Actually, going very dark is NOT the only way to minimize red in Brazilian Cherry. Standard wood bleach removes quite a bit of the red. After bleaching it can be stained or finished natural. When finished natural it looks a lot like Teak. Using a light sealer like Bona ClassicSeal and Mega HD Clear or Traffic keeps it much lighter. Using oil poly will make it darker, give it more life, be more durable and less costly (especially compared to Traffic). The picture below shows a bleached Brazilian Cherry sample (oil based on the left, water based on the right) sitting on a Brazilian Cherry floor finished with Bona Naturale.
Finding a floor finisher that's familiar with bleaching might be a bit of a challenge but it's not particularly difficult. Mix parts A & B 1:1, apply two coats with full coverage but don't puddle. The floor needs to be very clean before application or it can streak. When picking a color, keep in mind that the wood will still darken as it does normally. This is as more of an issue if you go natural rather than bleaching and staining.
Q
