Finish on cherry

[Tom Dunn]

I'm at the point of considering what type of finish I would like to put on a cherry chest I'm (slowly!) building. My furniture finishing experience is pretty much limited to Poly, and I'd like to move on to something else maybe?
I have done a fair number of gunstocks in Tru-Oil, and am considering something like Danish Oil on the cherry perhaps? I expect the chest to be "less-than-tenderly-cared-for" however(youngest daughter is none too carefull abut stuff in general) so maybe poly is the best choice regardless?
Any thoughts/suggestions much appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[DaveO]

Poly would probably a good choice for a top coat, if the piece could see some abuse. But you should consider either BLO, an oil/varnish blend (Waterlox, Danish Oil, most Tung oil formulations) or blond/garnet shellac. I have used oil/varnish blends on Cherry before after allow a little sun time to darken the wood with great success, and you generally can't go wrong with shellac.
This box is finished with Danish Oil

Dave

 

[Steve D]

Tom,

Cherry can be one of the trickier woods if you are going for any type of stain. There are several threads at www.homesteadfinishing.com that discuss finishing cherry and suggested recipes. If you are just going for a natural wood look then Dave's advice is right on the money.

 

[Gillie]

This is my prefered finish for cherry:

Mix a few drops of Dark Walnut Watco Danish Oil with about a cup of Fruitwood Watco Danish Oil. (You are using Danish oil for coloration because it is less prone to splotchiness than traditional stain -- and the varnish resin in Watco begins the "finishing" process). This gives a nice "aged" coloration.

Then apply 2 coats (or more) of Waterlox Original (semi-gloss) with a good quality foam brush.

Sand with 400 grit

Apply final topcoat of Waterlox satin with a foam brush.

**Satin finish on cherry looks best - in my opinion - because the light deadening in the satin varnish tones down the splotchiness of the wood and gives a nice soft, aged look to the piece.

DO NOT use more than one coat of satin varnish. The light deadeners in satin varnish will make the piece look "cloudy" if more then one coat is used.

 

[D L Ames]

Thanks for the tip Gillie. I am looking forward to trying to blend some of these finishes to see what sort of results I can get.

D L

 

[walnutjerry]

I'm at the point of considering what type of finish I would like to put on a cherry chest I'm (slowly!) building. Thanks!

I think most of the recommendations boil down to pretty much the same thing. Whether it is a premixed oil/varnish off the shelf or a home recipie of oils/varnish or urethane. I still use the BLO,urethane,turpentine or MS mixture with success. Easy to apply, easy to maintain and easy to repair. Cherry will darken naturally before or after applying this type finish. Just my 2 cents worth.

Jerry

 

[hutchwood]

i have been using a sam maloof type finish and i like the looks i get with it....1 part boiled linseed oil, 1 part poly, 1 part tung oil...mix em together and rub them on, be sure to wipe off all of the excess.....3-4 coats....takes at least 1 day drying time between coats

 

[lbmallett]

I've used this method on several pieces and was very pleased with the results: http://www.io.com/~richardr/writing/APerfectFinish/

 

[Ken Weaver]

What about just tung oil on cherry? Too much build up?

 

[lwhughes149]

The above information blows my mind. I never knew there were so many possibilities for cherry finishes. I have used Minwax Golden Pecan on cherry with beautiful results. As a new woodworker when I find something I like I tend to stick with it. I also use the Golden Pecan on walnut. I am a little intimidated by the other possibilities. So much to learn.:drunken_s

 

[cpowell]

I made a complete set of master bedroom furniture in cherry and finished every piece with BLO...nothing else. I have finished a few other pieces in Danish oil.

I don't personally like any stain on cherry. I don't think I can attempt to produce in a few afternoons the wonderful patina that cherry will achieve naturally in a matter of months.

I like the Danish oil but am not sure how much protection it provides. I'm going to try some of the above brews on scrap. I have a dining room project coming up pretty soon and will need a tougher finish. Thanks to all for the comments!

Here's a pic of the dresser. http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/woodworking/general.woodworking/2830-cherry.sconces.mirror.done.html

Chuck

 

[woodguy1975]

I'm at the point of considering what type of finish I would like to put on a cherry chest I'm (slowly!) building. My furniture finishing experience is pretty much limited to Poly, and I'd like to move on to something else maybe?
I have done a fair number of gunstocks in Tru-Oil, and am considering something like Danish Oil on the cherry perhaps? I expect the chest to be "less-than-tenderly-cared-for" however(youngest daughter is none too carefull abut stuff in general) so maybe poly is the best choice regardless?
Any thoughts/suggestions much appreciated!
Thanks!

I would seal the cherry with a coat of shellac and top it with a couple coats of lacquer. That is the top of the line finish in my book.

 

[DavidF]

I don't want to use any form of oil finish on the cherry bed I am building because of possible marking of sheets etc; so will probably go with the shellac/and poly finish from Target and play with spraying for a change.