I installed a solid core lauan door on my laundry room in a hurry, ten years ago. The old doorway was too narrow for the washer that was to arrive in a few days. I decided to finish the door later.
"Later" finally arrived last week.
I'm no wiz at finishing, and I decided not to do anything heroic. I gave the door a sanding up to 220 grit and then applied Minwax wood finish (a really mild "natural" stain) followed by three coats of Minwax Poly, sanding lightly in-between. .
The finish came out passable, except for two short dark lines maybe an eighth-inch wide. The door had apparently been slightly dinged in those spots at some time in the last decade. They are not so much scratches as they are narrow linear "dents" . Those spots came out a few shades darker than the rest of the door.
The door is not in a well-lit area and this is not a disaster. I'm just wondering what I could have done to prevent this effect. The "dents" aren't that deep, but I think it would have taken quite a bit of sanding to bring the rest of the door down to that level. Could I have "filled" the dents instead? And would that have taken the finish as to properly match the rest of the door?