jrmvt Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 So I have some RTA cabinets on their way to use as the base for a new bar. My wife and I agreed on cherry for the bar. My vision was to stain them about the color of our 15 year old cherry kitchen cabinets which were done with Valspar Graintone Wiping Stain - Teak. I LOVE the look of those cabinets! Nice and light and really shows off the grain of the wood. Doesn't look like that stain exists anymore though. My wife, of course, was thinking completely different. She wanted it to match the barstools she bought. They are stained something called "Hampton Cherry". Here's a sample. Yikes! I will try and talk her into something lighter, but in case I lose this battle, how dark should I go knowing that the cherry will get darker over time? Any suggestions? If I win (yeah, right), does anyone have thoughts on something that might give the look of that old Valspar Graintone Teak? I've also thought about a compromise - lower bar in cherry and lighter stain, bar top something darker like walnut and try to match the stools. Might that work? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 Welcome to the forums! I don't typically stain so, I'm not much use for info there. However, have you considered putting the lumber out in the sun to age a bit quicker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrmvt Posted October 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 I might give that a try, but I'll have to keep a close eye on the weather as I don't work at home. What do you figure, a couple of weeks to speed the process along? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 2 hours ago, jrmvt said: I might give that a try, but I'll have to keep a close eye on the weather as I don't work at home. What do you figure, a couple of weeks to speed the process along? Thanks! When I age cherry this way, I notice differences every day. Would certainly be a long time to get it as dark as you're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 If you want to "age" the cherry without risking a rain shower, there are ways to bring out the aged cherry color with chemical treatments. The post linked below has discussion of such a process from a project I built a while ago. If it interests you, I'll be happy to share the excruciating details... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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