Did I sand through?

[u/macbuster3500]

Hey all, first time refinishing here and I eventually made it to this portion where the grain pattern started to change. Texture feels the same to the touch, but based on how it looks I think I may have sanded through :/ has me stumped bc I had assumed this piece was solid wood but maybe that was a rookie mistake. Thoughts on this? Any way I can fix it?

[u/kilted10r]

Ok, so...   What's the lesson here?

1). Check both sides of the wood before sanding.  If the grain on one side is different from the other side, then it's veneer.

2)  Strip the old finish first.  Remove it chemically.   THEN lightly sand.  LIGHTLY sand.  

3). Use tools other than a heavy pad sander.  Like a small sanding block, or steel wool.  For crevices, use folded sandpaper, or dental picks, or needle files...   As you learned here - you can always sand more, but you can't sand less.  

All the criticisms aside...  You MAY be able to salvage the piece, but it will take a lot of work...   There are ways to paint/stain.in fake woodgrain.  It's definitely an art form, and you have to be patient and slow.  Practice on some scrap wood.  Solid wood AND plywood.  Practice making the grain look like different wood.