for a color palette reset.
Over the past year we’ve carefully analyzed the sales of our current finishes, and monitored the custom stain match requests. At the same time, we worked closely with our finish materials suppliers to review our entire program receiving their assessment of where they felt our program was lacking, and which colors were out of step with the color trends they are seeing.
Breaking down that information, we determined it was necessary to cut 16 finishes and 3 glazes from published offering, replacing them with stain and paint colors that are in line with today’s market preferences.
Color Phase Outs
In the upcoming revisions to our manual pages, the finishes below have been removed from our finishing menu. Customers will continue to have access to these finishes throughout the end of 2026 at published prices, but at the end of the year several colors will be discontinued.
Truetone stains – based on the multi-year decline in demand, and the challenges associated with the application process, the entire Truetone offering will be discontinued at year end. Conestoga does not offer custom matching for Truetone finishes, so other than warranty claims, after December 31, 2026, Truetones will no longer be available.
Wiping stains – while several of our wiping stain finishes have stood the test of time, it’s finally time to retire some of them. Although Bordeaux, Cordovan, Espresso, Ginger, Harvest Gold, Honey and Washington Cherry are being removed from our published offering, they will remain available until customer demand no longer justifies keeping them active. These stains will be discontinued on an individual basis as demand dictates, but will then be available as custom stain matches and priced accordingly.
Colourtones – over 70% of the products we finish receive painted coatings. Demand for Cadet Grey, Gunsmoke, Heron and Marina finishes have declined, so these four colors will be discontinued at the end of 2026. However, they will remain available after that time as part of the Prism Paints program and must be ordered using the Sherwin-Williams color codes and names.
Cadet Grey = SW7017 Dorian Gray
Gunsmoke = SW7663 Monorail Silver
Heron = SW7050 Useful Gray
Marina = SW7613 Aqua-Sphere
Glazes – despite having a generous offering of glaze colors and application techniques, requests for glazed finishes having continued to decline for several years. We’re reducing the number of glaze colors, but keeping each of the glazing techniques. Caramel, Chai and Oyster glazes will be discontinued at the end of 2026.
New Color Offerings
The reset of our new color palette was based in part on recommendations from our suppliers, but also the internal review of our programs. With market trends now favoring shades of brown stained finishes and painted tans, greens, and browns, we’re pleased to be introducing 15 new finish offerings, which can be viewed on the link below. Keep in mind that individual computer monitors, or screens on tablets and cell phones can skew the color images, so please order samples of these new colors prior to placing full kitchen orders.
Wiping Stains – our newest wiping stains include Allspice, Carbon, Caribou, Chinchilla, Mojave, Pine Cone and Tuscan Brown. As mentioned earlier, these finishes were developed to provide additional brown tone color options.
Colourtones – With such a large percentage of our finished product falling within the paint and primer categories, our Colourtone offering has not only been refreshed, but expanded with 8 new color introductions. While based on popular Prism Paint colors, these new finishes are purchased in larger quantities and positioned at the more economical Colourtone price point.
Bay Leaf = SW9130 Evergreen Fog
Café Noir = SW7048 Urbane Bronze
Fossil = SW7029 Agreeable Gray
Hazelnut = SW0037 Morris Room Grey
Holly = SW6208 Pewter Green
Parchment = SW7036 Accessible Beige
Steel Blue = SW7604 Smokey Blue
Truffle = SW7076 Cyberspace
Complementary Products
Conestoga’s comprehensive DuraGuard support program provides step-by-step application instructions, an extensive menu of loose finish materials including catalyst, thinners, reducer, retarder, mil gauges and touch up materials. Our Finish Sample Kits available in Cherry, Hard Maple, Red & White Oak, Hickory & Walnut and Colourtones have been updated to include these new finishes and are a great selling tool, allowing customers to see the actual finish/specie combinations before making color selections.
We hope these new finishes will enhance your product offering and help increase your sales. If you have questions about our updated finishing program, please contact your Conestoga sales representative or our Finishing Technical Manager, Conrad Good at 717-445-3252.