Cherry doesn't take stain well at all and I find it very orangey. It's not my favorite. If you want a comparable wood that does take stain well, look at alder.

My cherry cabinets are the lightest "reddish" stain my cabinet mfg.(Crown Point) had available. I also thought natural cherry was too "orange" for me, and I wanted my cabinets to have more "reddish" tones as they aged. I was told that staining cherry would help control the aging process somewhat, but I didn't want a dark stain. Exposing cherry to light(natural or artificial) will darken it over time. I covered half of my sample with paper, and left it out in the sun for three days. After three days I uncovered it, and it had indeed darkened vs. the original color.

I have not seen any splotchy areas -my cabinets have been installed for four years, and have obviously darkened a bit, they're now more "mellow", and I really like the way they look.

When I was doing my initial research into cherry cabinets, I noticed that some cabinets had very light "streaks" or areas that were much lighter in color than the surrounding wood. This occurs when the manufacturer uses "sap" wood. This wood does not take stain very well, and will never darken. As the rest of the wood darkens, the contrast becomes even more obvious. Also, there are various grades of cherry, i.e. more or less knots, worm holes, etc.

I don't have any experience with red birch, but I'm sure others will be able to answer that question.

Rich

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen pics

I am not a fan of orange at all. We had natural (clear-finish cherry) in our previous home (photo below), which I didn't think of as orange, but instead saw a rich red tone to it. Now we have Douglas Fir, which I was really afraid would seem orange, and, at least, is more orange-yellow than the cherry, but I don't even perceive the fir as orange in person...just a warm, light wood color.

Thank you all for responding, and rhome and athomedad for sending pictures! I love the China Gold slate tiles on your floor, Rich.

You said your cabinets weren't splotchy - perhaps your cabinet-maker uses a different stain and finishing process? I googled Crown Point - were your cabinets made in New Hampshire? Maybe I need to choose a different cabinet-maker! (But I am far from New Hampshire!)

My cabinets are cherry too, and they aren't splotchy. They are stained, but I don't think they're orange at all - more brownish-red. Like Rich said, you have to specify NO sapwood when you order - and make sure whomever you order from understands and can deliver on that.

I just today finally posted my finished kitchen photos in the gallery if you want to see another example of no-sapwood cherry.

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Minnesota Kitchen

Thanks for posting this thread Janet and to Rich and rhome410 with their insight and pics as well. Originally our plans were to go with a "honey spice" stained maple, but since our visit to the cabinet manufacturer, my wife has taken a liking to the natural clear cherry. Just the opposite, when we were deciding the wood species for the flooring to be used. She felt the cherry exibited to much red or orange when we layed down some samples in the space...maybe it's because of the different plane of surface the wood exibits for her. Oh well...I'll see if I can make it work along these lines, but would like to even the toning to attained by the examples shown by the posted pics.

Both Rich's/rhome410's examples are the range I've been thinking, although our space will be bright, just not to the degree of direct sunlight as Rich's (west side, large overhangs, ~2 hours in late afternoon).

Sorry Janet, I don't mean to take away from your posting, just wanted to comment that your issue is helping my as well and staying tuned...

I've never heard that cherry doesn't take stain well. It is maple that has the bad reputation for splotching. DH is a long-time wood worker and just happens to think it's sacrilegious to stain cherry! ;-)

Cherry will darken with age In our shop we have to be careful not to place anything on cherry tops/doors that are laying around during construction.

Splotching/Blotching is cased whent he stain is absorbed unevenly by the wood.

Alder, Cherry and Maple (close grained woods) can all
blotch depending on the stain used. Minwax is mostly a consumer grade stain that is notorious for blotching and taking a long time to dry. There are differnt techniques to avoid blotching, or dye stains can be used.

Some companies grade cherry cabinets with different names that range from sappy, to sap on the backs of doors, to all heartwood.

