Finish on Cherry side table

[Robert Hartmann]

I'm finishing up a small side table I made out of cherry. It's my first use of cherry. It was intended to be my first all hand tool project, but I ended up "cheating" due to time (I'm not that good yet, so it was going real slow). The table will be used next to a chair and primarily as a place to hold a drink. I need the top to have a durable finish. I use shellac a lot and love it's versatility, but obviously not good for the top. After reading a lot of "best finish..." articles it's as with most cases up to the owner.

My thought is a couple coats of oil (BLO or Tung) followed by a few coats of shellac. The top would then be finished with some oil-based poly.

Thoughts?

[Phil Mueller]

The only issue with oil on cherry is the propensity to blotch. Now, some like that look, some don’t. I prefer to try to minimize it. There’s nothing wrong with using shellac for the first few coats to seal and enhance the grain. I’d suggest a few coats of 1-2lb cut shellac (which I find minimizes blotch), then whatever durable finish you prefer. My go to these days is Arm R Seal, but there are plenty of others to choose from. I’d suggest trying it on some scrap first.

[Jim Becker]

My go-to finish regimen for cherry is typically BLO, de-waxed shellac and then a water borne top coat.

I will suggest that regardless of what you ultimately use for your finish for the top, coasters should always be employed for drinks "to be sure". (and that's an opportunity for a complimentary project, too )

[John TenEyck]

+1 for what Phil said. And if you use Arm-R-Seal or Waterlox it won't matter if you forget to use a coaster.

John

[Lee Schierer]

I've used Deft Clear wood finish on all the end tables in my house and occasionally a sweating glass gets set on them. I've never had a problem with water rings or damage in 30+ years. Deft looks great on Cherry. Here are two cherry items that were finished with Deft. I don't recommend oil based poly because it yellows with time. The water based versions have UV inhibitors that don't allow the cherry to darken as quickly.
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[Robert Hartmann]

The water based versions have UV inhibitors that don't allow the cherry to darken as quickly.

Good point on the poly inhibiting darkening. My plan was to use it on the top only, which would make it lighter than the rest of the table over time. Now I have to rethink it. I'm worried about my coffee cup (heat) and cold drinks (water rings). If I read it right, the Deft lacquer doesn't have UV protection?

[Art Mann]

I know from considerable experience that Deft lacquer will not inhibit cherry wood from darkening. Solvent based polyurethane won't either. I haven't tried water based polyurethane.

[John TenEyck]

Arm-R-Seal and Waterlox will not prevent cherry from darkening, nor will many (most) WB polys. The ones that do usually advertise that they contain UV inhibitors. The only GF products I know that have UV inhibitors are High Perf. Poly and their converson varnish.

[Jim Becker]

Any UV inhibitors only delay the darkening. They will not stop it. If "staying light in color" is the desired outcome, a different species is generally the better choice.

[Joe Chritz]

My go-to finish regimen for cherry is typically BLO, de-waxed shellac and then a water borne top coat.

I will suggest that regardless of what you ultimately use for your finish for the top, coasters should always be employed for drinks "to be sure". (and that's an opportunity for a complimentary project, too )

This!

I use Target Coatings either the production lacquer or conversion varnish but there are a lot of options.