Just watched a neighbor try to strip a dresser with a random orbital sander and a 60-grit pad.

I had to stop him before he ruined the veneer, but how often do you see people using way too aggressive an approach for the initial prep work?

4 comments

4 Comments

nancybennett2mo ago

Sometimes you just need to get down to bare wood fast.

the_john2mo ago

My neighbor last weekend, he just grabbed a belt sander and went at his old deck. No careful stripping, just straight to the plywood. I see it everywhere now, like people skipping the small talk to argue about politics online, or a mechanic cutting out a rusty bolt instead of fighting with it for an hour. It's this whole vibe of just getting past the surface junk fast, no matter how messy it looks for a minute.

kim_brown1mo ago

Whoa, straight to the plywood with a belt sander?

sandra_black1mo ago

Jump right in and say it. Honestly, I get it. Sometimes fighting with old paint or stain is just a waste of time and energy. Tbh, I did the same thing on my kitchen cabinets last year - just went straight to the belt sander on the flat panels and didn't look back. Yeah, it kicks up a ton of dust and you gotta be real careful not to gouge the wood, but the payoff is worth it. Ngl, that quick fix saved me a whole weekend of scraping and swearing.