Question
Some months ago, we installed a cherry cabinet with 1 1/2" adjustable shelves, stained and lacquered. There is a lot of UV penetration in the room. Recently, the clients have moved some shelves and now see light horizontal stripes where the shelves used to be. I've consulted a few finishers, most of whom say the stripes will darken over time and blend back in. Has anyone had to deal with a similar situation?
Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor C:
Sure - happens a lot. Must be an open cabinet - am I right? If you leave it long enough it will finally blend in, but is the customer patient enough to wait that long? Are the shelves going back in at a different level or are they not using them anymore? Is this purely a natural cherry finish, or have you colored it - stain/dye etc.? One time I had to tape and paper an area and hit it with UV light to blend it in - 300a V light - to get it done quickly. If you try toning it or touch up, it will then get darker than the rest.
I use the portable light and also have a bench light. You will see many listed - they specify which is best for paint and coatings. 300aUV is best for weathering results. Some can oxidize a wood surface such as cherry in an hour or less. I only recommended it because taking down a cabinet and moving somewhere for sunlight to create the same results seems unnecessary when it can be accomplished in an hour without the extra labor. I've also used it in shops on occasion for quickly blending out partially oxidized panels carelessly stacked where part of the board was oxidized - here again by taping off and exposing the unaffected areas to the UV, or also for quick oxidation of entire panels in large operations where that look was desired. But that cost mucho money - lots of lights needed, spaced close together. The operative word here is quick - if your customer does not care about how long it takes to catch up, you can still do as others have posted. I'm usually called in to be a problem solver, and my clients want fast results if possible.
PS: Check the progress of oxidation every 10 minutes to see how close it has come. Do not just assume it takes a set amount of time. This is not something you can just walk away from. Stay on top of it until it's where it needs to be and wear protective UV glasses also!
