Finally figured out my sanding issue after 6 months of frustration

I've been building kitchen cabinets for about 3 years now, mostly for friends and family around Portland. Last fall I kept getting these little scratch marks showing up after I applied the finish, and I couldn't figure out why. Turns out I was skipping grits too fast - going from 80 to 120 instead of hitting 100 in between. I ran a test piece last week doing every grit from 80 up to 220 and the final coat came out like glass. Anyone else have that lightbulb moment where you realize you've been making a simple mistake for months?

2 comments

2 Comments

tylerlane1mo ago

...and then you kick yourself because it was right there the whole time, staring you in the face. That swirl mark thing especially drives me crazy because it shows up right when you think you're golden. So question for you - did you figure out the hard way by ruining a whole set of doors, or did you catch it early on a test piece like this guy?

clairem381mo ago

Have you ever just wanted to kick yourself after figuring something so simple out? I did the exact same thing last year with some maple cabinets, trying to rush through the grits and getting those ugly swirl marks that show up right when you think you're done. Going up slowly through every grit from 80 to 220 fixed it for me too, and now I never skip a single one no matter how long it takes.