Floor sanding tip from a friend has me unsure

He told me to use 220 grit for the final pass. I worry it's too smooth for my oak floors to take stain well. What do you all think?

3 comments

3 Comments

dixon.keith1mo ago

What grit did you use before that final pass? I mean, if you jumped from something really coarse straight to 220, maybe that's part of the worry. I've always heard you gotta work up through the grits smooth for oak to take stain evenly. Idk, maybe it's just me but a super smooth surface can sometimes make the stain sit on top instead of soaking in.

hugoj861mo ago

Yeah, that bit about stain sitting on top is interesting. What if there was some old sealer or even hand oils from moving the piece around? Sanding doesn't always fix that. Oak's just fussy sometimes.

joseph_hart1mo ago

Nah, I've skipped grits all the time and it's been fine lol. I went from 80 straight to 220 on a red oak table last month and the stain went in deep, no problem. Sometimes I think we overthink the sanding steps. If the wood is clean and dry, it usually drinks up the stain anyway.