For several months, I’ve been building a cherry wall to surround my home fireplace. It’s beautiful and almost finished. The area above the mantle is about 5′ wide x 4′ tall.
When complete, I intend to hang a very large copper tray in this area, over the woodwork. However, I may want to remove the tray later and hang something else, or hang nothing at all. I have stained the cherry and plan to use 4 coats of General Finishes High Performance Satin Topcoat as the final coat. However, I don’t want to remove the tray in a year and find the wood under it to be light and that exposed to daylight to be very dark.
Is there any way to minimize the potential discoloration that may occur? What is the very best ultra-violet light blocker that I can use?
I really appreciate the help… its one of my first major projects and has the potential to be really lovely! Thank you.
TJ
Replies
I'm sorry, but I think your future happiness depends on you preparing for the cherry (that will be exposed to light) to darken. Perhaps you can periodically remove the hanging tray to let that area keep pace with the surrounding area. I don't believe that there is UV blocking finish that will be totally successful. I've also read that UV blockers degrade over time..... don't know if this is fact or fancy.
Good luck on the project.
I concur with Sapwood. There are UV blocking finishes out there which could delay the inevitable, but I believe that the darkening is inevitable and the most that you could hope for would be to delay it for a while.
I don't think you'll be able to fool Mother Nature--it is going to darken.
And a stain might not have been necessary.
I grew up in a house with cherry panelling--where the pictures were was definitely lighter.
>> Is there any way to minimize the potential discoloration that may occur?
The simple answer is "no". UV from sunlight will cause cherry to darken sooner or later. If you cover a portion of the area with something that blocks sunlight, it will end up being lighter than area exposed to sunlight.
>> What is the very best ultra-violet light blocker that I can use?
The UV inhibitors added to exterior finishes is to protect the finish, not the substrate underneath. UV inhibitors work by absorbing UV but in doing so, the UV inhibitor is itself destroyed. In other words, to maintain the UV inhibiting properties requires that the surface be sanded every year or so and a new coat or two of finsih being applied. Every five or so years the whole finish needs to be stripped and a new finish applied.
One thing that could have be done is to have put the boards outside into sunlight after machining for a couple of days. This would have hastened the darkening.
If this is not possible now, you can try to avoid putting up the artwork for a few months and maybe the wood will have darkened.
Thanks to you and everyone else for the thoughts on minimizing the uneven darkening of my cherry wall panels. Sounds like it will be inevitable. Perhaps the best approach is to put the panels into the sunlight for a day or two and accelerate the darkening now. I can still do this, so will go ahead as several folks suggested. This should reduce the difference between the areas that are and are not exposed to light.
Thanks for the thoughts, ideas and comments. It's great to have such input.
TJ
Artificial lights also put out uv rays so if it were me I wouldn't worry about it. Hang what you want to hang and if it's removed the light area can be covered temporarily and artificial light used to darken the area.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
If you haven't assembled the piece yet, you could put the panel where the tray will be out in the sun for a day or more and accelerate the color change until it is more or less stable.
It isn't just UV or visible light that darkens cherry -- oxygen will do the same. unless you wish to live in an oxygen-free environment (good luck), you'ld best get used to cherry getting darker.
If this isn't good news, pack up all your cherry and send it to me. I'll take care of it from there...
travel,
its one of my first major projects and has the potential to be really lovely!
Cherry is at it's best when left to age naturally, it will darken over the years. That is one of its most endearing qualities. Let it happen, apply the finish of your choice and be at peace with it.
If you don't want a dark wood, then perhaps you should have chosen a different species. If on the other hand you don't mind the dark color, then enhance the wood itself and let Mother Nature take its course. In any event you will end up with some really nice furniture. And, who knows you me even like it!
Quite frankly I can't understand why folks are determined to thwart this woods natural tendencies???????
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 7/1/2007 7:34 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
TJ,
I agree with the thoughts of the other Knots members. Light and oxygen will have an effect no matter what you do now. I sometimes allow cherry pieces to see some sunlight prior to finishing. I also wait a couple of weeks between sanding and finishing to allow the oxygen to get to the wood. This won't solve your problem, but it may reduce it a little.
GRW
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