Why Should You Consider Cherry Wood…or Not?

Why Should You Consider Cherry Wood…or Not?

When we talk about choosing the kind of solid wood furniture or wood flooring we want for our homes, there are, without a doubt, a lot of choices. Depending on the look you want for your living space or the budget you have set, the kind of wood you choose could affect your overall aesthetic, your budget, your cleaning routine, and even your vow to live a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

One of the top choices for solid wood is cherry wood. Cherry is a fine, straight-grain hardwood that traditional woodworkers and carpenters have used for many years because of its quality. It provides a moderately hard texture, extreme strength, and good shock resistance. 

Apart from its durability, cherry wood is also known for its exquisite beauty. Cherry wood usually displays a range of colors, from reddish-brown to blond, but is best known for its deep red and brown hues. Because of cherry wood’s quality, this hardwood is used for several different interior furnishing and design needs. In fact, cabinetmakers and carpenters during colonial times frequently used cherry.

Should you consider purchasing furniture or flooring made out of cherry wood? We break down to you the pros and cons of getting one.

Advantages of Cherry Wood

1. Exotic color

Cherry wood is exotic, exquisite, and beautiful, a variety of wood that does not need a lot of enhancements. Cherry wood is known for its striking signature deep red exterior color, but cherry wood is more fascinating because it is usually two-toned wood, with its interior boasting a light, yellow, and brownish tint. 

Cherrywood also comes in many different varieties. As such, it can be possible to display its fascinating beauty in your home in many different forms.

2. Durability

People invest in solid wood furniture because of its longevity and durability. Cherrywood is no exception. 

Cherry wood is known for its strength, durability, and dependability. It is among the go-to wood types for furniture makers when making pieces aimed to hold heavier items over time. As such, cherry wood is a perfect pick for a cabinet or for wood flooring.  

Interestingly, cherry wood is also capable of fighting off insects and even fungi. How about that for a wood that can remain as strong as it was when you first brought it home and be passed down for generations? 

3. Flexible

While some woods are harder to work with to bring out the outcome we desire, cherry wood is not like that. Cherry wood can add a lot of interest, color, and beauty to simple and minimalist furniture designs. Because of this, cherry wood is often the raw material used in making armoires, dining room tables, nightstands, and dressers.

Apart from furniture known for intricate detailing, cherry wood is also used to make cabinets, wood instruments, flooring, and even boat interiors. Talk about versatility and flexibility.

Disadvantages of Cherry Wood

While cherry wood is a beauty that beacons, cherry wood is also not for everyone. Here are a few reasons why cherry wood is not worth spending on.

1. Expensive

While cherry wood is desirable, it often comes with a hefty price tag. 

Cherry wood is considered a premium, fine-grade wood type, and cherry wood is on the pricier side compared to other types of timber, like oak or maple. The price of cherry wood type of furniture has seen a spike of 15 to 20%.

However, cherry wood is expensive for a good reason. 

Because of its versatility, cherry wood is adored by furniture makers and has been a substitute for mahogany in making fine furniture pieces. It comes in a wide range of colors and has a straight-grain, uniform, satiny, fine, and smooth texture with a moderate natural luster which allows it to take on a clear finish. Moreover, cherry wood is relatively strong and undeniably durable. This is despite it being an intermediate to lightweight specie due to its 12 percent moisture content, making cherry wood weigh 34.9 pounds per cubic foot.

In short, the advantages earlier mentioned contributes to its price. We can also safely assume that the benefits outweigh the cost of cherry wood.

2. Darkens over time

This one is a bit polarizing. Some people consider this a beauty, while some consider it a reason to strike out the possibility of buying cherry wood.

Cherry wood reacts to sunlight, and as it is exposed to the light, it darkens over time. Moreover, Ultraviolet (UV) light speeds up this darkening process. This darkening process begins when cherry wood is first cut, revealing a pale color. As it is slowly bathed in the light, the wood gradually turns into the rich brown-red shade cherry wood has been known for.

Cherry wood’s natural darkening makes cherry wood furniture much more interesting. As it darkens, it brings out different grains and patterns. While this might sound fascinating to others, the unpredictability of the discoloration is a turn-off for some. 

Conclusion

There are a lot of reasons why cherry wood is a great choice when it comes to solid wood furniture.

As mentioned, cherry wood features uniform grain and a fine smooth texture which furniture makers prefer. It is a flexible, workable material that makes cherry wood and an excellent choice for furniture that boasts exquisite and intricate carvings. Cherry wood also is known for its beautifully rich and exotic deep red color and nice polish.

Cherrywood is also a durable kind of timber. Its strength and durability would give you a premium for your money, especially since it is considered a pricier wood variant. To make a more proper comparison, cherry wood is relatively expensive compared to oak or maple but less expensive than most other premium wood choices like mahogany.

Get Cherry Wood Furniture at T.Y. Fine Furniture

Cherry wood is a popular choice of furniture material because of its unique color. Unfortunately, many manufacturers don’t build from actual cherry wood for their cherry furniture. Instead, they use cheaper wood and finish the material with a reddish stain or dye to pass it off as cherry. 

A low-quality reddish stain cannot compete with natural cherry wood’s beauty. With T.Y. Fine Furniture, you get the assurance that the material used is 100% solid wood. We carefully choose every slab of cherry wood to ensure grain and color quality. 

We also don’t use stains or dyes to enhance the color - we complete each piece of cherry wood furniture with our propriety organic wood finish that does not contain coloring, only food-grade ingredients that protect the wood. 

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