# Cherry finishing question



## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

I've heard Cherry doesnt take stain very well? Is there other things Cherry doesnt take well, or should be avoided with cherry? And the opposite…what works really well with Cherry (coloring, finishing, etc)? Thanks a lot!


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## DAWG (Oct 23, 2009)

Is there a certain color your trying to get? I've worked with Cherry a good bit, but I'm definitely not an expert and it's taking stain great for me.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

I guess I'm not looking for any color in particular. I just got some cherry, so am working with it for the first time. Not sure if i'm even going to stain it. I just heard it doesnt take stain well? maybe that was false advice. Is it blotchy at all? do you need a wood conditioner before staining cherry?


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## wseand (Jan 27, 2010)

As far as I know Cherry takes stain well. I don't think most stain Cherry because it is beautiful just natural and darkens over time. I have stained a few project per the customer, I had no problems. You can use General Finish Gel stain or I have used Minwax also. I use wipe on poly (minwax) for a finish. I believe some will use a shellac prior to stain.


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

Use Charles Neil's Pre- Color Conditioner before staining. The stuff works great! I used it on a crib and dresser I am working on.

God Bless
tom


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## DAWG (Oct 23, 2009)

I've never used a conditioner on cherry, nor has it been blotchy. I used a paste that was Brown Mahogany and then sprayed on Dark Walnut. I'm not at the shop so I can't give you the exact names, but if your interested you can send me a PM. OH, and then I finished with Laquer hope this helps.

I agree with Tom; you can get some great information from Charles about finishing. I've just never used the conditioner.


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## tdv (Dec 29, 2009)

Firstly good luck with your future & well done. About the Cherry in my experience the straight grained boards seem to accept a gel stain ok it's when you get curly grain where it seems to hang in blotches where the grain changes direction, but in truth Cherry is such a beautiful wood & matures to a lovely colour (except for the pale sapwood) I personally don't stain it anymore & why would you? if you want it to look darker use walnut. I'm sure if you look in your shop you may find a little laying around. Ha! Ha!
Good luck & God bless
Trevor


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## Dez (Mar 28, 2007)

We use a lot of cherry, solid and veneer. We also stain most of it, seems most of the customers want that "Store Cherry" color darker and slightly more red. We seal with thinned lacquer and stain with M L Campbell Products and topcoat with satin lacquer. The stain is a wipe or brush on depending on profiles etc. then wipe off and allow to dry before top coating.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Dakremer, cherry is prone to blotching if you try to stain it so it would be best to use a preconditioner, if this is the route you are going to go. But, I agree with the majority of commenters that cherry is a gorgeous wood that Mother Nature will color in her own way over time. My general receipe for cherry is to sand to 180, add a coat of boiled linseed oil to tone it, and topcoat with wipe on poly.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

The only "problem" with cherry IMO is the burn marks when you cut if on the TS. It's not a real problem because a pass through the jointer or some sanding takes care of it.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

I'm with Scott. I've done several pieces in cherry and found I like the oil finish the best.


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## Brad_Nailor (Jul 26, 2007)

Also cherry will tan when left exposed. I would recommend keeping it covered after you work on it and keep it out of the sunlight. I left two pieces lying across each other and the next time I worked on the project you could clearly see a line on the covered piece.

And I second all the advice about a clear finish or an oil…I for one am not a big fan of stain..I pick wood for its grain and color, and I use mostly clear finishes like lacquer…something that enhances the wood.


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

#1, there is no reason to stain cherry. It ages naturally to a beautiul color, but some people (myself included)
like to accelerate that. The way to do it is to slather it with boiled linseed oil, keep it wet for about 20 minutes, reapply oil as needed to dry spots, then wipe it dry. Make sure none bleeds out-wipe off if it does, let dry for 2-3 days, then finish as you wish. If you want to avoid runs, want a more natural look, and avoid steps, mix equal parts boiled linseed oil, polyurethane varnish, and mineral spirits. Apply with a clean rag, let it sit for a few minutes, wipe off, let dry overnight and repeat until you get what you want. You can apply subsequent coats with 320 or 400 wet-or-dry sandpaper in a circular motion to get an even smoother surface. After dry, use 0000 steel wool and wax, then buff.

One thing about cherry, one man's beautiful figure is another man's blotch. The higher grit you use to sand before applying a finish, the less blotch/figure you'll have. The most important thing to accelerate ageing in cherry is to give it a suntan either before or after finishing-doesn't seem to matter which. Just put it in direct sunlight for a few hours, turn it ocassionally for even exposure, and spend the rest of your life admiring your work. Cherry is the PREMIERE American wood. Enjoy.

Steve


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## GregP (Jul 10, 2010)

In my opinion stain makes cherry look muddy, I prefer aniline dye just to add a little depth but it's not necessary just shellac looks great on cherry.


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## SouthpawCA (Jul 19, 2009)

I just finished building a cherry column for a customer. She wanted it to match her cherry cabinets in the adjacent room. I used blonde shellac - that's it! If it didn't match I would have used orange and then garnet shellac. Finally if it didn't match I would have used BLO and then started over with the shellac regimen. Lucky for me, the blonde worked.

Cherry will change color over time.


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## buckeyedudes (Nov 1, 2009)

I'm putting wide cherry baseboards and casing trim throughout my house. Taking it from my own trees, milling the lumber, etc. etc. I know cherry! Love it.

Like many other's opinions, keep it all natural. I take it down to 320 then two coats of satin poly. 
Buff between coats with 00 steel wool. The cherry is absolutely georgous and will darken over time.

On projects I've also hit cherry with BLO, Danish Oil Finish, water based Poly, and tung oil - all with great success.

I've never understood why people put that dark cherry stain on cherry wood - use poplar man, its much cheaper and is just as hard. Don't ruin good cherry wood by putting dark stain over it.


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## rhett (May 11, 2008)

The big issue with cherry, especially when left natural, is mixing boards from different trees. A glue-up may look like it is all the same color, but in 2 years there are drastically different shades from one board to another. No big deal in say a kitchen, but a tabletop will look like you used different woods.

I believe this is why most people stain the wood. I only go natural on an entire project if I know the cherry to be of the smae flitch, or all harvested from the same tract of land. JMHO.

Also, I think blotchy is a little missleading. Cherry takes stain well. It does get darker in spots, the it tends to be a consistent patten.


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## CampD (Nov 8, 2008)

What rhett said, it can be tough with cherry using ramdom pieces to get consistant color.
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones with stands of cherry just waiting for me to turn them into furniture.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

Thanks guys for all of your help!! I did not know Cherry will darken over time…very interesting


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

Personally , I would never stain cherry. I love the process of darkening and watching what happens over time. It is a bit unpredictable, but I like to think of the wood behaving as nature intended.


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## Retearl (Jul 10, 2017)

I think cherry is prettiest in natural, but if you want it darker, use Charlie Neil's blotch control & stain away!


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## dalepage (Feb 6, 2016)

Scott Bryan has the answer. Use an oil and then shellac.

Cherry is prone to blotching as bad as pine. The oil will lessen that.

Having weighed in, I would never stain cherry. Use maple if you want another color than the natural wood. I have found stains tend to muddy the cherry and it's not a nice thing.

Also, I cut a HUGE cherry tree from my property and had my sawyer quarter saw most of it.

It sure makes nice face frames compared to the cathedral arches, which I use only for panels. All face frames are QS. Also, you get four 3×3's or 4×4's which are rift sawn and make perfect table legs. Do this once and you'll never go back to flat sawn lumber from your precious wood.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

I also prefer not to stain cherry. I've had good luck using Waterlox Original on cherry- 5-6 coats wiped on builds a nice finish that also adds nice color and depth to the wood without over powering it or looking like plastic wrap. the sleigh bed in my projects section is made from cherry with Waterlox topcoat. It's about 10 years old in the photos, so you can see how cherry will darken with time as well.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

#BlastFromThePast


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

> I ve heard Cherry doesnt take stain very well? *Is there other things Cherry doesnt take well*, or should be avoided with cherry? And the opposite…what works really well with Cherry (coloring, finishing, etc)? Thanks a lot!
> 
> - dakremer


It doesn't take to being hit by bricks very well. (unless your distressing it)
Fire would be another thing Cherry doesn't take well.


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