Color Changes in Wood Over Time
There are varied opinions on the reasons some wood species change over time. Most industry experts agree there are two main factors: oxidation (exposure to air) and UV (ultraviolet light) exposure. Most of today's applied finishes can slow the changes but don't halt the oxidation process. UV exposure from the sun's harmful rays will affect the initial color or finish, but over time, if exposed on a daily basis, it will change the color of your finish.
Even after trees are harvested into wood and then turned into cabinet doors and drawer fronts, it continues to change within its environment. Wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity and sunlight. Darker woods like cherry and mahogany typically show the greatest amount of change in color. Many lighter-colored woods, such as oak and maple (above) prove to be a little more color-fast. Color changes in wood tend to be the most dramatic in the first year. Tip: If you have items that you can move around - like furniture - it will help to move these items around away from the sunlight so the color doesn't change as much. With items like kitchen cabinets or flooring, once they are installed, there is not much you can do to protect them from the exposure.
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Cabinet Doors and
Drawer Fronts unfinished. We believe that you have a better chance to match an older cabinet door that has changed over time with a stain, varnish or paint that matches perfectly to the new cabinet door. Ironically, you can actually use sunlight for a brief period to bring the new unfinished cabinet doors closer to its final color before adding color. As a basic rule, light woods will darken and dark woods will lighten with exposure. Clear finishes cannot even prevent changes over time. Dry woods can also change due to exposure to water and heat as well.
As explained above, different wood species react differently to environmental changes. One of the difficult things when working with wood is the range of colors you can find within a single species like cherry and maple. Cherry, after it is cut, is normally a light pink color, yet most people think of cherry as a deep, dark red. Cherry usually ends up looking more brown than red. Stains or dyes helps create that dark red coloring over time. Expect that matching an existing cabinet door to an older cabinet door may take months or years to do as the wood matures.
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