hello

I have seen lots of thread about sanding but not many talking about sanding before staining. How high do you usually go.

I mainly stain ash and birch. I generally sand to 120 or 150. I then spray the dye then apply wiping stain.

would there be any benefits going higher?

We always sand 180 grit before staining. It is the only time in the shop we use 180. Typically we do 150 before primer or 220 clear/color coats.

150 is too rough for clear coats. 220 is too smooth for stain. The stain soaks in more evenly. You can get splotchy spots at 220.

150 is generally as high as I go for stain or paint (solvent base). It also depends on how dark you need to get stain, 120 isn't out of the question if you need a darker color. On occasion I will do the end grain of a panel bevel at 220 so the color will match the 150 grit of the edge grain.

For primer, which will usually be on Maple, 120 is good enough, 150 max.

I don't even have 180 grit in the shop.

For solvent based wiping stain I sand solids to 150 and veneers to 180 because I find the veneers to be a little more porous . This method seems to keep the color between the two a bit more consistent .

thanks for all your answers. I often read about sanding to 220+ before staining yet these article always seemed to be using some variation of pine or soft wood that stains no matter the final gritt.

you guy confirmed my idea that sanding until no more scratches are left is enough

For stain grade wood I suggest from 120 to 180 grit if you're using a wiping stain. The more coarse the grit, the more wiping stain color "development" and less wood color. Be mindful of opacity vs clarity. The more fine the grit, the more of the wood. Personally, I like to random orbit sand to 180 and then go back by hand 150 grit with the wood.

I'm finding that I need the solid stock to be 2 grit sizes more coarse than my veneered stock to try to tame the 2 wood types to blend in.

Here is another option to "open" the wood pore. Mist on a mix of 50/50 water & alcohol. Dewhisker the wood by "kissing" it with 320 grit going slightly diagonal to the grain, not with the grain. This opening of the pore allows the wood surface to accept more of the pigmentation of the wiping stain, giving you better color control and also possibly better consistency.