Should furniture be sanded before being stripped?

Camille
by Camille
  6 answers
  • Nancy Turner Nancy Turner on Oct 02, 2017

    No, strip first, then sand. No reason to make more work for yourself!

  • Emily Emily on Oct 02, 2017

    I agree with Nancy.

  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Oct 02, 2017

    no the proper procedure is strip then sand

  • Ela26544792 Ela26544792 on Oct 02, 2017

    no, strip then sand. Wetting wood raises the grain therefore strip then sand

  • Roxaneg Roxaneg on Oct 02, 2017

    No. It's better to strip, sand and then refinish in the manner you choose. Stripping gets rids of the finish and sanding before that seems redundant.

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Oct 02, 2017

    I took a class years ago, and the best advice was clean it first. It is unbelievable how much dirt and wax you can remove first. I use a mild cleaner, a sponge and a soft brush. Once it's clean, rinsed and completely dry, I use stripper to get as much finish off as possible (I like Citristrip) and clean it again, to neutralize the stripper. Once it is dry again, I sand. If you find a tough spot you can go back to stripper, although it usually isn't necessary.