Sanding kitchen cabinets with grooves?

Hello Ashwinee. Have you tried using a stripper? CitriStrip would be a good choice for your project. Apply it on the corners and edges with a heavy hand. Then wrap it with plastic (grocery store bag would work great) and let it set. Read the instructions on the bottle for specific times. Afterward just scrape it all off. You can purchase it from your local home improvement store or on line.

I like to use sanding detailers. They are made for sanding in corners and grooves. Here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/Lumberton-12301-Sanding-Sticks-Standard/dp/B0039ZB24G/ref=nav_signin?creativeASIN=B0039ZB24G&linkCode=w61&imprToken=ACFdxZnxviEfZ.Qpz5IA5Q&slotNum=38&tag=garagetooladvisor-20

Hi! I use sponge sanders for anything where I need to get into nooks, crannies and grooves. Good luck and stay safe!

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07VHMM739/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_mOvCFb96XP3YX

A dremel tool with a small sanding attachment will do the trick!

You need some specialty sanding materials. Sanding tools that can get into really tiny crevices can be purchased at a woodworking store like woodcraft and rockler. Woodcraft is where I got mine. You can buy sanding blocks with wedges and points to get into those hard to reach areas. There are even sanding cords you can buy to go around crevices of spindles etc. These are a few that I have that work great!!!!:

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/large-contour-sanding-pads-6-piece

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/finishing-kit-sanding-sticks-24-piece

For a general page of sanding supplies:

https://www.woodcraft.com/categories/sanding-abrasives

Thank you all so much.

You'll probably need a combination of tools to get the job done. If you're sanding them to restain them you'll need to sand them really well, however, if your plan is to paint them, then you just need to rough them up a bit and use a good primer. Good luck!

Check out how I re-did my cabinets - no sanding required! I bet you could still do the same thing this stage in the game! https://happydealhappyday.com/how-to-paint-kitchen-cabinets-without-sanding/

Sandpaper strip wrapped around a pencil or similar will work for grooves. Folded, thin strips of sandpaper work well for corners of slim, recessed areas. There are also sanding blocks which work well on both corners and grooves.

You can try micro sanding sticks. They are cheap and should do the job.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=micro+sanding+sticks&crid=2K4QJ03D3OTV7&sprefix=Micro+sanding%2Caps%2C403&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_5_13

A piece of sandpaper wrapped around a butter knife would work good for any narrow grooves.

Using pencils, dowels, rulers, or anything wrapped with sandpaper to fit groves and contours to sand.

You can use the sanding squares and use the corners and edges to sand the grooves.

Thanks so much to all of you for those suggestions.

Fold the sandpaper to the shape and sand by hand.

Also, this contour and angle kit works well. https://amzn.to/3jl8DTa

Thank you all.

You’re not foolish for trying this, you deserve kudos for being ambitious! I used a kit by Rust-Oleum called Cabinet Transformations to paint my cabinets. No sanding involved. You can see how I did it here: https://www.flippingtheflip.com/2015/09/kitchen-cabinets-black.html

I so appreciate the suggestions and advice. Thank you.

Hello Ashwinnee,

By hand with sine sandpaper, or leave them as they could add character to your project if they show through. Best of luck!

Sand by hand