How to Finish End Grain? – Viewer Question
This question comes from Steve who asks:
Hi Marc, I like this site. I have learned a lot from it. I am new to this woodworking thing. My next project is going to be an entertainment center which will basically be two tall cabinets with doors. The doors will be stiles on the sides with a tenonned rail at the top and bottom with a recessed panel that sits in a routed “slot”. My question is what do you do to the ends of the stiles to make them look good? I have built some doors as a test and the end grain just soaks up the stain and doesn’t look good. I have similar doors in my kitchen and they look really nice, but they were done professionally. Any help is appreciated.
And my response:
End grain is one of those things that can really bite you in the butt if you don’t prep your projects properly. Many times, you finish sanding and everything looks and feels great! But then you apply the finish and all of a sudden your project looks like it was made from two different woods! The end grain soaked up so much finish/stain that it now appears to be a much darker color. Since the end grain is on a different face, where shadows can sometimes play tricks on the eye, you can usually get away with this color discrepancy and few people will ever notice. But there are some areas where this end grain issue is much more obvious and you absolutely must take precautions.
It really all comes down to sanding prep. End grain will always soak up more finish than face grain, and the result will be a darker color. But if you sand it to a higher grit, it tends to burnish the surface and limits the absorption of finish. The result is a lighter color that more closely matches the face grain. So if you plan on sanding the project to 180 grit, I would sand the end grain to 320. That will greatly improve the results.
But here’s the catch: end grain does not sand as easily or as quickly as face grain. So you might be wondering, how do I know when I have sanded enough?? Well, if you recall in our recent Keepsake Box video, I explained my system for sanding end grain. Here’s an excerpt for your convenience:
Sanding Too Much? – Viewer Question
This question comes from Michael who asks:
“When sanding, I usually sand down to 400 grit. I saw one of your videos where you sand to 180 grit. Am I sanding too much?”
And my response:
Hey Michael. In my opinion, yes. I believe that after 150-180 grit (on most woods), we have a case of diminishing returns. The whole idea with sanding the wood is not necessarily to get it as smmoth as glass. Rather, its to give the wood a clean, even, and scratch-free appearance. To be more accurate, there are always going to be scratches in the surface. But by sanding with the grain, or in a completely random pattern (as with a random orbit sander), your eye will never see them. And the number that I find removes all visible scratches is 180 grit. Sometimes I am even happy with 150, but I usually go to 180 just for good measure. Sanding up to 400 really isn’t going to give you a smoother finish in the end. Because after the first coat of finish is applied, you are no longer dealing with the raw wood. You are dealing with the finish. With sanding between each coat, you’ll have ample opportunity to smooth the surface to your liking. So that’s why I say make the wood look perfect, but don’t worry about it not being glass smooth. That’s what the finish is for. And just as an FYI, I usually increase my grits between each coat of finish. So I sand the bare wood to 180. After the first coat of finish dries, I sand with 320. 400 after the second coat. And 600 between every coat thereafter. On the final coat, depending on the look I am going for, I may buff the surface with 1000 or 2000 grit soft pads. This helps to smooth out any little dust nibs.
Now this is just what works for me. How far do you guys sand your projects?
Sander or Scraper? – Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Jeff who asks: “Marc, generally speaking, when would you advocate using a sander, and when a scraper to finish a surface?”
And this was my response: “Well to put it bluntly, I never use a scraper for final finish preparation. My scrapers are tuned so that they take a pretty aggressive cut, which makes them useful for leveling. But I don’t really like the surface they leave behind when compared to a nice 180 grit sanding. That’s not to say you can’t get a killer finish prep with a well-tuned scraper, its just not my preferred way of doing it. Call me lazy, but I would much rather sit there and let the sander do all the work while I daze off into space and think about whats for dinner.” :) But, I know people that swear by the scrapers and as a result, save money on sandpaper. So there is definitely some merit to it. To each his own I suppose.”
Does anyone out there use scrapers before finishing?
3- Refinishing (Pt. 1)
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In this episode we embark on a journey into the world of refinishing. Part one gives my thoughts on refinishing and the role it plays in our lives as woodworkers. I will also show you how I inspect old pieces of furniture in order to develop a refinishing plan of attack. Please keep in mind that there is a big difference between DIY refinishing and antique restoration. My methods are firmly in the category of DIY refinishing. If you have a valuable antique and you want to retain its value, I suggest you consult a professional restorer.
Refinishing Pt. 1
Refinishing Pt. 2
Refinishing Pt. 3
Refinishing Pt. 4
Refinishing Pt. 5
Refinishing Pt. 6
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