Thomas;
…that you are using PolyShades® “because you want to”. Even Minwax doesn’t have the power to force anyone to use this stuff. Unfortunately, your response pretty much ended any further suggestions with respect to your chosen finish. If I may, however, I will proceed on the assumption that your objective is/was to obtain a darker, more aged cherry finish. I can think of no other reason to color cherry with a walnut stain. Given that (if it is accurate) PolyShades® comes with some baggage that you could avoid (or could have avoided) with a different approach. PS is nothing more than Minwax polyurethane with a heavy pigment load added—it is stain in which the binder is the topcoat. While on the surface this may seem to be a good idea; in practice, putting this much opaque pigment in a finish presents some very real problems. Even commercial pigment based toners do not include anywhere near as much pigment as is found in PS. The biggest of these problems is the tendency of PS to streak if the finish film laid down is not perfectly uniform. Beyond that, the heavy pigment load in the finish necessary to provide both “stains and topcoat” in one step significantly diminishes the subtle (and not so subtle) grain and figure features of the wood to which it is applied. In the DIY segment of the market (the target audience of PS) these deficiencies may not be an issue when PS is applied to the typical unfinished furniture project. But, when finishing furniture and cabinetry projects, especially those made from more desirable and expensive hardwoods, most experienced woodworkers/finishers would like to achieve their objective without sacrificing the clarity of the wood being finished.
A better approach (in my view) would have been the application of a water-soluble dye. Many flavors are available that would impart the same red/brown tones to cherry without the grain and figure robbing opaque pigment film. I would then have applied a clear topcoat in the sheen of your choice. Finally, before the last coat of finish was applied I would have filled the brad holes with a color coordinated finishers wax stick selected to match the color of the shelf. These filler sticks are available from a number of sources in both sticks and tubs. Simply pack the filler into the holes, wipe away all excess not in the hole and apply the last coat of finish.
If you have already gone the PS route you may want to hold this option in reserve for your next project. I suspect the visually different result produced will eliminate any future desire to use PolyShades®, unless you are forced to do so…
Steve
