I haven't had a lot of experience with working with bare wood of any type so I wasn't too sure. I've done a fair amount of painting but everything we buy is pfj pine. As I was saying in my other post, that base I was priming looked a little more like lots of little tiny ends of grain raising up maybe as I looked back at sides that were still wet. I'll see in the morning what it looks like and plan to sand it down anyway.
But on the poplar, like you're saying, it was a very large section where you could see a difference in the grain and it raised up what seemed to be a lot but it wasn't little points, it was a large section, the whole thing.
So... I guess it's trial and error, practice and more practice, and one day I'll be better at this stuff... :thumbup:
We're slowly doing more custom wood stuff, nothing like what a lot of yall do with cabinetry and all, just little built-in bath cabinets, etc but I'm enjoying it.
You are seeing some raised grain but that isn't all. When most guys talk about raised grain they are talking about the looser wood fibers swelling and standing up due to moisture. You sand and you're good to go.
I don't know the correct terminology to describe it but with poplar you see the "larger" grain areas often telegraphing through the paint.
You can see ti well in this picture. These are some cabinets I did. The doors are poplar slabs.
If you want smooth you need to use maple. It is much "slicker" because its a tighter grain and harder. You won't see what you're seeing now.
I don't think you are going to fix what you are seeing from sanding. It is in the wood.