I finally settled the sandpaper grit debate after 15 years

Last week I built two identical walnut shelves. One I sanded starting at 80 grit and worked up to 220. The other I started at 120 and stopped at 180. The 120-to-180 shelf actually looked better under direct light. My old boss swore by going all the way to 400 grit on everything. Has anyone else found that skipping the super fine grits gives a better finish on hardwoods?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.robert16d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you're saying the rougher one actually looked better?

diana15516d ago

Oh man, yeah I totally get that. I had a buddy who was shopping for a vintage leather jacket and he found two online. One was all beat up with the leather cracked and peeling in spots, the other was pristine and smooth. He went with the clean one, but when it showed up it looked so fake and plasticky, like something off a mannequin. Meanwhile his other friend snagged the roughed up one and it had this raw, lived-in character that made it look like it had stories to tell. Sometimes the worn out stuff just has more soul, you know?