Article: All of the chemical products used to treat poplar can be hazardous, so you should always wear rubber gloves and a respirator. Also wear the respirator while sanding to avoid breathing in wood particles. Ventilate your workspace by keeping an air current flowing through it.  To ventilate the area, open any nearby doors or windows. You can also make use of fans or work outside. You can purchase a respirator at most general stores and hardware stores. Rub the coarse-grit sandpaper over all the areas you wish to stain. The sandpaper roughs up the wood, which allows the staining products to sink further into the grain. Always wipe along the grain. Look closely at the wood to see which direction its particles are oriented towards. The grain looks like lines in the wood. After roughing up the wood, even it out with a finer grit sandpaper. Go back over all the areas you sanded earlier. Blow the wood shavings off the poplar when you’re finished. Make sure the wood looks and feels even before you attempt to stain it.

What is a summary?
Wear protective clothing and work in a well-ventilated area. Abrade the poplar with 80-grit sandpaper. Smooth out the wood with 180 to 220-grit sandpaper.