Effective Sanding Tools

Sharon bought some new sanding tools yesterday at her local woodworking store.

There were so many crevices in the woodwork that were nearly impossible to sand that Sharon went casting about for solutions. She brought these tools home yesterday and they pretty much did the trick for those last few stubborn spots! So, she thought she should share the info with any others who might be struggling with the same challenges.

These are called contour sanding grips. You wrap the sandpaper around the shaped edge and can hold it in place while you sand. These did the trick for getting into the crevices and profiles.

Sharon also struggled to get the wood picture rail sanded right up into the corners. Sanding sponges were too squishy. This tool did the trick because it was stiff and the sandpaper could be pushed right into the corner. It was also narrow enough to fit into the flat portion of the moulding. She's not really sure what this tool is called, as it didn't come in a package, but it did the trick for sanding into those stubborn corners.

So now, we can begin cleaning the wood for staining. We have to vacuum it down and wipe it down with a tackcloth. Then we're going to apply pre-stain wood conditioner followed a while later by the first coat of stain. And we're hoping to start this weekend.

But today, Jeff is going to pick up more native plants for our rain gardens and many of them are bareroot. And therefore—today—we must deal with plants.