American Cherry

American Cherry

Cherry is the timber that gets better after you hand the job over. American cherry (Prunus serotina) leaves the yard a light pinkish brown and ripens over the first year or two into the deep warm reddish brown people actually picture when they ask for cherry, so a piece you build now looks considerably richer by its second birthday. That, plus a fine even texture that machines and carves beautifully, is why it is a favourite for fitted furniture, kitchen doors, panelling and turned work. Imported from the United States and stocked in our yard for delivery across Ireland in thicknesses from 26 to 52 mm, kiln dried, with FSC and PEFC certified supply available on request. Sold by the cubic foot and priced on enquiry.

Why American Cherry?

It is one of the most pleasant timbers we stock to actually work with. Moderate density at around 580 kg per cubic metre means it is easy on tooling and easy to handle, it holds detail crisply, it glues without complaint and it sands to a surface that feels finished before you have put anything on it. It is also stable once dried, so wide doors and panels stay flat.

The thing to know is that cherry is unforgiving about anything that blocks light. Because the colour deepens with UV exposure, whatever is sitting on the surface during those first months leaves its mark permanently. A fruit bowl left in one place on a new table, or a run of doors where one is hung facing a window and the next is in shadow, will cure to visibly different shades. The fix is simple: expose the whole piece evenly for the first few months and move objects around. It also has small gum pockets and pin knots as a natural feature, which some clients love and some do not, so it is worth showing a board before you specify it.

Installation guidance

Acclimatise it for two to three weeks in the room it will live in, stickered flat and off the floor with air to both faces, before you machine anything. Cherry is stable but it is not immune, and a wide door that was cut cold and dry will move once it meets a heated house.

Take light finishing cuts and keep tooling sharp. Cherry is prone to burning, particularly on router cuts and cross cuts, and a burn mark on a pale timber shows through the finish. Allow wide panels to expand across their width with slotted fixings or buttons rather than screwing solid.

Finishing & maintenance

This is interior timber, so keep it simple. A penetrating hardwax oil is the usual choice, warming the colour immediately and letting you repair a scratch locally rather than stripping a whole surface. A lacquer gives a harder, more spill resistant film for a kitchen or a heavily used top.

Avoid stain. Cherry blotches badly under pigmented stain because of its fine uneven pore structure, and it is a self defeating exercise anyway when the timber is going to darken on its own. If you need to even out colour, use a wash coat or a gel stain and test on offcuts first. We stock finishes suited to cherry, so ask us which to pair with yours. Beyond that, wipe spills promptly and clean with a barely damp cloth.