General Applications for Coated Abrasives

Purpose of Sanding

• Prepare the wood surface


• Clean the wood surface


• "Level out" the first coat of top coats


• Promote good bond between coats on some type of finishes

Polishing

• Final step in finishing using coated abrasives


• 150 grit or finer


• In woodworking, polishing is the final sanding of bare wood prior to staining or finish

Intermediate Sanding

• Grit ranges from 50 to 120 grit


• Stock removal is of medium quantity


• Rule of thumb – Skip only one grit at a time

Rough Stock Removal

• Woodworking requires dimensioning of lumber or glued panels to proper thickness


• Grits 24, 36 and 40

Sanding of Penetrating Oils & Finishes

• Bare wood should be sanded to at least 180 or 220 grit


• Sanding beyond 220 will tend to burnish the wood surface


• Pores will close and "slicken" the surface


• Oil or stain penetration will decrease


• Common to use 400, 600, 800, 1200 grit wet-or-dry Silicon Carbide sheets to "sand in" the oil or stain


• Drives the stain or oil into pores of the wood and smoothes the wood surface as grain is raised


• Grain raising is very common with water-based stains

Tips for Sanding Putty & Filler

• Excess residue of fillers should be sanded with steel wool or a non-woven abrasive pad


• After filler is fully dry, scuff sand with 220 grit Stearated sandpaper


• On closed-grain woods, sand with 320 Stearate to reduce likelihood of cutting through the filler into bare wood


• Putty should be sanded with 180 to 320 grit Stearated paper