Cherry wood finishing

[Allen Reich]

If I stain cherrywood, will it still darken as it naturally does?
My preference is that it darken further.
The reasons I'm staining it are to even the color and to lessen the time it takes to match other cherrywood in the kitchen.
Thanks, Allen

[Jim Becker]

Yes, cherry will darken no matter what you do to it. Many of us prefer not to alter the color for that very reason. Also, be aware that if you are matching commercial "cherry" cabinetry, etc., it may not actually be "cherry". If you want to get an exact match that stays matched, use something like alder instead of cherry and dye/stain it accordingly. Don't forget that your top coats will also affect the color, so your test pieces much get everything to at least the first coat of whatever your top coats will be.

[John TenEyck]

Cherry is notorius for blotching. Make some sample boards with whatever stain you are contemplating to make sure it is acceptable. Larger boards will better show what you're going to get than small ones. This is leading up to - the only way I've found to avoid blotching on cherry is to spray dye to get the color I want. Commercial cherry cabinets often employ a multi step process, especially if they are darker. Typically, they are sprayed with dye, then sealed, then sprayed with a wiping stain, then sealed again, and then finished. Trying to match that type of process with a simple wiping stain is not likely to come out very close.

John

[Bruce Page]

I would worry that with staining you will, over time, end up with the stained pieces becoming much darker than the pieces you’re trying to match.

The cherry in this cradle is finished with a light coat of Seal-Coat & de-natured alcohol, two coats of Bartley’s Pennsylvania Cherry gel and 3 coats of Bartley’s wipe-on varnish. I made this in 2003 for my first grandchild. I loved the color when I made it, it was exactly what I was going for. In the years past it has darkened to the point that the grain in the cherry is hard to see. I wish I could post a current picture but it is disassembled and stored in my daughters attic.. :rolleyes:

[Justin Ludwig]

If you spray a dye it will hide a lot of the grain. But the color remains even and doesn't blotch. You can seal it first with a wash coat, then wipe a stain or gel and it won't blotch... as bad. Wash coating will reduce the darkness of a wiping stain because it does not penetrate the grain like it normally would.

As Jim stated, alder is a great substitute for cherry, though softer. It is just as prone to blotching.

[Bill McNiel]

You can accelerate the darkening by exposing the project to UV light, either direct sun or a tanning bed.