Cherry cabinets done...any tips on less blotchy finish?

That’s not blotchiness, that’s character. Good job!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Goog looking cabinet. Cherry is something we don’t see much down under, looks like a nice timber.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Nice work. They look pretty good in the pics but I know what you mean. Pine and Cherry take stain really unevenly. Definitely use a wood size or wood conditioner to even out the stain. As to color sticking, it in the sunlight will darken freshly planed cherry pretty quick and you might experiment with blond or amber shellac to warm up the color a bit. I like shellac a lot as it dries pretty quickly (alcohol based) so dust nibs and the like are a little less of a problem. BTW, I know more than a few people who consider staining cherry a capital offense ;-)
It continues to darken with age and the color you have now is not the color you will have two years from now.

Tallpaul,

This looks good to me. Cherry is my favorite wood with which to work. There are some differences in the stain adsorption with cherry but, as GaryK says, it adds character to the piece. With my pieces I usually start with a penetrating oil and then seal it with shellac followed by wipe on poly.

Another method that is published by Jeff Jewitt is as follows:

Sand to 180
Raise the grain with distilled water. Let dry and sand to 220
Color with dilute mix of honey amber dye
Let dry and seal with 1 lb cut of shellac
Apply dark brown gel stain
After drying apply finish topcoat (Jeff uses shellac but I prefer wipe on poly)

Jeff’s method is more involved but it is designed to produce an aged look to the cherry.

Another method, that I haven’t tried, to color cherry is to expose it to sunlight for 2 to 3 weeks and then apply a finish. But to me this is a lot of work bringing the wood in and out of the shop and worrying about the weather.

Hope this helps.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I don´t see blotchiness. Good job.

-- Jiri

Maybe it’s the photos, but I do not see any “blotchyness” either. I have worked enough cherry to know what you mean though. I’ve had good results with sealing the wood with one or even two coats of 1lb cut shelac, light sanding with 320 grit, then using a gel stain. Topping with a poly/oil/thinner mix applied as a wipe on.
Play around with any scraps you have left over, but the color on your cabinets look good to me! Nice work!

-- http://www.grandprairiewoodworks.com

As others have said, they look great in the photos.

There was a time when I thought staining was part of every project. When I started working with a wider variety of wood types, and experienced the benefits of NOT fooling around with stain, and life got much easier. About the only time I use stain now is when I have to try to match something to an existing piece.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

They look great!

-- Hope Never fails

I also have read that you need to put a coat of wood conditioner or a thin coat of shellac with denatured alcohol about 1 to 4 or poly thin with paint thinner same about 1 to 4. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

I’m in the same boat. I’ve got a cherry piece that I really don’t want to take chances with. From what I’ve gathered so far from a few resources is that there are a couple ways to go. A gel varnish seems to be the easiest. I’ve been told a washcoat of BLO that has set for a week will speed the aging/color transition before applying gel. I think that will be the way I go. There are a few other reputable recipes that involve analine dyes and home-made custom concoction’s of various tints. Pretty involved though.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

There is no obvious blochiness in the photos. I’ll bet a little natural aging will even things pretty good.

-- Maplewood, MN

I believe I read in FWW that BLO may add to cherry’s tendency to be blotchy. I would stick to a first coat of a one or two pound cut of dewaxed shellac prior to any staining or other clear coat. And I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to trumpet my praises of Zinnser Sealcoat – a two pound cut of dewaxed shellac with an extended shelf-life. It doesn’t get much easier than that. Rag it on quick, let it dry and level it out with 320 grit.

And I am chapter and verse with Charlie about trying to avoid the staining step whenever possible. If I need my cherry to be darker I set it out on the deck during a sunny day.

BTW, Paul I think those cabinets look first rate!

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.