When does sanding(smoothing out wood surface) sensibly apply

Question

I know I can smooth surface right after stripping is done. And I read somewhere that I can choose to perform smoothing step after pre-conditioning step instead. What I would like to know is if I can skip sanding, to smooth out the surface, until after applying :

a) stain to surface?

b) protective coat(in my case polyurethane satin finish)?

Answer 1

Sanding

The core of the sanding must be done before you finish your work; in other words, just after stripping. Most paint strippers won't do a perfect job, sanding will help you remove the leftovers. Sanding can also be used to remove any existing scratches or dents.

Raising the grain (Optional)

Once your piece is perfect (no visible scratches and smooth), you can then choose to raise the grain or not. Your stain's instructions will usually tell you if you have to do it or not. The goal of this step is to greatly reduce the fuzzies created by stains or finishes.

To raise the grain, you must:

1. Wet your piece,
2. Wipe the excess of water,
3. Let it dry overnight,
4. Sand the piece again with an extra fine paper (Rule of thumb: The next grit after your last sending grit.)

Maybe this is what you heard about smoothing the surface...

Staining

To be honest, read your stain's instructions and follow them. Some products will require you to sand between coats and others will advise against it.

Varnishing

Varnishes usually requires you to lightly sand with extra fine grit between coats. Once again, your product's instructions are your friends!

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tl;dr

a) No. b) No.

Read you product instructions.