Wood Finishing Tips (page 2 of 5)

Change Text Size

Change Text Size
|
Bookmark

Bookmark

Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
|
Print
|
E-Mail

Images from this article

javascript:void(0);

Sand With The Grain

Sand with the grain when hand-sanding or using a belt sander. Scratches are hard to see when they run parallel to the grain. But even the lightest scratches across the grain are obvious, especially after staining.

Hand-Sand the Curves

Click image to enlarge.
Sand curved surfaces—and other areas an electric sander can’t reach—by hand. Treat all areas equally, using the same progression of sandpaper grits for both hand and power sanding.

Progress From Coarse to Finer

Progress from coarse to finer and finer sandpaper. Whether you’re sanding by hand or using a power tool, start with 80-grit to sand away blemishes, then use 120-grit and finally 180-grit. Using these exact grits isn’t vital (100-150-180 works too), but it’s important to progress in steps, removing deeper scratches and leaving finer scratches each time.

Don’t Sand Through the Stain

When sanding between coats, it’s easy to rub right through the clear coat, removing the stain below. So sand super lightly after the first coat, just enough to cut down any dust whiskers on the surface. If there are bigger problems—such as runs—deal with them after the second coat when you can sand a bit harder. To repair rubbed-through spots, just apply new stain. Immediately wipe away any stain that gets on the surrounding polyurethane.

Sand Without Leaving Scratches

Click image to enlarge.
A random orbital sander leaves scratches that are practically invisible, so you can sand across joints where grain changes direction. But move slowly (about 1 inch per second) and apply light pressure. Otherwise, you’ll get swirly scratches (above).

Watch for Blotchy Wood

Some woods absorb stain unevenly, which causes dark blotches to appear. Birch, maple, pine and cherry can all play this ugly trick on you. It’s hard to eliminate this effect, but you can limit it by applying a wood conditioner before staining. Conditioner also prevents wood’s end grain from absorbing more stain than the face grain. Get a quart at a home center for about $8.