Cherry Desktop Finish

[Brent Hiller]

Looking for ideas for the most durable finish to use on a solid cherry desktop I just finished. The desktop will have laptop/monitor stand/keyboard and mouse on it. Also looking for something that won’t show water rings from cups. I’ve always used spray lacquer for oak and ash pieces I’ve made in the past but have no experience with cherry.

Thanks in advance.

[Jim Becker]

If you are comfortable with what you've used for for oak and ash and it's had the durability you desire, you can use it with the cherry. The properties of the finish are what matter relative to durability. Cherry will shift in color darker over time, moreso that oak and ash, but otherwise, no worries. Cherry is my favorite species, for the most part. I generally do a coat of BLO, a thin barrier coat of wax free shellac and then a waterborne clear, such as Target Coatings EM6000, EM2000 or EM8000cv.

[Tom Bain]

Jim’s got you covered on durability. The big issue with cherry is its tendency to “blotch”. Some folks don’t mind it and others really don’t like it. BLO is a great color and grain enhancer for cherry, but it also brings out the blotchiness. Definitely recommend doing some test pieces to see what you prefer.

[Paul F Franklin]

On my cherry desks I used GF endurovar with the first two coats tinted with transtint brown mahogany dye. Then a couple of coats of paste wax. They've been in daily use for a couple of years now and the finish has held up very well. Can't address the water ring issue since I use coasters...

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....highlight=desk


Be aware that cherry is a little on the soft side. If you write directly on the top with a heavy hand on the pen or pencil, it will dent the wood and finish. Not so that you feel it, but you can see it under glancing light.

[Lee Schierer]

If you are worried about water rings, I would suggest a custom glass desk top protector. Your local glass shop should be able to help you out.

[Mark Wedel]

I used waterlox on a cherry desk & table I built - that seems to be a tung oil with other solvents. More so for the table, I wanted something that I didn't have to be concerned if water or other liquids spilled on it, and from that standpoint, it has held up will.

[Tom Bender]

A quick and easy finish.

Wipe on a coat of clear shellac, scrub with crocus cloth then a second coat.

But on the top use polyurethane and sand lightly between coats.

I usually avoid Maple and Cherry due to blotching.

[Brent Hiller]

Jim,

Thanks for the info and apologies for taking so long to get back to this. I’m curious about your process and the purpose of each step. Also wonder how you are applying the Target Coatings finish and which of the products you prefer. In the past, I’ve used precatalyzed nitro based lacquer but it’s hard to get good stuff anymore and can only really use it when the weather is nice and I can spray in an open garage or outside. Water based would be fun to try.

thanks again.

Brent

[John TenEyck]

Here's a photo from some testing I did a few years ago:

Left - Arm-R-Seal . This showed the least blotching.
Middle - Sealcoat shellac then ARS. Showed more blotching.
Right - Top = BLO then ARS. Still more blotching. Bottom = BLO then Sealcoat then ARS The most blotching.





Keep it simple. Put the finish directly on the wood for the least blotching. ARS or any oil based varnish will do a great job. EnduroVar, Minwax Oil Modified Poly, and EM-8000 CV are WB products that will do a great job. Keep in mind, all these products need to cure at least a month before they become bulletproof. My testing on EM-8000CV, in particular and regardless of how much crosslinker I added, showed severe damage from water before 2 weeks of cure time. After several months it was bulletproof.

John

[Jim Becker]

Jim,

Thanks for the info and apologies for taking so long to get back to this. I’m curious about your process and the purpose of each step. Also wonder how you are applying the Target Coatings finish and which of the products you prefer. In the past, I’ve used precatalyzed nitro based lacquer but it’s hard to get good stuff anymore and can only really use it when the weather is nice and I can spray in an open garage or outside. Water based would be fun to try.

thanks again.

Brent

I wipe on the BLO, either spray or brush the wax free shellac barrier coat, depending on the scale of the project and then spray on the Target Coatings finish I've chosen. I've use pretty much all of them except the EM9300 to-date, but I'm sure I'll like that, too. They all look good on cherry; EM2000 will be the warmest followed by EM8000cv with a little warmth and finally the EM6000 or EM7000HB which are pretty darn clear.