There's no reason you can't get this pine shelf to look like cherry.
Pine is a common wood for furniture and interior fixtures. Generally, it's a soft wood with a uniform grain texture and a naturally smooth finish. Pine is so suitable for inside the home because it holds its shape exceptionally well. It's not given to warping, swelling, shrinking, checking or splitting. Most varieties of pine come in deep cream and light yellow shades, although there's no reason you can't stain them to look like cherry wood, if you approach the task strategically. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Attach a piece of 80-grit sandpaper to the bottom of an electric sander. Run the sander across the surface of pine. Also focus on smoothing out any knots in the pine. Repeat with 200-grit sandpaper and a 300-grit piece of sandpaper.
2. Wipe off the pine with a tack cloth. Tape down the back of the knots and gaps in the pine. Pour some light-colored epoxy onto a paper plate. Dip a paintbrush into the epoxy and swab it lightly over the knots or gaps in the pine. Allow the epoxy to dry and remove the tape.
3. Mix 2 cups raw linseed oil and 2 cups turpentine in a bucket with a paint stirrer. Dip a 3-inch wide nylon brush into the linseed oil and turpentine and wipe down the pine wood. Allow it to soak in and wipe off the excess with a lint-free cloth.
4. Dip a foam brush in cherry colored oil-based stain. Cover the pine wood with a generous coat. Allow it soak in for 10 to 15 minutes and wipe off the excess with a lint-free cloth. Allow it to dry overnight.
5. Press a piece of 500-grit sandpaper onto the bottom of an electric sander. Run the sander across the surface area of the pine. Wipe it down with a tack cloth.
6. Dip a foam brush into the oil-based cherry stain and apply a generous coat. Allow it to soak for 10 to 15 minutes and wipe off the excess with a lint-free cloth.
7. Dip a fresh 3-inch-wide paint brush into tinted cherry colored shellac. This will finish the wood and help even out the appearance of any blotchy spots. Allow it to dry overnight.
Tags: Allow soak, brush into, excess with, excess with lint-free, lint-free cloth