What is the 'optimal' grit to sand to before painting cabinets?
- Wood is combination of poplar and Baltic Birch plywood
- Paint is Semi-gloss (preceded by latex primer)

(obviously sanding too little will not give a smooth surface and sanding
too much may impede paint adhesion while also of course wasting effort)

blueman wrote:
What is the 'optimal' grit to sand to before painting cabinets?
- Wood is combination of poplar and Baltic Birch plywood
- Paint is Semi-gloss (preceded by latex primer)

(obviously sanding too little will not give a smooth surface and
sanding too much may impede paint adhesion while also of course
wasting effort)

Personally, I think anything past 120 - maybe even 100 - is overkill. Main
thing is to have it flat as the primers have so much limestone in them that
they fill any scratch marks. Better, IMO, to do the sanding on the primer
as its surface is what will determine the appearance of the paint.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

dadiOH wrote:
blueman wrote:
What is the 'optimal' grit to sand to before painting cabinets?
- Wood is combination of poplar and Baltic Birch plywood
- Paint is Semi-gloss (preceded by latex primer)

(obviously sanding too little will not give a smooth surface and
sanding too much may impede paint adhesion while also of course
wasting effort)

Personally, I think anything past 120 - maybe even 100 - is overkill.
Main thing is to have it flat as the primers have so much limestone
in them that they fill any scratch marks. Better, IMO, to do the
sanding on the primer as its surface is what will determine the
appearance of the paint.

Correctamundo - prep well, and then you can prime, and move right on to
finish coat with no sanding. If you're spraying, you can shoot your primer
coats, then immediately shoot your finish coat just as if you were shooting
another coat of primer. It's called wet on wet, and saves a lot of work and
clean up. No need to sand the primer if it's applied well, and has not had
a chance to fully dry.

--

-Mike-

Correctamundo - prep well, and then you can prime, and move right on to
finish coat with no sanding. *If you're spraying, you can shoot your primer
coats, then immediately shoot your finish coat just as if you were shooting
another coat of primer. *It's called wet on wet, and saves a lot of work and
clean up. *No need to sand the primer if it's applied well, and has not had
a chance to fully dry.

--

-Mike-


Yes but...

The wet on might work but the standard suggestion for paint grade is
to use a primer and sand the primer to drop any grain telegraph. Have
done this for years on smaller painted (furniture) projects and it is
the way to go. No need to go beyond 150 on the raw wood. Use 220 then
320 on the primer and you have a "smooth butt" finish (industry
term ;^)).

SonomaProducts.com wrote:


Yes but...

The wet on might work but the standard suggestion for paint grade is
to use a primer and sand the primer to drop any grain telegraph. Have
done this for years on smaller painted (furniture) projects and it is
the way to go. No need to go beyond 150 on the raw wood. Use 220 then
320 on the primer and you have a "smooth butt" finish (industry
term ;^)).

You are correct - in as much as it relates to dealing with the grain. My
comment was intended to address latter stages. So to agree with you, you
have to first get the surface (what ever it is - wood, metal, filler, etc.)
to the proper level of preparedness. That definition will vay a small
amount based on what the project is, but in the end, the final coat of
primer is the final coat of primer. Get everything else go to go, and shoot
the final coat of primer, and then shoot wet on wet. Woodworkers here spend
way too much time sanding and sand through way too many grits of paper.
Conventional wisdom is not always real wisdom.

--

-Mike-

"SonomaProducts.com" writes:
The wet on might work but the standard suggestion for paint grade is
to use a primer and sand the primer to drop any grain telegraph.

After sanding the primer, do you need to sand again to replace the
primer that has been 'sanded off'?

blueman wrote:
"SonomaProducts.com" writes:
The wet on might work but the standard suggestion for paint grade is
to use a primer and sand the primer to drop any grain telegraph.

After sanding the primer, do you need to sand again to replace the
primer that has been 'sanded off'?

Case #1
Primer sanded to bare wood. Answer: yes

Case #2
Primer not sanded to bare wood. Answer: no

Aside...I sometimes cannot believe some of the questions on usenet

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

After sanding the primer, do you need to sand again to replace the
primer that has been 'sanded off'?

Case #1
* * Primer sanded to bare wood. *Answer: yes

Case #2
* * Primer not sanded to bare wood. *Answer: no

I wouldn't worry if a few minor spots lack primer but usually just
worry most aboutthe flat areas and try not to scuff through. I know a
painter would complain but I have never had any adhesion problem.

blueman wrote:

What is the 'optimal' grit to sand to before painting cabinets?
- Wood is combination of poplar and Baltic Birch plywood
- Paint is Semi-gloss (preceded by latex primer)

(obviously sanding too little will not give a smooth surface and sanding
too much may impede paint adhesion while also of course wasting effort)

Been doing this for a couple of years now and I use 150 then prime with
Zinsser Bin, never sand the primer unless I get a run. Primer dries in 30
minutes out here, paint with enamel. Won't use anything but Zinsser Bin for
priming wood, love the stuff!

Rich
--
"You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK"

Man. 2010.1 Spring
KDE4.4
2.6.33.5-desktop-2mnb