What Old Masters does

Old Masters is a wood stains and finishes manufacturer and retail brand, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Diamond Vogel, a fourth-generation, family-owned coatings company headquartered in Orange City, Iowa. The company produces a comprehensive portfolio of wood-finishing products organized around four core stain families — Wiping Stain, Gel Stain, Fast Dry Stain, and Water-Based Wood Stain — available in 22 standard colors plus custom-tinted variants, complemented by interior and exterior clear finishes (Masters Armor, Ascend Exterior, Oil-Based Polyurethane, Spar-Marine Varnish), wood preparation products, touch-up items, and the Wood Graining Tool for faux-finish applications on non-wood surfaces.

The business serves three primary customer segments: independent paint, hardware, and specialty woodworking retailers (the primary channel), professional woodworkers and craftsmen served through a dedicated Professional Finishes sub-brand, and DIY woodworking enthusiasts. Products are sold one-time through independent retail and dealer channels across North America; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is exclusively indirect — no direct-to-consumer e-commerce — with the company relying on independent channel partners for end-customer reach and on a substantial content-marketing library (instructional videos, technical documentation, color galleries, blogs) to drive top- and mid-funnel demand.

Revenue mechanics are anchored in product sales through these channels, with no subscription, licensing, or recurring software revenue. Old Masters benefits from shared manufacturing and distribution infrastructure with its $250 million parent Diamond Vogel, which is ranked as the 52nd largest paint company globally. The company has no disclosed outside investment, operates with 11-50 employees, and shows no signals of AI, venture funding, or transformative M&A activity; strategic activity is limited to incremental product launches and brand-portfolio maintenance within the parent's diversified coatings business.

Name

Old Masters

Legal name

Old Masters

Website

https://myoldmasters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Old Masters is a wood stain and finish manufacturer and retail brand, operating as a subsidiary of family-owned Diamond Vogel. It serves independent paint retailers, professional woodworkers, and DIY enthusiasts across North America with a portfolio of stains, clear finishes, and finishing tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Finishes and Stains

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Wood Coatings & Finishes (IMAEAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wood Coatings & Finishes (IMADAKAD), Shop Finishing & Surface Treatment (Staining, Painting, Lacquer) (HSAPAIAL)

Keywords

• Wood stain products
• Wood finishing products
• Clear wood finishes
• Wood preparation products
• Woodworking application tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Orange City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wood Stain and Finish Products: One-time product sales of wood stains, clear finishes, wood care products, and application tools through independent retail channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Old Masters manufactures and retails wood stains, clear finishes, wood preparation products, and application tools for woodworking enthusiasts and professional finishers. The product portfolio covers four stain families available in 22 standard colors with custom color matching, complemented by interior and exterior clear finishes, sealers, conditioners, touch-up products, and the proprietary Wood Graining Tool. Products are sold through independent paint, hardware, and specialty woodworking retailers across North America, with a separate Professional Finishes line for craftspeople.

Product overview

Old Masters is a comprehensive wood stains and finishes manufacturer offering a complete portfolio of wood finishing products for the woodworking enthusiast and professional. The product line centers around four main stain families (Wiping Stain, Gel Stain, Fast Dry Stain, and Water-Based Wood Stain) available in 22 standard colors plus custom color options. These are complemented by clear finish products including Masters Armor (interior water-based), Oil-Based Polyurethane, Oil-Based Gel Polyurethane, Ascend Exterior (exterior water-based), and Spar-Marine Varnish. Supporting products include wood preparation items (Wood Conditioner, Sanding Sealer, Tack Rags), touch-up products (Putty Stick, Scratchide), specialty finishes (Tung Oil, Tinting Glaze), and the Wood Graining Tool for creating realistic wood grain patterns on non-wood surfaces. The company also offers a Santa Fe Collection of contemporary soft stain colors achieved by tinting with Pickling White. Products are distributed through independent paint, hardware, and specialty woodworking retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Professional Finishes: Professional wood finishes designed with the craftsman in mind

