Make sure you remove any sanding dust from.
Sanding stairs before staining.
Prepare the surface by using medium paper first and then proceed to finer grades.
To minimize this difference and to reduce the blotchiness that often occurs when staining brush on a coat of minwax pre stain wood conditioner after removing the sanding dust but before you apply your stain.
Look out for any swirl marks from orbital sanders which may be hard to see initially but they will pop out like a sore thumb after you apply stain if you miss them.
The grade or grit of sandpaper is based on the number of sand granules per square inch of paper.
The higher the number the finer the grade.
Make sure you sand the wood well before applying stain.
Sanding will also help open up the pores of the wood so that they can absorb stain better.
Lastly before you stain it s a good idea to use tack cloths to clean every last bit of dust off the prepped wood surface.
If you re refinishing an old staircase it s important to take the time to repair strip and sand the stairs before staining them.
Sanding a wood deck.
Prep sanding is done with progressively finer grits.
Sand a few times with progressively finer grit sandpaper.
Ready to refinish those tired old stairs.
Any scratches will be enhanced by stain.
Learn how to strip and sand your wood floors.
A lot of folks make the mistake of sanding to either too fine of a grit or not.
Check out the video series on refinishing wood stairs.
Sand thoroughly before you apply the first coat of stain.
Minwax pre stain wood conditioner oil based learn more.
Adding a fresh coat of stain can really bring out the beauty in a wooden staircase.
For this reason you should plan on sanding your wood deck after power washing and before staining and sealing this crucial step will ensure that your refinishing job gives.
Do not start sanding with very fine sandpaper on unfinished wood.
Start with 80 grit to remove big scratches and imperfections then move up to 120 and finally 220 grit.
If you do not sand well and you simply do a rough job of it you will have exposed open cells in the grain that soak in too much stain and create a much greater darker contrast than you are probably looking for.
With new stairs you can move right to applying coats of coordinating wood conditioner stain and varnish.
Tack cloth is a cheesecloth like piece of fabric that s coated in a layer of sticky adhesive.
On most raw woods start sanding in the direction of the grain using a 120 150 grit paper before staining and work up to 220 grit paper.
Always sand down to clean wood if you have enough meat left of the wood before applying any stain.