Hello,
I am in the process of refinishing an old dresser SWMBO really likes for the kitchen. We stuck it in there to temporarily hold the microwave when we first bought the house... and it has temporarily been there for 14 years now.
In any event, she really likes the thing and all the drawers. (I think it's a little funky but I ain't got no vote on the matter.)
Well, time has come to refinish the darn thing. It is over 40 years old and was stained a maple hue.
I have always thought the thing to be pine or something like that. But when I stripped the shellac and did a little sanding, I find...cherry!
Well, the cabinets are oak and the kitchen table is oak-stained pine. So SWMBO figures we need to stain the dresser oak.
Now, I am still sort of new to this hobby but it seems to me that it would be sacrilegious to stain something made out of cherry anything but, well, cherry. Or just a natural stain. I have a bunch of Minwax Antique Oil that I think would look good but she doesn't like it. She says it makes the piece look too light and doesn't go with the rest of the kitchen.
She kinda drives me nuts with this matching wood junk but then again, if she had her way, every piece of wood in the house would be painted if she were to totally have it her way.
So I am stepping gingerly here...I want it to look like wood but not oak-stained cherry! I think that would look terrible. If I used cherry Watco, would that darken it enough but not make it too, well, red?
Am I asking stupid questions?
Any advice is welcome!