Replies

1. 
   WayneL5 | Feb 21, 2004 05:43am | #1

   Tastes vary.

   Your struggle is between two conflicting masters.  Your aesthetic sense says no, but your obligation to the person paying you for what they want says yes.  You could certainly offer them your advice (because in a sense they're paying you for your expertise as well), but if they insist, you gotta do it.

   I would never stain cherry for anything I build for myself.

   You could tell them about how cherry deepens in color with age, but of course it won't match a wood that's stained dark.  And, an oil finish, especially one with a tint, will darken cherry without totally wrecking it.

   You could show them the piece before the finish goes on and show them sample finishes to give them a second chance, without making it obvious that you are pressing them to change their mind.  Let the wood speak for itself.  If they want dark, then ok.  Put it out in the sun for a few hours.

2. 
   billballeza | Feb 21, 2004 06:06am | #2

   I'm with you! Everytime I build something my wife (and her decorator sister-in-law) want it stained dark.

   I take great pleasure in building things but I always dread that in the end I'm going to have to hide the natural beauty of the wood after all the pride I've taken in building it.

   Still, as another poster said, there's really no accounting for taste. As my friend, Charlie the car salesman says, "There's an #### for every seat."

1. 
   MichaelPB | Feb 21, 2004 06:53am | #3

   If money brought taste, the rich wouldn't need decorators...

2. 
   UncleDunc | Feb 21, 2004 07:19am | #4

   Have you considered making your next piece from wenge?

1. 
   billballeza | Feb 23, 2004 11:51pm | #8

   Excellent thought. I'll start saving for it right now. LOL

   Thanks, Unc

   Bill

3. 
   joinerswork | Feb 22, 2004 01:17am | #5

   dan,

   I had the very same dilemma.  Client wanted a Queen Anne lowboy in cherry, with a walnut finish.  I tried to talk them into walnut, but for whatever reason, they wanted cherry.  The customer is always right, (long as they are paying the bills) so that's how I built it.  About 10 yrs later, they moved into a new house, and I got to refinish it to a cherry color for them.  They paid twice to get just what they wanted, I got paid twice to make them happy, no lose situation...

   Cheers,

   Ray

1. 
   dancoulbury | Feb 23, 2004 04:36am | #6

   Thanks ya'll, it's just good to know I'm in the right boat. I can now confidently try to gently guide my new "liason-to-the-buyers" away from stains and towards natural colors. I just can't risk losing her as the contact she is. Thanks again, and take it easy. Dan

1. 
   Calendyr | Feb 23, 2004 09:25pm | #7

   Why stain... good question.... why not? ;)

   I am a novice in wood working, but I must say I find stained wood beautiful.  Natural wood is also nice but it offens contrasts with everything else in the room.   If you can still see the grain and patterns in the wood, I do think stain can improve a piece in certain situations.

   An other good reason for staining can be price.  For instance I am currently building my first project... a table...  I could have gone with cherry since I like the color, but I did not want to scrap expensive wood if I made mistakes.  So I decided to use pine which is really cheap and stain it mahogany.  Not as good as cherry but if I screw up I will not be frustrated for wasting a ton of money.  When I have more experience I will most likelly use oak and ash and cherry and all the nicer woods but for now I feel stain is a great way to go about it.

2. 
   xxxxxxxx | Feb 25, 2004 12:49am | #13

   I don't know if I'd say you're in the right boat. I've been in sales for 10 years and if someone is buying, I'm not complaining. It's all a matter of taste and if your client wants cherry wood and wants it stained dark, so what? A happy customer will keep coming back.

   Personally, I think there are plenty of times that staining wood is appropriate and desirable. Consider the way that you can make the figure in curly maple stand out by using a dye?

   Why stain wood... because that is what the customer wants and likes.

   Mike

4. 
   Mackwood | Feb 24, 2004 02:33am | #9

   Dan,

   The times that I've stained pieces is was not so much to change the color of the wood but to even it out.  It's hard to get all of the material for a large piece to match in color ---solution--stain it.  I usually use mahogany stain on mahogany, etc.

   I totally agree with ya on the cherry thing.  If they want it dark, use a dark wood.  But then again they're paying for it; give them what they think they want.

   Enjoy,

   Mack

5. 
   SawdustRay | Feb 24, 2004 03:01am | #10

   Welcome to the wonderful world of commissioned work!  Working in an architect's office, I deal with this ALL the time.  A boss once told me, "never get too attached to your work - you'll die a thousand deaths."  One of the tasks we have to do, if you're an architect, furniture maker, landscaper, painter, ect... is educate your client.  (They never told me that in school and it can be a difficult lesson).  Tell them what you admire about cherry and remind them they paid a lot of money for a premium wood to make it look like something else.  I agree the funiture must "match" but they could also sell or return what they just bought and get something - or commission you - to replace it.  Be diplomatic - but it's THEIR choice. 

   I feel your pain. 

6. 
   AlbionWood | Feb 24, 2004 09:58pm | #11

   There are lots of good reasons to stain:  to make a less-expensive wood (poplar, ash) resemble a more-expensive wood (walnut, cherry); to even out the natural color in some woods; to "pop" the figure (oak, maple).  I try to avoid staining, by offering color choices based on wood species; but sometimes they just want it stained, for whatever reason.

   What I can't understand is, why start with an expensive wood (cherry) and stain it to look like a less-expensive wood (walnut)?  That makes no sense.

   Who chose the wood - you, or the customer?

   "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net

1. 
   SawdustRay | Feb 25, 2004 12:17am | #12

   Excellent quote.

2. 
   dancoulbury | Feb 25, 2004 05:20am | #14

   they did, I think it's just ignorance. Dan