A big misnomer is that finish will sometimes hide poor prep work... ??.... Not very often, or more likely never... Maybe only in Red Barn paint... Also, it doesn't turn bland, bad soft punky wood into exhibition walnut! But, when applied correctly, it will make what ever you start with look some better... And with a lot of effort and energy spent, sometime spectacular results can be realized. Often more luck than skill... Also, when applying finish, sometimes less is more... Use finish sparingly.. develop a system that achieves the results your looking for, yes, trial and error, finish & strip, again, and again, etc... Probably the very best results can be had using just small amounts of finish and 400 wet or dry sandpaper in a small orbital pattern.. in order to fill the grain with finish and micro saw dust residue, also 400 is about the limit for satin...600 gets into high polish territory.. or spotty areas because of wood density or grain difference. But, the bottom line, is a "wonder how he did that" stock finish is a lot of work, and not worth it unless the quality of the wood warrants such effort... Ooooorrrrrr, Sand it bare, with the grain with 220, Spray lacquer, DEFT is great, OOOO steel wool buff, and a finish cote of Tru-oil will get you there cheap and fast ... "Nothing is ever as it seems!"
best to all, til....lat'r....GT