Hot take: I quit sanding past 180 grit and my finish got better

For 6 years I sanded every cabinet face up to 320 because that's how the guy in Vacaville taught me. Then last month I did a maple kitchen and ran out of 220 on the last door, so it went to stain at 180 and honestly it took color more even than the rest. Turns out burnishing the wood just closes the pores and the stain sits on top instead of soaking in. Anybody else finish at 150 or 180 and feel good about it?

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jackson.matthew4d ago

Does it make sense that the wood is basically already polished at 320 so there's nothing left for the stain to grab? I've seen the same thing on oak, the 180 door drank the stain and the 320 one just sat there looking flat and muddy. Going finer than 180 is really just making more work for yourself and a worse finish.

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