Wouldn’t you know it. I am at the point of building my kitchen cabenits and the unavailablity of Cherry 3/4 ply means I have to turn to birch.
I was pleased that the grain in the birch ply looks very much like cherry. With the dark stain it should look very close to cherry or almost undetectable. Or so I am told.
My question is that several people have told me that staining birch is a little tricky? It is that it requires a condtioner before applying the stain? I have used a conditoner with pine and it works very well.
Tks
Edited 11/17/2006 8:19 am ET by Telco_joe
Edited 11/17/2006 8:20 am ET by Telco_joe
Edited 11/17/2006 8:28 am ET by Telco_joe
Replies
I can't imagine that cherry is unavailable--just not at the DIY places. Call a couple of cabinet shops and see where they get plywood.
But, if you do go with birch you should consider using a dye rather than a stain to greatly reduce the tendency for blotching to occur. Also, birch after a conditioner is quite hard to get dark enough to look like mature cherry using a pigmented stain.
Birch can be blotchy sometimes and this can be eliminated if you use a sanding sealer before applying your stain or finish.
I have just returned from my local Lee Valley store.
There 'Andrew' gave me quite a demonstration on the use of Aniline Dyes. He himself is a bit of an expert, so several of the other persons in the store relayed to me. Whenever they have questions or issues they all huddle around Andrew.
I will take several packets home with me and try them on a few trial pieces. Andrew claims that with these dyes I should have no troulble achieving the desired results.
joe ,
If you are using Birch plywood to double as Cherry , try and get select Red Birch veneer if possible .
good luck dusty
Hey DustyI did not know that a red veneer was available? Or at least i have not heard of that species?Telco
Red birch is the same species as the white birch we see all the time, except it is the heart wood. Its natural color is almost exactly the same as fresh cherry, though there is likely to be a bit more grain pattern. It doesn't darken nearly as much as cherry. If you like natural cherry, and don't want it to reach the darkness of aged cherry, you can use red birch. (My kitchen cabinets are red birch, with a real cherry island top and counter top bull nose to provide contrast.) Of course, if you find a source for the red birch, you are likely to find that that vendor also sells cherry veneer.
Even if you do decide to go with the white birch don't get it from the big box stores. Too many stories of disappointment there. OK for shop cabinets, but for kitchens look for better materials.
Kitchens are very important--especially if you ever plan to sell your house. I just signed a contract to sell my house, and the buyer's agent said a big part of the sale was because the wife went into the kitchen and, figuratively at least, said WOW.
I ran into a similar issue earlier this year when we built our house. I chose birch over cherry for our cabinets because of price. I was convinced we could stain the birch to look similar in color to cherry. I was worried about the cabinets coming out blotchy with the dark stain. I spoke to several people at local paint stores, and the local Woodcraft. I checked out a couple of books from the library. What I found in the end was that it is possible to achieve a cherry color, but you may sacrifice seeing the woodgrain. It may end up looking like paint. I was also advised against tinting the laquer, but some people swear by that. It seems the extra effort to stain the birch the way we wanted it negated the cost savings of using birch.
We ended up using a pre-stain conditioner with a classic cherry color stain. The conditioner was essential to achieve a non-blotchy finish, but it detracts from the darkness of the color. The final color was not quite what we had intended. It looks more reddish than brownish, but we have gotten used to it. It doesn't look bad, just not what we were shooting for. Just like everything else, it comes down to your personal preference. Hope this helps.
Well KC what you have said is exactly what I have been told by my Lee Valley person. He is very experienced with the use of stains etc. With your advice and what I have been told so far I feel much more comfortable with where I have to go with this project.
I was a little surprised when I was told to tint my finish coat. He too swears that it will lock everything together and I will more than pleased with the finish product.
I also agree that the effort to do this will certainly negate any difference in cost of the wood.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled