What Color Will Cherry Furniture Be Once Stripped?

Darkening Process

• Cherry wood begins to darken as soon as it is cut. Exposure to sunlight increases the darkening from creamy white to successively darker rich brown shades. Within two years it is a rich light brown that continues to progress toward darker browns. A 50-year-old cherry wood piece of furniture is warm dark brown. Dyed or stained antique cherry wood also becomes rich brownish-red with age.

Stripping

• Sandpaper or other abrasives destroy the patina of cherry wood. Abrasive methods also flatten design elements and raise scratches to the surface. All types of paint and varnish can be removed with denatured alcohol and lacquer thinner or with a commercial stripping product. Strip-style paint removers are often nontoxic, biodegradable compounds that are not harmful to inhale. Be sure to work with the grain of the wood.

Color Characteristics

• Cherry wood furniture continues to darken throughout its lifetime. The shade and tone of the color after it is stripped depends on the age of the original wood. A 100-year-old cherry wood antique dresser is deep, dark red underneath its oil or varnish. Some of the reddish color in a very old piece of furniture may be due to the types of varnishes and shellac used a century ago. Cherry wood one or two years old is light brown.

Protection and Care

• Stripped cherry wood furniture needs oil, wax or stain to protect the surface. The wood continues to darken over time regardless of which method you use. You can stain cherry wood to look like very old, deep red cherry wood. The wood itself will “catch up” over time. Books or other objects placed on the dresser top prevent the surface underneath from darkening as fast as the rest of the wood. Clean cherry wood occasionally with warm soapy water and mild soap.