Finally gave in and tried sanding between coats of polyurethane

I always figured sanding between coats was a waste of time on my kitchen cabinets. Did a test on a scrap piece of oak last weekend with 220 grit and it made the final coat look like glass. The difference was night and day even just after 2 coats. I used about 10 minutes per cabinet door and it was totally worth it. Has anyone else skipped this step and regretted it later on a big project?

2 comments

2 Comments

davis.keith4d ago

My buddy Mike skipped the sanding on his bathroom vanity because he was in a rush, and the final coat looked like orange peel. He ended up having to sand everything down and start over, which took way longer than if he had just done it right the first time. Did you notice a big difference in the feel of the surface after the final coat?

harris.vera17h ago

I had almost the same thing happen on a dresser I was refinishing about two years ago. I skipped the sanding between coats on the drawer fronts, and it came out rough and bumpy like sandpaper. Took me a whole Saturday to sand it all back down and redo the finish. After that, I always use 220 grit between coats, and the difference is night and day. The final coat feels smooth as glass that way, not like you're running your hand over a bad sunburn.