Janka Hardness Rating 950 - American cherry floors, whether you prefer a classic hardwood or just the look of cherry color spectrums are beautiful on the surface. Lighter colors will complement a more traditional home look, as they are similar in shade to a pine or a birch, but with a slightly pinkish hue. Deeper shades are also possible with cherry, as the wood naturally darkens with exposure to light. When sealed with a transparent polyurethane coating, cherry wood floors will get about 25 percent darker over the course of its lifetime.