Heartland Customer Service, yet another let down...

[pnnf]

Hi, Im pretty exhausted at this point in trying to find stain to match my 2007 Augusta, knowing the wood species wouldn't be bad either(soft maple?). Do any of you have my year Augusta with knowledge on the stain? I know there were probably more than one option but i have what is close to a honey maple. its close just not dark enough. I called customer service and ,again, I connected to a person who had to finish their conversation before talking to me and then claimed no knowledge at all and said the system doesn't go back far enough to pull,my vin info...smh Ive been reading where other have gone to an actual paint store to have it matched but it seems like more are not having luck with that route. I found a stain tint called Transtint but its basically a trial and error at home till you get enough drops of tint to make it close enough. Im just really hoping someone here knows what I need or has a "formula" to make this work. I think I will be staying with the forum as I have had much luck here with y'all and staying clear of Heartlands customer "service".

thanks in advance,
safe travels~

 

[Dawnnira]

Sad to hear you feel that way...we own a 2015 BH and I cant thank and compliment their customer service enough. Hear in NJ on the phone and in person in Goshen, I have to say we've had nothing but great interactions. Ive had a bad inverter, wheel lip moulding, sound bar and other mishaps and we have been very satisfied. Hope you find a solution

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[CDN]

Hi, Im pretty exhausted at this point in trying to find stain to match my 2007 Augusta, knowing the wood species wouldn't be bad either(soft maple?). Do any of you have my year Augusta with knowledge on the stain? I know there were probably more than one option but i have what is close to a honey maple. its close just not dark enough. I called customer service and ,again, I connected to a person who had to finish their conversation before talking to me and then claimed no knowledge at all and said the system doesn't go back far enough to pull,my vin info...smh Ive been reading where other have gone to an actual paint store to have it matched but it seems like more are not having luck with that route. I found a stain tint called Transtint but its basically a trial and error at home till you get enough drops of tint to make it close enough. Im just really hoping someone here knows what I need or has a "formula" to make this work. I think I will be staying with the forum as I have had much luck here with y'all and staying clear of Heartlands customer "service".

thanks in advance,
safe travels~

Hello,

Aging of finish due to UV can cause issues as well. Your hardware store or better yet a Furniture refinisher that matches satin and finish might be a better choice. The trailer is 12 years old, I can attest to finishes changing with my stick and brick furniture.


Brian

 

[danemayer]

Stain color comes up now and again and the advice is usually to get a stain sample chart from a nearby hardware store and pick the closest match. My wife just went through this for the front entrance of our home.

 

[SNOKING]

Matching any OEM stained item is difficult. Sometimes you have to buy two small cans and mix it to match what you have.

 

[JohnDar]

Take a piece of it to a Sherwin-Williams or other brand paint store and have them custom mix some stain for you. They can get it to match better than you trying to combine cans of Min-Wax.


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[Bogie]

Matching any OEM stained item is difficult. Sometimes you have to buy two small cans and mix it to match what you have.

Snoking is right. You may not be able to achieve a perfect match, but you can get very close with patience. I would recommend you find a local woodworking store that carries good quality stain and ask for advice. Bring a sample with you (like a drawer). I like General Finishes myself and would recommend the water based or oil based products. It's easier to mix. Try to stick with only two colors to mix if possible. Then you need a piece of wood of the same species (soft maple??) for a sample. Get a small container (like a small pill bottle) to use as a measuring device and clean can. It's trial an error from here. You guess, mix, record and test on the sample. Then you adjust the formula until you get it right. Always better to start lighter and gradually get darker. Sometimes it takes as many as 10-15 tries to get it right and sometimes only only two or three. I have made custom stains to match existing colors many times this way.

Transtint is a dye stain. While these work, the color can change after application over time as the dyes are affected by exposure to light so I don't use these myself.

Once you get it right, keep the formula where you can find it. I have a can in my stain locker with the formula for my Sundance written on the side right now. I can mix it up any time I need it.

Patience is the key.

 

[Gary521]

My first trailer was about that vintage. The wood used was White Ash. If you can get a piece, start with the Minwax sheet and if that is not close enough blend your own. Use the wood piece for color match.

 

[JohnDar]

I'll reiterate my suggestion of taking a piece of the trim to a paint store and have them mix up a small batch of stain. Several years ago, we had to have a window replaced and the interior wood trim was damaged. They took a piece of it to the local Sherwin-Williams store and got some made up. It was identical to any of the other wood trim still in the house, and it was almost 20 years old. As a hobby woodworker, I've done a fair share of staining and trying to mix up a shade. Time consuming, trial and error on scrap and lucky to get close. And I've used Transtint, too. It works if you buy the right one to start with, since it comes in many colors. And you experiment with drops of it in the primary stain.

 

[jbeletti]

I confirmed with the Director of Customer Service...

"These parts come into us from our supplier, pre-stained and we do not have information on the stain our wood supplier used for this '07 unit.

Sorry we cannot help further on this."

I would like to reiterate that the replies of others here is spot-on. Finishes on a product change over the years and taking a representative sample with you to the store is the best way to get the closest possible match.

As a side note, in a previous home, I needed to finish match the stain for a new cabinet to our 10 year old cabinets. I had the stain name/code and was told it was not wise to finish the new cabinet with the old code. That it was best for them to do their best to match an old cabinet door. So that's what they did and they were right - it worked out well for me.

Wishing you all the best on this.

 

[pnnf]

Thank you all for your help and advise. I also need to give an apology to customer service having learned what I have from your replies. My patience should have started there and I apologize to you all as well for ranting when I shouldn't have. I will eventually try and get it matched and I will post the results. Right now I will have to do some roof maintenance first ... that post is forthcoming...

Thank you all again,so very much~

 

[jbeletti]

Thank you all for your help and advise. I also need to give an apology to customer service having learned what I have from your replies. My patience should have started there and I apologize to you all as well for ranting when I shouldn't have. I will eventually try and get it matched and I will post the results. Right now I will have to do some roof maintenance first ... that post is forthcoming...

Thank you all again,so very much~

No worries friend. Keep coming back to this forum with your questions. Our members have a lot of experience with RVs and with Heartland. We're here to help.