Hand sanding vs orbital sander on a staircase railing last month

I spent 6 hours hand sanding this Victorian banister because I thought it would give me more control. Got to the final coat and you could see every single uneven spot. My 19 year old crew member just grabbed the orbital and knocked out the other side in 45 minutes. It looked way smoother too. Anyone else stubborn about doing things the hard way for no good reason?

3 comments

3 Comments

lewis.finley13d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though? I mean, you hand sanded the banister and it came out fine, just needed a little more work. The kid with the orbital sander got it done faster but that doesn't mean your way was wrong. Sometimes we get caught up in thinking the hard way is the only way that's "proper" but really it just takes more time. And honestly, if you can't see the uneven spots after the final coat without looking super close, who cares? It's a banister, not a museum piece. You're probably the only one who will ever notice.

phoenix24613d ago

Right! People get way too precious about stuff like that. I redid my parents' deck a few years back and spent hours hand sanding every single spindle because I thought that's what you were supposed to do. My brother showed up with a borrowed orbital sander and did the whole thing in an afternoon. Looked just as good if not better honestly. Sometimes the "proper" way is just the stubborn way.

hill.margaret12d ago

Oh man, you're absolutely right about that! The thing people don't realize is that hand sanding actually leaves a different finish than a power sander most of the time. The orbital sander makes those tiny circular scratches that show up under stain or paint if you're not careful, especially on soft wood like pine. I've had to go back and hand sand spots that I tried to rush with a power sander because the finish came out all patchy and weird looking. It's not that the hard way is always better, it's just that there's a time and a place for each method. Sometimes you need that fast orbital sander for roughing down old paint, and sometimes you need to take your time by hand for the final smooth passes. The trick is knowing when to switch between them instead of pretending one way works for everything.