How do you know if you sanded enough?

The best way to know when you’re done sanding is to scribble a light pencil line across your wood before you start. Once the line is gone, move up to the next grit. Repeat up to the highest grit sandpaper, then wet your wood with mineral spirits to confirm there are no remaining marks.

Why is my sander leaving marks?





A random orbital sander can leave swirl marks due to poor quality sandpaper, improper technique, or an inability to clear the dust from the surface.

How do you fix a sanding mistake?

How to Fix an Over-Sanded Spot of Wood

  1. Step 1: Lightly Shade the Over-Sanded Spot. In order eliminate the spot, you’re going to need to sand the rest of the wood down to match that area, which means you need to be able to see when you’ve gotten the wood level. …
  2. Step 2: Sand the Wood Level. …
  3. Step 3: Erase Sanding Marks.


Is sanding a hard job?

Not Sanding Enough



There’s really no getting around it – sanding your floors is hard work and physically tiring.

How do you get rid of sander marks?





Simply grab some mineral spirits, and wipe them onto the wood. Water works too, but it raises the grain of the wood, so you’ll need to sand it back down afterward if that’s what you choose to use. What is this? When wood gets wet, sander marks stand out, making them nice and obvious for you to see.

Will primer cover sanding marks?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Get you some guide coat and spray on there and sand it to all those scratches are out now if you completely sand through the base coat you start seeing a primer or whatever color is underneath.

Why am I getting pigtails when sanding?

While pigtails can be created by a number of problems, the most common cause is that some particulate or material will build up in between the sandpaper and the surface being sanded, creating a high point. This high point then gouges the surface, much like a rock would if stuck in a polishing pad.

How do you get rid of swirl marks from sanding?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: If I do have some of those pigtails swirl marks on either use I have a belt sander or I have another orbital sander then I'll take to it and it'll take the pigtail swirl marks away.

How do you fix sanding marks after painting?



Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: So probably the easiest fix is to get your real light sandpaper and just trying to scratch it across there real lightly try to remove those gouges left over from the other sandpaper.

How do you properly sand?

Proper Sanding Techniques

  1. Prepare the Surface First. Remove all tape or staples from the surface to be sanded. …
  2. Sand in Sequence. In smoothing a rough surface, you will need to use a sequence of two or three sandpapers, moving from coarse to fine. …
  3. Protect Yourself. …
  4. Clean the paper periodically.


How long does it take to sand a room?



It can take 1-5 days for a professional and 2-15 days for a DIY enthusiast, depending on the size and condition of the floor. For planning purposes, it would take 1-day per room for a professional and 2 days per room for a homeowner doing DIY.

How do you sand indoors without making a mess?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: I attached to my shop vac hose. This way so here's my shop vac hose. There's my shop back behind me and then I attach it here. And I'm ready to rock and roll. And I could sand indoors.

Why is my sander scratching the wood?

Just take care that sanding directly perpendicular to the grain by hand puts some serious scratches in the wood that will be very hard to get out with a finer grit—a better solution would be to sand at a slight left-hand or right-hand angle from the grain, and not to cut directly across the grain.

Can you’re sand after staining?

Yes, you can sand after staining to even out any bubbles and raised grain. However, you would need to use finer grit sandpaper starting from 220. This grit is perfect for the light sanding task. Note, however, that not all stains need to be sanded after they’ve been applied.

How do you check for sanding marks?



Use a bright light to make the scratches visible before you stain. A portable trouble light held at a very low angle to the wood makes sanding scratches stand out like long shadows at sunset. This raking light is the ultimate test for a well sanded surface.

Can you over sand wood before staining?

A lot of folks make the mistake of sanding to either too fine of a grit or not fine enough before applying stain. Too fine and the wood won’t be able to accept the stain. Too rough and the wood will be very dark almost to the point of being black.

How do you sand an uneven surface?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: It's a cloth back sandpaper. So again that allows it to flex. And form to your project. And again they're available a couple sizes two inch and 4 inch few different grits from 80 120 180.

How do you sand really hard wood?

To sand wood, scribble a light pencil line on the wood. Rub 60-grit sandpaper against the wood in the direction of the grain until the pencil line is gone. Repeat with 80 grit, 120 grit, and 180 grit sandpapers, working your way from lowest to highest grit. Then remove the sawdust with a vacuum.

What happens if I don’t sand before painting?



It will look blotchy and rough, but it’s doing its job locking in the stain and creating a rough surface so the paint will adhere to it. DON’T SCRATCH AT THE BONDING PRIMER TO TEST ADHESION!