Hi there. First time to join the discussion group. I am looking for suggestions on toning the color of newly built kitchen cabinets. Here is my problem. I recently remodeled our kitchen. We put down white oak flooring and love the warm look of the natural finish. Next, I completed building the cabinets for our kitchen. I used cherry and began applying a natural water based finish. After applying one coat we decided that we would like to see a darker tone to the cherry so we could acheive a greater contrast between the oak flooring and the cherry cabinets. I’d love your thoughts in toning the wood. I am considering using a “TransTint” dye (medium brown) as a tooner in the clear waterbased finish. I have done a few trials and found that 14 drops of dye/ounce of finish appear to give me the warmer tone I’m after. I plan to apply the toned finish by spraying the doors and drawers, while brushing the frames.
Do you have any other suggestions?
Replies
Technically, as long as 14 drops per ounce are less than one ounce per quart, it should work.
However, I'd counsel not doing it, or at least doing it less. The cherry is going to darken considerably over time--in a year it will be noticeably darker, and in several it will be quite dark. So, if you get the contrast now, it will be much more extreme in the future. Use the toner to add warmth--waterborne finishes often lack that--but go as light as you can to avoid being too dark in the future. Dark kitchens end up being dismal in too short a time.
I installed red birch kitchen cabinets, and used cherry for the bullnose of the granite time counters and as the top of a large island. At installation, they were an almost exact match, but it didn't take very long for the contrast to develop, and it was based on the natural cherry coloration.
Steve,
You said what I was thinking as I read the first post. I would not stain at all, and allow nature to do its magic and change the cherry to something much more beautiful than any stain will allow. Down the line the contrast will be just right. JL
Is it possible to speed up the aging process on a sample of cherry to see how it will look in the future?“The richest genius, like the most fertile soil, when uncultivated, shoots up into the rankest weeds..” – Hume
JM,
Try placing a sample outdoors in direct sunlight for a few days or a week. Place a piece of masking tape over a small section to block the light and you will be able to see the progression.
Lee
Not that I am aware of JMadson. That is why so many people tone and stain, because they do not have the time to wait, or they have an image in their mind's eye and they try to duplicate that image.. The trade off is that they will never see what nature and time could have given them.
Maybe someone else will jump in with a quick aging idea.
Of course, with tongue in cheek, I recommend that you burn many candles from both ends in the vicinity of the finished cherry board, and that will surely speed up the aging process! :-) JL
Edited 2/5/2007 9:19 pm ET by jeanlou
Hi,
I just experimented with a similar situation.
Started with some sort of catalyzed finish (this is a remodel for a friend) oak cabinets with a golden hue, they want them red to brown with no yellow.
I used some General Finishes Gel Stain on a slightly scuffed surface and fantastic results! Not sure how this would work with your finish but incredibly easy to use with consistant results.
http://www.generalfinishes.com
HTH
Bro. Luke
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