Tips for Finishing Cherry Wood | UK Guide | 2023
Cherry wood is an incredibly popular choice of material. This premium hardwood is the preferred choice of material of woodworkers, with a fairly high degree of flexibility making it incredibly easy to work with. It also boasts an incredibly smooth grain which, combined with a warm colour profile, makes it ideal for high-grade flooring and furniture projects.
It’s no surprise then that cherry wood is one of the more expensive hardwoods on the market. If you’re planning on working with cherry wood as a raw material or plan on refurbishing an existing item made from this premium hardwood, you’ll want to have a few finishing tips and tricks under your belt.
Common Issues Encountered When Finishing Cherry Wood
Although cherry wood is fairly easy to plane and work with when undertaking woodworking projects, it can be a real hassle to finish. Regardless of what type of oil or staining product you are working with, you are likely to encounter unsightly blotches, no matter how patient and precise you are during the application process.
This is largely down to the grain of the wood itself. Although the grain difference might attractive to look at, it causes all manner of problems when it comes to absorption of stains and oils.
Certain parts of the cherry wood will absorb stain more quickly, leading to darker patches once the stain or oil has been absorbed. In order to overcome this issue, you may want to apply a conditioner to the surface of the cherry wood before applying a staining product. You’ll find many pre-stain conditioner products on the market. The best conditioners will provide a superficial seal, ensuring stain or oil isn’t absorbed too deeply by your cherry wood material.
Keep it Simple
Many people reach for stain when they don’t have much time on their hands. While stain can provide you with a darker finish more quickly, they’re best avoided when working with cherry wood. If you can spare more time to focus on your cherry wood makeover project, you should instead aim to use less aggressive solutions like tung oil.
A couple of coats of this type of solution will allow you to darken your cherry wood more gently. Once a couple of coats of oil have been utilised, you can think about adding a final-layer finish in the form of a light shellac.