PM me if you have specific questions to make sure your on the same page with your cabinet company.

brent
Nashville, TN

Brent,
Thanks for offering to answer questions. I'm new to kitchen remodeling, and have never had cabinets made.
A friend used my cabinet maker, and she said that he easily matched her sample of dark-stained oak. For some reason, he gave me a cherry board, and suggested I go to a local paint store. I did get a custom stain that looked very nice on the board. We have a cherry table, so I know that cherry wood can be different colors and grains - but when my cabinetmaker put the stain on a larger board, it was much browner, and had some horizontal rough areas where the stain took differently, and some larger areas that were quite a bit darker. Even the grain was not clear and beautiful like my table, but a little fuzzy.
I don't know it the stain is the problem -as you said, not a high quality, or an odd pigment. The stain was custom, and I believe the Hirschfield's store brand was used, but that store also has Pratt and Lambert stain that I could try. In my area, I could also go to Sherwin Williams. Another thought - could it be the quality of the sanding or grit of the sandpaper??
Is there a specific technique that you would recommend for putting a light stain ( slightly brown to offset my perception of orange) on cherry? I think that my cabinet maker is trying to lead me towards a clear finish on cherry to avoid splotching. He also frequently comments that alder has a grain like cherry and that most people can't tell the difference. I thought that his sample of stained alder ( it was dark brown) also looked somewhat splotchy, and I have heard that it is a soft wood and mars more easily. I thought the clear stain on alder was beautiful on both the alder and cherry, but I wonder how long I'd have to live with orange in the cherry!
I'd appreciate it if you have any comments on stain brands that you'd recommend, or a way to finish cherry in a light stain so that the grain shows beautifully. Thanks for wading through this!
Janet

Our natural cherry shaker cabinets were just installed. We had them choose the most uniform pieces of wood (with the least blond streaks and sapwood) and we're very pleased with the result. We prefered a more uniform, subtle, contemporary look to the more varied, rustic look cherry can have sometimes. It is a warm, reddish hue. It will darken over the next few months.

Our cabinets are from Glenwood in Canada, and with shipping they were VERY reasonable. The workmanship is great and they are basically custom at semi-custom price. They will make any size/shape you need.

They also use low-VOC, formaldehyde-free glues and finishes, which was important to me.

Janet, is the orangeness still bothering you in the photos I posted above? We put in our cabinets in phases, so I had the chance to see the difference between new cabinets and the cherry that had been installed for awhile. I think it was only about 3 wks, 6 at the most, until I couldn't detect any difference...The darkening starts immediately. I'm not sure how long it continues, but the most noticeable and drastic change happens over weeks, not months or years.

Here are more photos of our cherry cabinetry, just in case it helps you know if you'll like it or hate it:

I personally don't believe cherry should be stained. As a woodworker, and as a consumer, I always have preferred the look of cherry that has been oiled, but not stained. That's just my preference, of course, but cherry is such a nice clear-grained wood with such a rich intrinsic color that it seems a shame to muddy it with stains.

As others have said, the wood will darken in color with age and exposure to light. The effect is more dramatic early, with far more color change in the first couple of years than the next five years.

As to whether the color is too orange, well, that's a preference thing. I certainly don't consider it so, but you might. However, keep in mind that the color will change subtly in time.

For an example, we had cabinets built for our house from air-dried walnut and cherry lumber that was logged from my parents' farm. As per my instructions, the cabinets were only oiled and then coated with a clear polyurethane, not stained.

Here's what the cabinets looked like when I helped the cabinetmaker unload them from his truck in 2004, before they were installed:

{{!gwi}}

Here's what they looked like in 2008, after four years:

{{!gwi}}

The color is a deeper red by this time. In another century or two, it might be that deep black red that people think of as "antique cherry". :-)

Anyways, don't know if that helps.

--Steve

Hmm, I probably should've picked a different photo for the 2008 "after" shot, as I'm guessing my MIL (who took that photo) played with PhotoShop a fair bit to lighten it up.

Here's a closeup of a cabinet, also from 2008, which I think better shows what the current color is like:

{{!gwi}}

--Steve

rhome410 and Steve,
Thank you both for taking time to share your cabinet pictures with me! I can see why you love the natural cherry - the grain is so beautiful, and that is what attracted me to the wood, as well. Steve, the walnut/cherry combination is so unique; I've never seen anything like it!
Janet