Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/1/2009

Question
I have a custom made pantry cabinet made of maple with cherry trim.  One of the doors warped after a few months.  We replaced the door and now the color of the cherry trim does not match.  Is there anything we can do to speed up the aging (darken) of the cherry trim so that it will more closely match the original door?

Answer
Eileen,

The only way I know to darken Cherry is to expose it to UV rays. That's what creates that "suntan" on the finish. It will probably darken over time, and even out, but to speed things along, you can expose it to sunlight.

I can suggest a couple of things, but you have to realize that sun exposure usually includes the heat that goes along with it. And heat isn't good for wood, as it can lose some internal moisture and crack.

If you have an area in your home that gets a lot of sunshine, maybe you could removed the door and leave it in a sunny area. The change will be subtle, but it WILL darken.

I've known some woodworkers to use a sunlamp to darken wood. This would be pretty effective, sort of like putting your door into a sun tanning booth. So if you have access to one of those, or even just a suntan bulb, you could just expose the door to that light. How long? It's hard to say, but I would try a 15 minute session (or two) every day, until you achieve the desired color.

Your eye isn't going to be able to notice the subtle change, so make sure you compare the door to the other wood you're trying to match. You don't want to go overboard!

Good luck, hope this helps. In this case, UV rays will be your friend for fixing this problem. Write back if you need more help.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com