A cherry wood bed frame is not cheap. A solid one runs a couple thousand dollars for a queen, and you can get a decent-looking bed for a lot less. So the fair question is whether the extra money gets you anything.
I think it does. Most beds look their best on day one and then slowly get scuffed and tired. Cherry does the opposite the color gets deeper every year, and the frame stays tight, and if you ever get sick of it, you can sell it. There are a couple of things the money won’t fix, though, and there are a lot of fake “cherry” beds out there, so I’ll cover those too.
A Cherry Wood Bed Frame Costs More Up Front But Lasts For Decades
Money first, since that’s what scares people off. When I looked at Vermont Woods Studios, their solid cherry queen platform beds were listed anywhere from $1,663 to $3,738, and the cheapest one was a clearance piece. That’s a lot for something you sleep on.
But think about how long you keep it. Cherry is a real hardwood it stays stable once it’s dried, and holds glue and screws well, so a well-made frame stays tight for a long time. I found a solid cherry bed from the mid-1800s listed for sale on Chairish, still sturdy enough to use. So if you like decorating with antique pieces, you’ll run into cherry a lot.
The math is easy. If a $2,400 bed lasts you 30 years, that comes out to $80 a year. Spread out like that, the price stops looking so crazy.
And you’re not stuck with it. Solid wood can be sanded down and refinished, so a scratched cherry bed can look new again or be sold to somebody else. You can’t really do that with a veneer bed once the thin top layer chips.
The Color Gets Deeper Every Year You Own It
This is my favorite thing about cherry, and it surprises a lot of first-time buyers. New cherry is pale. It’s more of a pinkish tan than the dark red people picture, which can be a letdown when the bed first arrives.
Give it time. Air and sunlight darken the wood, and it happens faster than you’d think. Thos. Moser, a furniture maker in Maine, says around 80% of the color change is done in the first six to twelve months, and then it keeps getting richer for another three or four years. You end up with that deep reddish-brown you see on old furniture. Woodworkers call it patina.
The cherry wood aging color change is normal, so don’t panic and call the store if your bed looks different in month six than it did in month one. You’re getting a better-looking bed every year for free, and I can’t think of much else in a bedroom that does that.
Two Things The Extra Money Does Not Fix
Cherry Dents Easier Than Oak Or Maple
It’s a hardwood, but it’s on the softer end. Hardness gets measured on the Janka scale, which is how much force it takes to push a small steel ball halfway into the wood, and cherry lands near the bottom of the usual furniture woods.
| Wood | Janka Hardness (lbf) |
| Hard maple | 1,450 |
| White oak | 1,360 |
| Red oak | 1,290 |
| Black walnut | 1,010 |
| Black cherry | 950 |
| Southern yellow pine | 690 |
So it’s tougher than pine but softer than oak and maple. On a bed, that means the side rails and footboard will pick up a few dings from the vacuum, a belt buckle, moving day. I can live with that, because small dents don’t show much on dark wood. If a single mark is going to bug you, buy oak or maple and skip cherry.
Covered Spots Stay Pale For A While
Light darkens wood, so any spot that’s covered stays lighter. On a bed, that’s usually the part of the headboard behind your pillows, or the side that faces away from the window. Thos. Moser calls it shadowing. The pale spots do catch up once they get some light, and it’s mostly a first-year thing.
Check That You Are Paying For A Solid Cherry Wood Bed
Before you pay cherry prices, make sure it is cherry. Many beds sold as “cherry finish” or “dark cherry” have no cherry in them. They’re a cheaper wood, or pressed board, with a red-brown stain on top. They look fine in photos. They won’t age the same way, and they aren’t worth solid wood money.
A quick way to read dark cherry vs. light cherry bed frame listings if it’s light and labeled natural, it’s usually real wood with a clear coat, and it’ll darken on its own. If it’s already very dark and very even on day one, that’s usually stain. Not always, because some makers do stain real cherry, so read the listing and look for the words solid cherry. Cherry takes stain badly anyway. It can come out blotchy, which is why it’s often left unstained.
Oh, and the “cherry blossom wood bed frame” people search for isn’t really a thing. Furniture cherry comes from the American black cherry tree. The pink blossom trees in parks are grown for looks.
The Bed Stays The Same While The Room Changes
Part of what you’re paying for is a bed you won’t need to replace when your taste changes. Cherry comes in pretty much every shape a low platform bed, a plain Shaker frame, a mid-century modern cherry bed with tapered legs, a big curved sleigh bed. My pick is the plainest one you can find, because the wood is the pretty part and carving gets in the way.
It also goes well with a lot of colors. Cherry leans red-orange, so it looks best next to cooler ones
- Walls: sage green, dusty blue or navy. Cream or warm white if you want to play it safe.
- Bedding: plain white sheets, with oatmeal or tan linen on top.
- Rug: jute, or an old faded rug with some blue in it.
The one thing I’d stay away from is peach or yellow-toned paint, since warm walls plus warm wood make the whole room look orange. Other than that, you can repaint and swap the bedding in your primary bedroom every few years, and the bed still fits.
Simple Care Keeps A Cherry Bed Looking Good For Decades
You don’t have to baby it. Caring for cherry wood furniture comes down to a few habits.
- Dust it with a dry or slightly damp microfiber cloth: no all-purpose spray and nothing with ammonia.
- If it has an oil or wax finish, wax or oil it once or twice a year. Rub in a thin coat of beeswax polish or furniture oil and buff it off. A lacquer or polyurethane finish only needs cleaning, so ask the seller which one you have.
- Let light hit the whole bed evenly in the first year. Don’t leave a blanket folded over the footboard for months, and move the pillows off the headboard occasionally.
- Keep the headboard away from radiators and heating vents. Dry heat is rough on any solid wood.
Quick Answers Before You Buy
Is Cherry Wood Good For A Bed Frame?
Yes. It’s a stable hardwood that lasts for decades and gets better-looking with age. It does dent more easily than oak.
Does Cherry Wood Darken Over Time?
Yes. It goes from a pale pinkish tan to a deep reddish brown, and most of that happens in the first year.
How Do You Keep A Cherry Wood Bed Frame From Scratching?
Lift things over the rails instead of dragging them, keep belts and bags off the footboard, and keep the finish waxed. Light scratches in an oil finish can usually be buffed out and oiled again.
Buy Solid Cherry Once And Let It Age
So yes, I think a solid cherry wood bed frame is worth the money, as long as it’s the real wood and you’re okay with a few dings. You pay once, and it keeps getting better-looking, and when you’re done with it, you can hand it down or sell it. I’d take that over a cheaper bed that looks worn in a few years.
What’s your bed made of right now? Would you swap it for cherry? Tell me in the comments.
