A sticky table in Portland showed me I was sanding wrong

I was refinishing a maple table for a client in Portland, and after three coats of poly, it still felt tacky in spots. The guy who runs the local hardware store, Frank, came by to drop off a part and just ran his hand over it. He said, 'You're not letting the grain raise enough before you seal it, are you?' I wasn't. I'd been sanding to 220, wiping it down, and going right to finish. Now I wet the wood, let it dry, sand it smooth again, and the problem's gone. Does anyone else have a specific step they added that fixed a stubborn finishing issue?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas638d ago

Grain raising is a band-aid for bad sanding. You just need to sand more thoroughly at each grit.

hunt.shane8d ago

Right? I mean, I had the same thing happen on a desk. Sanding more at the lower grits totally fixed it for me, way better than just wetting it later.