Sanding Wood Furniture

Usually you will have to make a concession either to surface smoothness or to color acceptance.

Sanding wood furniture. For most types of wood this is the finest grit you ll need. Sanding wood can get boring but you can finish this tedious chore in as much as half the time and with better results if you know a few tricks. The best way to stain wood is to prepare the wood surface by sanding it with a sanding block or orbital sander.

For sanding corners the suggested power tool is the detail sander with a triangular sanding pad. Fine grits such as 220 are frequently used for a final light sanding just before applying stain to the wood. Spraying the furniture with a power washer or high pressure hose not only removes dirt and debris but often removes excess flaking of the original finish.

Carvings especially shallow ones must be treated carefully. Medium grits such as 120 and 150 are useful for removing old finish or scratches. Wood with a very dense grain like ebony may require one additional sanding step with 320 or 400 grit paper to eliminate visible scratches.

For finish sanding on most furniture hardwoods e g cherry and mahogany use 180 grit or 220 grit. Apply a generous coat of sealant all over the furniture. Because coarse sanding could blur the lines of the carving use only fine grit sandpaper grades 5 0 and 6 0 to smooth the stripped wood.

Once the item has thoroughly dried sanding is typically required to remove the remaining finish and ensure a smooth and even surface. Medium and fine grades of sandpaper are generally used in refinishing furniture and antiques. The use of grits up to 600 is certainly allowed but is not standard practice.

But this one does a better job in every way as sanding tight corners is no big deal. Wipe down the whole surface with a tack cloth to remove any dust from sanding. You ll find a lot of similarities between an orbital sander and a detail sander.