LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

PROBLEM FINISHING CHERRY

2K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  Oldtool 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Need some help from my fellow LJ'rs. Finishing a cherry table top. My first cherry project. I've read for years of the inherent problems finishing cherry. So based on advice from a magazine article, I first applied Minwax Pre-Stain to my top. Sanded after it dried. The next day, used Minwax Cherry Gel Stain. Per instructions, applied with a cloth, and wiped the excess after a few minutes. The next day it looked fabulous. So I applied another coat, and again wiped the excess. Looking at it today, I'm disappointed. Hope you can see in the picture. Looks very uneven, like too much stain was left in some places. My thought was to sand it lightly, and add another coat of stain, but thought I'd throw it out to the community to see if someone has a better idea.
By the way, the center of the table top is a piece of mdf fastened from underneath. I'll be adding tiles after I resolve the finishing problem.
Your advice is much appreciated.
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
Welcome to Cherry…

The downside is probably not enough sealer - I apply two coats, minimum, and build this through to a final coat of Finish. The Stain, itself, should never touch the wood. You may be past the point of equalizing the finish. Having said this, who says the finish needs to be uniform across the work?

I hope that more knowledgeable forum members can provide constructive advice.
MJCD
 
#3 ·
I suggested the following to Yooper and this is how it turned out. It was a tip I got from Charles Neil: on clean wood apply two coats of General Finishes Get Satin topcoat. then use General Finishes Candlelite Gel Stain. Then top with either Gel Topcoat or Arm-R-Seal.

I've also just used Arm-R-Seal or Gel Topcoat plain and the unevenness usually recedes as it gets darker over time. See this.
 
#7 ·
For Cherry, a simple, true Tung Oil would be sufficient - Clint has the excellent point; though, there are times (my overly-expensive speakers for example) where the manufacturer wants to hedge their bets on the amount of blotching that will occur, and they seal every nook & cranny, pre-finish; and, there are other good reasons, I guess.

Having said this, I still don't see anyone offering help on a road-forward - I don't know one.
MJCD
 
#11 ·
Thanks to all your replies. So far I've found what I shouldn't have done, and with appreciation I'll file that away for the future. As far as the current problem, can I sand this out and rescue it, or trash it and start over ???
 
#14 ·
I think most of us here have committed worse woodworking sins than gel stain on cherry (though that is a cardinal sin). I have had my own run in with nice cherry and gel stain on an early project.

The best advise I can give you is to save a big cut-off and use it to test different finishes. Use masking tape to break it into even squares. Label them and test to your heart's content. When you find the right finish, only then do you use it on the project.

People are giving you grief about gel stain because although gel stain is a great way to make bad wood look average, it's equally effective in making exceptional wood look average. You've got some nice cherry and did a lovely job with the miter; no sense hiding it under gel stain.

I'd sand it down and start over. Toss the minwax and try the zinser wax free shellac mentioned above (they sell it at Home Despot). It seals cherry much more effectively.
 
#15 ·
As a follow up for anyone who might run into the same problem, here is my solution. After my first coat of gel stain, I thought the top looked great. After the second coat, not so great. My mistake was in applying too thick a second coat, and letting it set too long before wiping. So I sanded down with an orbital sander, reapplied one coat, wiped quickly. After drying, applied second coat, wiped quickly. I'm very happy now with the finish. I realize some have negative feelings about gel stain on cherry, but the idea came from an article in Woodsmith Magazine. Go figure. Anyway, if you learn something, it's not really a mistake, is it?? Thanks again for your help and advice.
 
#16 ·
Nice save. I concur with the 3:2 ratio of denatured alcohol to Zinssner seal coat as a pre-stain conditioner. I have heard many say before that they weren't entirely happy with the Minwax pre-stain conditioner.

Sample boards can give an idea of what the finished product will look like.

Cheers!
 
#17 ·
Nobody else has brought up my favorite method of dealing with cherry. It does NOT involve any kind of stain! Now, I know a lot of you don't have this option, but living in the deep south does have some advantages. My first step in finishing cherry is to take out in the sun and give it a nice rubdown with a 1/1 blend of BLO/Naphtha. I wipe on a generous amount, let it sit for a few minutes, then start wiping it off. The sun accelerates the natural oxidation that darkens cherry; the oil enhances the grain. I wipe the wood occasionally until the oil stops seeping out. I repeat the process on a second day with a light wipe of the oil blend, but many hours in the sun.
 
#18 ·
I tried the sun on a glue up I made, about 45×18x3/4 with 3' strips, and it curled up on me. It's just about flat again, but I am a little more careful about the sun now. It will darken in a few weeks inside as well.
 
#19 ·
My preferred method to finish cherry is first - remove all sap wood, so stain or dye is not needed. Second, simply apply an oil or oil / varnish wiping finish, I prefer General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. The oil darkens the wood, the varnish protects it.
For a comparison of before & after the Arm-R-Seal, see my cherry cabinet at: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/82590
But as I said, that's my preferred method, and may not appeal to others.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top