Caught myself sanding with 80-grit on veneered MDF for 2 years before a customer pointed it out

I had no idea I was blowing through the veneer on every single cabinet face. A customer in Cleveland ran his hand over the edge and asked why it felt rough. Has anyone else missed something obvious like this for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

benclark8d ago

Wait, you were sanding veneer with 80 grit this whole time?

the_mary8d ago

Did you accidentally sand right through the veneer? I've done the same thing myself and it's just such a sinking feeling when you see the raw particle board underneath. I was refinishing a mid century dresser and thought I needed to really get the old finish off so I grabbed the 80 grit. It only took about three passes before I had a nice big bald spot right on the top. Learned that lesson the hard way and now I only use 120 or 150 on veneer and even then I'm super light with the pressure.