Bri Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 This table was pretty knicked up and uneven. I sanded it down and sanded the knicked and discolored parts down more so than the rest of the table and the bench got sanded down mostly to the original wood as well. I assumed these parts would just be a darker color of the stain. They instead are an almost black color and look horrible. I would think that sanding again and staining would help but I'm worried about making it worse of this is what the bare wood looks like when stained. The discolored parts are what was sanded all the way down. Any advice is appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 At first I was going to say you sanded through the veneer, but I don't think that is a veneer piece. At least not the bench. It looks horrible. What do those areas look like if you wet them down with mineral spirits or water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 Not my usual answer but is paint an option? Ok serious answer.what did it looks like what you sanded it bare? It appears to be a non wood filler that obviously didn't take well to the stain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 The thing that confuses me is that bench looks like it's glued up from 3 boards, but the sanded parts look like some awful grey plastic or other non wood substance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 So, I think you need to remove old finish. The grey looks like raw wood? If so, what grit did you sand to? The glossy looks unsanded and still has old finish on it. 22 minutes ago, drzaius said: The thing that confuses me is that bench looks like it's glued up from 3 boards, but the sanded parts look like some awful grey plastic or other non wood substance. Think it's MDF with a vinyl wrap? Looks like real knots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 If it is solid wood, you have not sanded down to bare wood. Not even close. That grey area on the benches looks like finish that is scuffed (and hence cloudy) but still there. Keep sanding. Or get a chemical stripper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 I'm confused. What I think I am looking at is a picnic bench that was painted gray and then sanded somewhat for the seat and more (but no enough) for the table. Is that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bri Posted July 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 Thanks for the input so far. It is definitely real wood and not veneer. I used 120 and then 220. On the table I sanded over the entire table to remove the entire glossy layer but only sanded a few pieces down to the raw wood. I attached a photo of the bench before I touched it and the table when I sanded it down just a bit but it was sticker and I realized I had to sand it down more. I think I'm going to strip it all down, sand and then try again. Before I did this I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't all turn our that ugly gray. It really did appear and feel that on the bench I sanded down to the wood but maybe I did not. The legs are painted white so if it really doesn't work out I can just paint the whole table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 What is the picture on the bottom right? Are you using a machine or sanding by hand? Either way, you will be sanding FOREVER with 120 grit to get hole thing down to bare wood. I usually start at 40 or 60 to get through the finish then go 80-120-150-180. You will save a TON of time by progressing through grits like that and get a nicer result. When you get down to bare wood (prob after 80 grit) lightly scribble with a pencil and then sand away the pencil mark with 120. Scribble again and sand away with 150. Keep repeating that process up through the grits. The pencil trick ensures you are sanding completely with each. If you are stripping instead of sanding, you can start with 120 after the stripper is all cleaned from the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wright Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 My guess is that you didn't get all the way down to bare wood. If you plan to reapply stain, you actually have to sand down past all of the old finish that is soaked into the wood. Personally, I don't use 220 for wood that is going to be stained. You can actually "polish" the bare wood if you sand too long with too fine of a grit which will cause problems with the absorption of the stain (the exception is gel stain). For stained projects, I sand to 180, apply stain followed by first coat of clear, then sand to 220 before I add the final clear coats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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