How To Prep Wood After Sanding

Once the wood has been sanded it should have an even surface with non-jagged or rough edges it will take on a lighter color appearance and often the grains of the wood will show more.
How to prep wood after sanding. After youve sanded the wood go over it with a rag to wipe it down and remove any excess material. Pour the mineral spirits over the stripped area and use the steel wool to wipe away any remaining stripper residue be sure to follow the wood grain. Use a good vacuum and then a tack rag to wipe the surface clean of any contaminants.
There are many different wood conditioners available on the market. When using oil-based conditioner allow it to penetrate into the wood for 5-15 minutes. I use a mixture of krud kutter tsp substitute.
Wipe the surface thoroughly with a a wet cloth. Work efficiently by starting with a coarse sandpaper in the 60-100 grit range and gradually switch to finer sandpapers rated closer to 150 grit. Choosing a pre-stain wood conditioner is simple.
Not damp and not dripping but somewhere in the middle so that every inch of the wood is wet but with no puddles. Wipe down your wood and remove any dust. When using Water Based Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner allow it to penetrate for 1-5 minutes then remove any excess.
Use a palm sander or a random orbital sander to quickly strip away imperfections and previous layers of stain to reveal the underlying natural wood. Watch cabinetmaker Steve Maxwell explain the method he uses for prepping wood for a flawless finish. New coat prep you can sand after staining to rough the surface in preparation for applying a new coat.
We will go over the pros and cons of each. The next step is the trick here. You want to remove any old paint flakes or dust thats been left on the surface.