How to Darken Cherry Wood

Cherry wood is popular for furniture making for a number of reasons -- it's easy to cut and shape, it smells nice and it has an attractive pink color. But the natural beauty of cherry wood's color comes only with time. The wood gradually turns a deep red with exposure to sunlight, but many homeowners are impatient to wait the years it can take for this full color to develop. Typical wood staining processes simply don't apply for cherry wood due to its unique swirling of soft and hard segments. For an even application, pigmented stains work well. They also resist darkening from UV exposure, which can make stained cherry wood become too dark with time.

Sandpaper
Red pigmented wood stain
Polyurethane topcoat
Paint thinner
Paintbrush

Instructions

- 1
  Sand wood to a smooth surface. Use a series of three grains of sandpaper, starting with coarse, then medium then fine sandpaper.
- 2
  Apply a gel-based pigmented stain in the desired color. Use a rag to wipe it on the surface evenly and remove the excess before it dries. Let it dry for 12 hours. The benefit of pigmented stains is that they sit on the surface of the wood, so they don't get absorbed as a dye does. Using dyes on cherry wood can result in uneven distribution due to the wood's variable consistencies.
- 3
  Combine one part polyurethane with one part paint thinner. Apply it to the wood, using a paintbrush to spread it evenly over the surface of the furniture. Apply a second coat after six to eight hours.
- 4
  Sand the furniture with 320-grit sandpaper after the second coat has dried for 12 hours. Remove the excess dust after sanding.
- 5
  Apply two or three finishing coats of undiluted polyurethane. After each coat, let it dry overnight and sand with 320-grit paper.

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