Next we must sand everything we distressed. Sanding is a very important part of distressing. Too little sanding and the look will be very rustic and contrived. Too much sanding and you will lose the effect all together.

Start with a random orbital sander using a good quality 120 grit sandpaper. Plan on using a lot of sandpaper. Cloth backed paper works very well for aggressive distressing and may be worth the extra cost if paper or film backed paper isn't lasting long enough.

Begin by sanding any deep gouges first. You will need the edges of the paper to do this so start there with a fresh piece of paper. Hold the sander at a slight angle and work back in forth, never stopping in one spot too long. Next, sand all edges that need rounded over. This will wear the paper quickly. Finally, sand the flat surfaces. Typically it takes one sanding disc for one average sized cabinet door. By attacking all the places you gouged deeply first and finishing with the flat surfaces, the paper will be worn enough to not leave sanding marks. If it is necessary to change paper, try to finish up each piece with a worn disc..

When you are sanding the flat surfaces you must tip the sander slightly when you come to and gouges or tearout. This will soften the edges. Keep the old discs. They work well for hand sanding. Go over all of the edges by hand to ensure that you don't have any 'hard' edges. This is where you haven't rounded or smoothed your distressing out.

For most finishes finishing up with a worn 120 grit might work okay. It is better to swith to a 150 or 180 grit for a final sand. Some people think it is necessary to sand with 220 grit but for most finishes this is overkill. To determine the amount of sanding you need you will need to experiment. Usually a finer sanding job will show up as a deeper, richer looking finish.