How do I know when i'm done sanding?

Question

I recently stripped the paint of of my old cabinets and am now in the process of sanding them before staining them. I am using 50 grit, 150, and 220 for the finish. How do I know when the wood has been sanded enough to finish and stain?

There are patches of dark areas throughout that don't appear a natural part of the wood. Some areas come out nice and bright, others have dark "dirty" parts that just don't seem to come out, and aren't part of the woods pattern. For example, the top piece of wood, closest to the ceiling, gets darker, almost like a film on it, as you get closer to the ceiling...

Answer 1

Excellent job using increasing grits. It should feel smooth as silk to the touch, have no trace of paint. Try lightly running a cotton ball over the surface to see if there are still any rough patches or splinters. You won't really be able to tell if you're done, though, until you've got them all completely free of dust with about five packets of tack cloth. Remember that any dark patches or flaws will be amplified by the stain. Good luck.

Answer 2

The wood may start to look a different color. It is called patina, natural color in the wood. You may start to see that change. I might suggest before staining you should use a sanding sealer. Apply with the grain of the wood. Let it dry and then sand lightly, just enough to make it porous. The sanding sealer will help the stain go on uniformly. Also, if you run your hand across the grain and it feels uneven, you may have done enough. As long as you don't see any of the old finish. Applying an oil stain with a cloth is the best way.

Answer 3

If you still feel that film or uneven area , try cleaning that part with some wood cleaner, like murphys soap, that should help to pull off the spots at the top by the ceiling. then resand it again. it might be grease built up.. try that , it should help resolve the darkness of the wood.. Also remember all wood has its own pattern or grain.. I use stain with polyurethane in it all in one stain, and in between coats, I don't sand, I use fine grade steel wool and smooth it out, then add a coat, do the steel wool again, and my last coat when dry, then I add one clear coat of poly to seal it really good. Our cubboards and cabinets look really nice.. Good luck..

Answer 4

Use your hand and feel the surface - when its smooth and you don't feel any snags or bumps on it, its done. Slowly when you sand - you might thin it in some areas. Good luck.

Answer 5

you are done sanding when you cannot see the scratches from the last grit of sanding...... if you have dark patches you might need to start from the beginning again.....but the staining of the timber could be deep and my experiance with this is you will never get an even clear finish on prev painted surfaces, if you calculate you time spent sanding to get a good result, it is usually cheeper to buy new timber, that sain if its all to hard to replace, live with the rustic finnish.......

Answer 6

I'd stop when my sandpaper feels like a smooth chamois! Ha! Kidding! Wish I could help...

Answer 7

You are done when you have put on coat of finish and sanded between each coat .........3 coats should do it for final........after dry should be smooth ......each coat will raise grain so when that stops after a coat then u are done

Answer 8

No splinters and a finish the eye and fingers see and feel smooth. You need to take care when you put on the finish, that is what will be felt and seen.

Answer 9

Go by how the wood feels. Run your hands over it and see if you have missed any spots.

Answer 10

when the wood is smooth as a baby's butt. literally.