Products and services

• Wiping Stain A thick, rich oil-based stain formula available in 22 standard colors, designed for easy application and wood grain enhancement on furniture, floors, doors, and cabinetry.
• Gel Stain A highly pigmented, oil-based stain with thick consistency for vertical surfaces and special applications where drip control is needed.
• Fast Dry Stain A high-quality oil-based stain that dries quickly, applies easily, and enhances wood's natural grain.
• Water-Based Wood Stain A fast-drying, semi-transparent water-based wood stain available in a tintable base for custom color creation.
• Masters Armor Interior Water-Based Clear Finish An interior water-based clear finish providing excellent clarity, fast drying, and superior durability for floors, cabinets, furniture, and woodwork.
• Ascend Exterior Water-Based Clear Finish A durable exterior water-based clear finish designed for wood or painted surfaces, containing ultraviolet absorbers for advanced sun protection with easy soap-and-water cleanup.
• Oil-Based Polyurethane A self-leveling, clear finish designed to protect interior wood surfaces from abrasion, marring, chipping, alcohol, and water.
• Oil-Based Gel Polyurethane A gelled clear finish that produces a soft, hand-rubbed sheen, enabling multiple hand-applied coats without drips or brush marks.
• Oil-Based Sanding Sealer An oil-based sealer designed to seal and protect wood surfaces, promoting a smooth, fine finish prior to varnishes or polyurethanes.
• Spar-Marine Varnish A superior exterior oil-based coating formulated to produce a high quality, flexible finish that withstands water and weather, containing ultraviolet absorbers.
• Tung Oil A natural oil finish that creates a beautiful, hand-rubbed finish on wood surfaces.
• Tung Oil Varnish A finish that dries to a durable, non-oily surface combining tung oil with varnish properties.
• Wood Conditioner A pre-stain, clear wood sealer that enables uniform stain application on soft woods such as fir, pine, or hemlock to avoid blotchy staining. VOC-compliant formula.
• Paste Wax

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Diamond VogelcoreOthersOld Masters is a subsidiary brand of Diamond Vogel, a fourth-generation family-owned coatings manufacturer founded in 1926. Diamond Vogel is the 52nd largest paint company in the world with $250 million in annual sales, serving industrial, architectural, traffic, and aerosol coatings markets.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Minwax: Minwax, owned by Sherwin-Williams, is the dominant North American wood stain and finish brand with a near-identical product portfolio to Old Masters (wiping stains, gel stains, polyurethanes, clear finishes, specialty finishes). Serves the same DIY, pro, and independent retail channels and is Old Masters' single most direct head-to-head competitor on shelf.
• Varathane: Varathane is Rust-Oleum's wood finishes brand offering stains, polyurethanes, and specialty finishes positioned similarly to Old Masters. Direct competitor in DIY and pro wood finishing, sold through the same independent retail and big-box channels.
• Mohawk Finishing Products: Mohawk Finishing Products is a specialty manufacturer of professional wood touch-up, repair, and finishing products - including stains, markers, putty sticks, and aerosols - that directly overlaps Old Masters' touch-up and professional finishing product lines like Scratchide and Putty Stick.
• Olympic: Olympic is a long-established stains and paints brand (also under PPG's portfolio) with a wood stain and deck finish product line directly comparable to Old Masters' stain families. Competes in similar independent retail, hardware, and big-box channels with overlapping stain and exterior finish offerings.
• Watco: Watco, also owned by Rust-Oleum, specializes in oil-based and water-based wood finishes including Danish oil and wiping stains that directly compete with Old Masters' Wiping Stain and specialty finish products in the same retail and pro channels.
• General Finishes: General Finishes is a premium wood finishes brand offering stains, dyes, topcoats, and gel stains that directly overlap Old Masters' product categories. Targets professional woodworkers and serious DIYers through independent dealers and direct channels with comparable price/quality positioning.
• Cabot: Cabot is a specialty wood stain brand focused on deck, fence, and siding stains with product lines that overlap Old Masters' exterior finish offerings (Spar-Marine Varnish, Ascend Exterior). Targets professional and DIY users through similar retail distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Rust-Oleum: Rust-Oleum is a broad coatings manufacturer (RPM International) whose portfolio includes Varathane and Watco - direct wood finish competitors to Old Masters. Operates a much wider coatings portfolio and distribution footprint, making it an incumbent with overlapping wood finish capabilities plus much broader paint/coatings reach.
• Sherwin-Williams: Sherwin-Williams is the parent company of Minwax (the dominant wood stain brand) and operates broadly in architectural, industrial, and DIY coatings. Represents a major incumbent that competes across Old Masters' retail and professional wood finish categories with far greater scale and resources.
• Behr: Behr (a Masterchem / Masco brand) is a major architectural paint brand distributed primarily through Home Depot that offers wood stain and finish products overlapping Old Masters' categories. Represents a broad incumbent competing across retail and DIY channels with substantial marketing and distribution scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/myoldmasters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/old-masters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Old Masters