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Thread: removing fuzzy areas in soft wood before staining

  1. #1

    removing fuzzy areas in soft wood before staining

    I want to stain and varnish a couple of IKEA small plywood cabinets with drawers. I have had these around for years, my kids used them unfinished in their rooms: but I just found out they fit perfectly into some used oak veneer bookcases I am fitting into my home office.

    But I know from experience doing a previous one some years back, that the wood has fuzzies that do not sand out in sanding before staining. I think it's bass wood or some similar soft wood. No visible grain. As you sand, more fuzzies come up. I hope they are visible in the photo. I have not yet done anything to this piece.

    How can I prepare the wood to eliminate these? Scape the wood with a fresh razor blade? That’s what I do to remove dust nibs in finish coats.

    Unlike many of you, I don’t have a well equipped shop. My woodworking is mostly refinishing and adapting pieces for home use. These cabinets are also not worth lavishing a lot of time on. I have a tendency to make projects more complicated so have to resist that.

    FWIW, stain will be oil based – medium reddish brown to match the bookcases - and finish will be poly, rubbed on. I figure I will need a wood conditioner before staining too.

    I was looking up sanding sealers thinking that might be the right thing. But then saw they should not be used with a stain.

    Thanks.
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    Sanding sealer is probably thin shellac. It will inhibit the uptake of stain so figure that into the plan. If that works it should also stand up the fuzz so you can sand it off.

    I like to stain without sealer when the result is ok (not blotchy). After stain I seal with 1 pound shellac, which definitely allows me to sand off the fuzz. At this point I can sand out some newly visible stuff and even do some woodworking. A second coat of stain goes thru the sanded areas and matches pretty good. Seal again then topcoat.

    Then assemble.

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