Thank so much everyone for helping !! I had a minor set back with Christmas ( was DEFINITELY the wrong time of year for me to have started this project : ) So the reason I was sanding ( after the 2nd coat of Arm R Seal ) is because: 1. that is what the guy at general finishes told me to do 2. it is what I have read several times now on different web sites what other people were doing 3. I had few very tiny tiny tiny bubbles ( I read that this was because when I applied the top coat I guess my "swipes" were to fast allowing some air to get in ?? not sure ) and when I say "sand" I mean I literally took a sheet of 400 and just barely "kissed" the top of the door ( because I was terrified of scratching my finish ) Every single coat I have done on these doors has had at least 3 days of drying time ( and almost 2 weeks for stain it self ) I used the Arm R Seal because that is also what they told me at general finishes. And I was told 3-4 coats ( which the thought of makes me want to set all of these cabinets on fire right now ! : ) Since they are going in the kitchen with 4 kids I assumed I needed as much protection as possible. AND THANK YOU "BROWNEYES" SO MUCH for your SUPPORTIVE KIND WORDS !! I really needed to hear that right now. I don't think my husband ( or anyone who has not gone through this experience ) has ANY IDEA what a NIGHTMARE this is !! Anyway... I am in the middle of the job, have -- 33 CABINETS and Drawers -- a torn up kitchen and can't stop now. I just emailed the General Finishes guy my photos and he is going to call me soon. I just wanted to post to thank everyone for helping, supporting ! and just in case anyone else has my same issue should they choose to go down the infamous " Java Gel Stain" path :) Here is a side by side photo of the "sanded / chipped door" and one on the right that had not been sanded. ( The color is of course EXACTLY the same just different lighting in my dining room and kitchen ) Thanks again to all - so much appreciated

It only takes one stray grit particle from a coarse paper to ruin the sanding when using a ROS. For pine it's usually not an issue, but on cherry (in particular) it can be a disaster. To fix it, I'd start with a cabinet scraper which will get the swirls out faster than sanding. Then block sand, by hand, with the grain, with 220. A cabinet scraper does require a learning curve for both sharpening and usage, but it's a miraculous little device. Casey

I just called General Finishes. They are EXTREMELY HELPFUL ! I had already purchased the Polyacrylic Water Based top coat and he told me that was incorrect. He said their are so many people posting on Pinterest/internet ect about this top coat so everyone keeps using it but they never meant for the gel stain to be used with the Polyacrylic top coat. He said it will work out fine but it is not the best top coat for gel stain on KITCHEN CABINETS. He explained that the 3 choices were the Endurovar, High Performance Clear and Arm R Seal. He explained the difference in such great detail that honestly I was still a bit confused. I then just asked which one he would use and he said if you have the patience to WAIT A LONG TIME for the top coats to dry then he would choose/likes the Arm R Seal the best. He stressed over and over again the importance of DRY TIME. He discussed how everyone is using the Java Gel Stain like PAINT applying very thick coats and said that if you don't wait approximately 48 hours between EVERY SINGLE COAT of the stain itself and then ONE FULL WEEK before applying the top coat you will not get the best results. He said not waiting says between coats may seem okay when using the gel stain but when you apply the top coats you may get a cloudy film. ( also said all woods are different and people prepare the wood in so many different ways that it is possible for some to report good results WITHOUT waiting the proper dry time but that wont happen for everyone so it is just best to be patient and wait out the dry times ESPECIALLY if you are essentially PAINTING on the gel stain. ) Also mentioned NO sanding in between gel stain coats but YES sanding lightly with 400 grit between top coats ( and of course no sanding the final top coat. I just bought the Arm R Seal as he recommended and we will see how it goes. Guess its a good thing it will take a week to get shipped here so I am FORCED to wait out the appropriate dry time before starting :) still would like to know what everyone has been using as their top coat on kitchen cabinets to reinforce my choice to use Arm-R-Seal.... still so worried about picking the wrong one.

He's right. If you want a top coat, you needed to do it before the wood was installed and finish all sides of each board. Coating one side of a board is asking for trouble, because the wood will breathe through one side but not the other, which means that it also absorbs humidity through one side but not the other. That humidity can't escape, and the finish bubbles.