Sanding a piece of wood sounds simple but done incorrectly can ruin even the finest piece of wood or furniture forever.
Deciding what steps are required to obtain a surface suitable for staining is the first thing to do on your list.
Has the wood been painted or stained before? Has the wood ever been sealed? These facts must be determined before you even start.
If a piece has been painted before, removing the paint to be able to use a regular wood stain is next to impossible.
Paint enters the pores of the wood and then removing it with chemical strippers is not only nasty work but never completely removes all traces of the paint.
This will effect the final finished appearance of the stain usually making it darker than what you desired.
Paint/stains which contain a great deal more solids then plain stains can make any sanded surface a thing of beauty.
They come in dozens of colors and act like stains in that they are more durable than just plain paint.
Testing a little paint/stain in a concealed place can tell you if the final finish is what you will be happy with in the end.
Bare wood on the other hand is a raw product ready for whatever finish you bring to it.
The condition of the bare wood will determine what grit sandpaper you use for the first sanding.
If the wood came from a saw mill, odds are it has a fairly rough surface.
If it came from a retail store, it will already have been planned and sanded to some degree of finish.
Sand paper comes in grits of all sizes from very rough #40-60 to very fine at #360-600.
Sandpaper is broken into two classes or types being Commercial and Industrial.
Industrial paper is more expensive and is used in manufacturing.
Commercial grades are what you get at hardware stores.
A number 80-120 paper is used for medium sanding to remove minor blemishes or scrapes.
After that using a 150-180 paper prepares the wood for it's stain.
A 220-240 paper is used between coats of stain to smooth any high spots and gently roughen the surface to accept the next coat of stain.
A 280-320 paper is used between coats of final sealer to remove any dust spots in the under layer before applying the next coat.
Now that you have all your paper in hand you will also need tack cloths to remove all traces of dust between sandings.
These cloths are available at your local paint store as well and are pretty cheap so grab a few.
Making sure your work area is a clean as possible, start with the heaviest grit paper you think you will need to start removing the rough surface.
If you are using a power belt sander be very careful as you can quickly remove too much wood and destroy the piece.
Here is the most important item to remember.
Always, always sand with the grain of the wood and not against or across it.
This will roughen the wood removing wood fibers in the process and leave a badly marred finished piece.
Move from your heaviest paper to the lightest at 150-180 and at that point you are ready to stain the piece of wood.
A single board can be ready in an hour, an entire piece of furniture can take days to prep properly.
Once you are happy with the sanding, use a tack cloth to completely and totally remove all dust from the piece.
Your entire work area needs to be vacuumed and swept to remove as much dust as possible.
Simply walking around a dusty room can stir dust making it go airborne and then land on your wet stain and ruin the finish.
After cleaning a work area it is a good idea to let the room sit overnight to let any loose dust settle and then to make as little movement in then morning when you stain.
Wipe the piece one more time with your tack cloth to remove anything that settled during the night and then begin your stain work.
Many stains require a sanding sealer be applied to seal the wood pores before you actually apply any finish stain.
Ask your store salesperson what they recommend for the stain type you have chosen.
Between each coat of stain you will lightly sand the piece using a 220-240 paper to remove bumps and lightly buff the finish to accept the next coat if it needs one.
Finish coats like polyurethane for example need to be lightly sanded between coats wiping the piece with a tack cloth each time until the desired number of coats are applied.
Follow these guidelines and you will have one fine looking piece of wood.
Pete Your Friendly Building Inspector
Deciding what steps are required to obtain a surface suitable for staining is the first thing to do on your list.
Has the wood been painted or stained before? Has the wood ever been sealed? These facts must be determined before you even start.
If a piece has been painted before, removing the paint to be able to use a regular wood stain is next to impossible.
Paint enters the pores of the wood and then removing it with chemical strippers is not only nasty work but never completely removes all traces of the paint.
This will effect the final finished appearance of the stain usually making it darker than what you desired.
Paint/stains which contain a great deal more solids then plain stains can make any sanded surface a thing of beauty.
They come in dozens of colors and act like stains in that they are more durable than just plain paint.
Testing a little paint/stain in a concealed place can tell you if the final finish is what you will be happy with in the end.
Bare wood on the other hand is a raw product ready for whatever finish you bring to it.
The condition of the bare wood will determine what grit sandpaper you use for the first sanding.
If the wood came from a saw mill, odds are it has a fairly rough surface.
If it came from a retail store, it will already have been planned and sanded to some degree of finish.
Sand paper comes in grits of all sizes from very rough #40-60 to very fine at #360-600.
Sandpaper is broken into two classes or types being Commercial and Industrial.
Industrial paper is more expensive and is used in manufacturing.
Commercial grades are what you get at hardware stores.
A number 80-120 paper is used for medium sanding to remove minor blemishes or scrapes.
After that using a 150-180 paper prepares the wood for it's stain.
A 220-240 paper is used between coats of stain to smooth any high spots and gently roughen the surface to accept the next coat of stain.
A 280-320 paper is used between coats of final sealer to remove any dust spots in the under layer before applying the next coat.
Now that you have all your paper in hand you will also need tack cloths to remove all traces of dust between sandings.
These cloths are available at your local paint store as well and are pretty cheap so grab a few.
Making sure your work area is a clean as possible, start with the heaviest grit paper you think you will need to start removing the rough surface.
If you are using a power belt sander be very careful as you can quickly remove too much wood and destroy the piece.
Here is the most important item to remember.
Always, always sand with the grain of the wood and not against or across it.
This will roughen the wood removing wood fibers in the process and leave a badly marred finished piece.
Move from your heaviest paper to the lightest at 150-180 and at that point you are ready to stain the piece of wood.
A single board can be ready in an hour, an entire piece of furniture can take days to prep properly.
Once you are happy with the sanding, use a tack cloth to completely and totally remove all dust from the piece.
Your entire work area needs to be vacuumed and swept to remove as much dust as possible.
Simply walking around a dusty room can stir dust making it go airborne and then land on your wet stain and ruin the finish.
After cleaning a work area it is a good idea to let the room sit overnight to let any loose dust settle and then to make as little movement in then morning when you stain.
Wipe the piece one more time with your tack cloth to remove anything that settled during the night and then begin your stain work.
Many stains require a sanding sealer be applied to seal the wood pores before you actually apply any finish stain.
Ask your store salesperson what they recommend for the stain type you have chosen.
Between each coat of stain you will lightly sand the piece using a 220-240 paper to remove bumps and lightly buff the finish to accept the next coat if it needs one.
Finish coats like polyurethane for example need to be lightly sanded between coats wiping the piece with a tack cloth each time until the desired number of coats are applied.
Follow these guidelines and you will have one fine looking piece of wood.
Pete Your Friendly Building Inspector