Does unfinished furniture still need to be sanded prior to staining if I use a pre-stain wood conditioner?

Question

My furniture is made of parawood which is a light-wood similar to pine.

Answer 1

need to be sanded with a fine paper between the stages.

Answer 2

No not if you don't want to.  All sanding is going to do is make the product look nicer when you finally get it done.  The only person that cares about any of this right now is you, and yes if it were mine, I'd have a piece of sandpaper out and be ready to take little nicks and etc out of the furniture.

Answer 3

Yes.I would sand ...............we used to give any new wood products a water bath with a damp cloth....let it dry and then lightly sand. The water bath causes the grain to raise just a bit and helps remove dirt and finger oil from the surface and if it hasn't removed it .....the water helps raise enough grain up and a light sanding will help. It helps to make a better looking finish if you are staining.........if your painting I still would lightly sand. It's just like a car.....the way to find the flaws is to lightly wash it..........on the way by......your likely to spot the little chips and problems and be able to overcome them........good luck and all the best on your project.  bye

Answer 4

RUBBER WOOD

AKA PARAWOOD

(NOTHING LIKE PINE)

The finishing of Rubberwood is no different than any other fine hardwood. The secret to an even finish is in the even sanding of the surface. The smoother the sanded finish the lighter the finish tends to be. Instead of using your eyes to determine the surface, use your hands. Feel the entire surface feeling for rough spots. These rough spots will stain darker than the smooth areas around the rough spots.  I like sanding with a clean hand or sanding block the entire piece. It will be quick and easy if you are organized in your tecnique with a 150 grit. Remember, sand with the grain.

Rubberwood is wood from the Pará rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), often called the rubber tree. Rubberwood, also called parawood in Thailand, is used in high-end furniture as it is valued for its dense grain, attractive colour, minimal shrinkage, and acceptance of different finishes. It is also prized as an "environmentally friendly" wood, as it makes use of trees that have been cut down at the end of their latex-producing cycle.

Rubberwood is often misunderstood as a species of wood utilized in the furniture industry.                                                                                                                            

The name of rubberwood itself invokes a variety of misconceptions as to its features and to its durability. It is one of the more durable hardwood lumbers used in the manufacturing of home furnishings of this decade. A member of the Euphorbiaceae family, rubberwood has a dense grain character that is easily controlled in the kiln drying process. Rubberwood has very little shrinkage making it one of the more stable construction materials available for furniture manufacturing. Rubberwood lumber takes easily many different types and colors of wood finishes such that rubberwood as used in furniture can mimic rosewood, or oak or other more expensive lumbers creating confusion in the identification of the type of wood used in the furniture.

Like many maples, rubberwood is also a sap producing species, producing specifically rubber. After the useful economic lifespan of rubber tapping, the older practice was to burn the "useless" tree. As a "Sustainability" marketing feature, rubberwood is the most ecologically "friendly" lumber used in today's furniture industry. Unlike other woods that are cut down for the sole purpose of producing furniture, rubberwood is used only after it completes its latex producing cycle and dies. This wood is therefore eco-friendly in the sense that we are now using what was going as waste.

Originally, found in Brazil by the early explorers in the early 1600’s. The indigenous tribes used the sap from these trees to make sport balls. Intrigued with its properties, the explorers brought the seeds back with them to Europe. Eventually, rubber trees were found to grow well in the European colonies in Asia. French Indo China, (Viet Nam), Thailand and Hynan Island off the China coast.

Once Vulcanization was perfected, which prevented the rubber from rotting, production was increased for the production of Bicycle tires. Later car production required massive increases again in production. WWII required so many tires America needed to replace rubber for tires with synthetic materials. Production kept falling until about 1960 when it was discovered what a hidden resource rubber wood was. As a furniture wood, it is almost as hard as oak at a fraction of the cost. Very nice grain patterns abound. Its only downside is it isn’t available in large pieces, therefore it usually made into butcher-block glue ups. Remember, if it is sliced into veneer all bets are off. It is now baloney with Rubber wood on top. The rubber from the rubber trees is now mostly used for rubber erasers, condoms, and rubber gloves.