My Basset was done on ¼" B/B that was reclaimed from the inside of a van. It came this colour,, all I did was put some Danish Oil on it. I understand your frustration though. I find that 3mm B/B is an awful 'white' colour. I've tried 'staining' without much success as I don't like the effect on the inside cuts. I'm going to try and find a 'tinted' Danish Oil and see if that makes a difference. Sorry I couldn't help much.