Debate: Sanding between paint coats on a thrifted dresser - necessary or overkill?

I stripped a 1970s nightstand I found at a garage sale in Akron last week, but after 3 coats of chalk paint some spots still feel rough. Do you guys sand between every layer or just do the final buff and call it done?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_king2mo agoTop Commenter

Honestly, are you sure it's the paint that's rough and not leftover glue or stain from the 70s? Chalk paint is pretty forgiving, but if you skipped a good degloss or didn't clean off all the old finish, that gunk will peek through and feel bumpy no matter how many coats you do. Ngl, I only sand between coats if I feel actual nibs or dust specs, otherwise I just do a final light buff with a fine grit block before the wax or topcoat. But rough spots after 3 coats sounds like a prep issue more than a sanding issue. Tbh, take a damp cloth and wipe it down hard, if it still feels textured you need to strip it back and start over with a proper deglosser.

butler.mark2mo ago

Wipe it down with mineral spirits first to see if that bumps smooth out.

jade_hernandez1mo ago

Mineral spirits trick is solid. Had a dresser last month where three coats of chalk paint still felt like sandpaper. Turned out the old varnish wasn't fully cleaned off. A quick wipe with spirits showed exactly where the bumps were coming from. Might save them a full strip job if they just scrub it harder with a deglosser first. Honestly, rough texture after three coats is almost always leftover gunk, not a sanding problem.