Loading…
23
Told a guy in Denver to stop sanding to 320 before stain and he finally tried it
I was at a shop in Denver last month helping a buddy dial in his finish schedule, and he was sanding every face to 320 before stain, then wondering why his maple came out blotchy and dull. I told him to stop at 150, raise the grain with a wet rag, knock it back with 180, and stain right after. He texted me 5 days later with a photo, the color was even and the film built way faster. Same wood, same stain, the only thing that changed was 170 grits of wasted work. Curious how many of you stop sanding at 150 or 180 before stain.
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
the_wren20d ago
Did it ever occur to you that the 320 might have been covering up a different problem? I have seen plenty of guys get lucky with a one-time test and then swear by it forever, but try that same schedule on cherry or a soft maple and watch what happens. Stopping at 150 leaves scratches that stain loves to grab, and half the time you do not see them until the topcoat hits and the light rakes across it. Raising the grain with water can also lift fibers unevenly if the wood was not prepped right in the first place. Your buddy got a good result once, but that does not mean 170 grits of work was wasted, it just means his wood and stain happened to line up that day.
1