Cherry and sunlight

[Josko Catipovic]

I'm refinishing a 25-yr old figured cherry/maple kitchen. A couple cabinets have had heavy sun exposure, and on those, the cherry panels have faded to something close to maple. Is there a way to darken that cherry? (I'd rather not mess with dyes.) If I rotate the cabinet doors so faded ones are in the shade from now on, will they darken with time (or stay as light as they are now)? Any ideas for evening out the color? Would scraping the faded panels do any good?
The kitchen was finished with a tung oil/varnish mix, and I can get it off.

Thanks in advance.

[Prashun Patel]

Lots of stuff happening here:

1) Cherry normally darkens over time; it doesn't normally fade. If it is fading, I suspect it was not cherry to begin with, and that it is the stain that has faded. Can you post a picture so we can assess?
2) After 25 years, the wood has likely gone through most of its color change. Exposing to more light in the same room isn't (my theory) going to help much.

I suspect your best bet will be refinishing the cabs.

While you may not want to mess with a stain or dye, if this is indeed the solution, you may be able to experiment with a toner to help you even things out.

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Prashun...if that was cherry, it would be darker, not lighter, and it's likely that whatever colorant was used to make it appear to be "cherry" was degraded over time by UV. You'll need to refinish to restore an even color across the room.

[Josko Catipovic]

Folks, I'll try to gety some pictures posted. Meanwhile, I built this kitchen in '91 with 18" wide curly cherry veneer from Certainly Wood. Is there really no chance that cherry might fade after 25 yrs in direct sunlight?

[Steve Schoene]

Yes cherry typically darkens in light, BUT having done that excessive light can actually fade cherry, as most woods fade in light. Sanding the cherry would bring it back to its light colored initial color. That would then darken. It would stay dark if kept out of unfiltered direct sun, but could bleach with lots of light over long periods. Drapes or double pane windows could prevent fading.

[John TenEyck]

Steve has it right. All woods will fade with enough exposure to direct sunlight. I was in a house in Germany that had floor to ceiling windows on a mostly S. facing wall. Across the room was a stairway made with what I though was some blonde wood. When I asked the homeowner what the wood was he said cherry. I asked if it had once looked like the red/brown cherry we all know and he said it had, but started fading a year or two after the house was built.

So, back to the OP's problem. Yes, scraping or sanding the faded panels will get you down to un-oxidized wood and that will look like fresh cherry, as Steve said. To keep them from fading again, I would do two things. I'd get a UV film applied to the windows/doors where the sun is coming through, and I would use a finish with a dual UV package in it. GF, Sherwin Williams, Target Coatings, and I'm sure others all make one or more products with good dual UV packages in them. The dual UV package: one component keeps the finish from aging, the other keeps the underlying wood from oxidizing. Between the window film and UV package in the finish you could expect 10+ years w/o much change in color.

John

[Art Mann]

Cherry veneer may very well behave differently in the sunlight than solid cherry. I built a solid cherry curio cabinet about 12 years ago and put it in a South facing sunroom here in the sunny Deep South. About the only way it could have received more sunlight is if I brought it out onto the deck every day. The color is a dark reddish brown and there is no sign of fading whatsoever.