How to Finish Cherry Furniture
Cherry is a popular wood for furniture. The red-tinted, dark wood matches modern rooms. Exposure to light darkens raw, unfinished cherry wood even further, which some owners find undesirable. Luckily, you can protect the wood and keep it from darkening by using a highly-pigmented gel stain in conjunction with a polyurethane finish. Though cherry is hard to stain evenly, this pigmented finishing process will even out the resulting color. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Sandpaper (80-, 120-, 220- and 320-grit)
- Damp cloth
- Pigmented gel stain
- Polyurethane
- Paint thinner
- Medium paint brush
Instructions
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Rub the surface of the furniture with 80-grit sandpaper. Once it's smooth, use 120- and 220-grit paper to create an even smoother, glossy finish. This will remove surface imperfections and help the stain spread evenly.
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2
Wipe it down with a damp cloth. As the cloth gets dirty, wash it out with fresh water. Wipe every surface of the furniture. Let the wood dry completely.
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Apply pigmented gel stain to the wood according to the manufacturer's instructions. It is most often applied with a clean, dry cloth or a medium-sized paint brush in even, sweeping motions. Wipe off any excess gel stain. Let the furniture dry in a well-ventilated room for 12 to 24 hours.
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4
Combine 1 part polyurethane and 1 part paint thinner to create a sealer coat. Apply over the dried gel stain with a medium-sized brush. Let dry for eight hours. Apply another sealer coat. Let dry for at least another 12 hours.
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Lightly sand the glossy finish with 320-grit sandpaper. Apply two or three layers of pure polyurethane to add even more shine and staying power to the finish. Lightly sand with 320-grit paper and wipe off all dust between coats.
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Tips & Warnings
Lay down newspaper or cloth to protect your floor from drips of sealer and finish.
