Hey everyone! I just wrapped up making the fronts for my kitchen cabinets and I'm getting ready to finish them up. I've done a bit of digging online and heard that when it comes to sanding veneered plywood, like the A1 cherry plywood I'm using, it's usually recommended to only sand by hand with 220 grit, skipping lower grits altogether. Is that really the case? Also, would sanding with a higher grit help in hiding the figuring or chatoyance? Thanks a ton for any advice you can offer!
5 Answers
Yes, generally speaking, you should be okay sanding with just 220 grit as long as the surface feels smooth enough to you. Skipping the lower grits is fine for this type of plywood. Plus, using a higher grit might actually highlight the figure or chatoyancy a bit more, just so you know!
In most cases, especially with cherry plywood, just using 220 grit is best since the outer veneer is quite thin and comes pretty smooth. Going coarser can risk sanding through that veneer, which is a pretty common mistake. Just be careful and you should be fine!
220 grit is usually sufficient for this grade of plywood unless you're trying to remove some imperfections like scratches or glue spots. If that's the case, you might want to start with something like 120 grit to take care of those before finishing with 220.
Absolutely stick with 220. You could even go up to 300 if you're looking for a bit more chatoyance. Just a heads up though, going higher might clog the pores, which isn’t great for stain absorption. But getting that chatoyance effect is trickier with thin plywood anyway.
I usually start with 180 to clean up any minor scratches, then finish with 220 to make the surface uniform. As long as you keep your sander flat and move consistently, you shouldn't have any issues. Make sure to treat the entire surface evenly.