Match the abrasive to the job
| Job | Grain | Backing | Coating | Grit range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy stock removal on a belt sander | Ceramic or alumina zirconia | Heavy paper (E–F) or cloth (X) | — | Coarse; Klingspor puts ceramic's value in 24–60 |
| General sanding with a power sander | Aluminium oxide | Paper discs or sheets (A–D) | Stearate on resinous woods | Up to the finish maker's grit |
| Hand sanding | Aluminium oxide or garnet | Light paper (A–C) | — | Up to the finish maker's grit |
| End grain and final passes | Garnet | Light paper | — | Fine |
| Between coats of finish | Fine abrasive or foam pad | Paper or foam | Stearate resists clogging on finish | #220 (Minwax); 220–320 pads (GF) |
| Wet sanding or buffing a cured finish | As the finish maker specifies (GF: wet/dry automotive paper) | Film, latex or polyester cloth (Y) | — | Very fine, as the finish maker states |
Grain, backing and coating from Klingspor's 'Coated abrasives basics'; between-coat figures from Minwax and General Finishes. What each term means is in the sandpaper guide.
How many grits to buy
A sequence steps up a grade at a time, and its last grit is set by the finish, not the paper. Watco's instructions before its Danish Oil run #120, #150, #180 and #220; Aqua Coat's before its grain filler go from #120 to #220 and then 320 between coats. A starter stock for furniture is therefore a coarser grit for removing machine marks, a run of grades to 220, and something finer for between coats. Where each finish maker says to stop is set out in how to sand wood, and grit numbers — including the difference between US and P-grades above 220 — are on the grit chart.
Sheets, discs and belts
- Discs must match the sander's pad size and attachment. Klingspor puts light and medium paper (A–D) on discs.
- Belts need the heaviest backings: Klingspor names E and F paper and X cloth for belting.
- Sheets for hand sanding use the lighter papers (A–C), in Klingspor's grading.
- Waterproof backings — film, latex or polyester (Y) cloth — are the ones for wet sanding.
Note— Brand is not the specification
Klingspor's terms — grain, backing weight, coating — are printed on the back of most abrasives, whoever makes them. Compare those, and the grading system (a P before the number marks a FEPA grade), rather than the brand name. No brand was tested for this guide.
Before buying sandpaper
- The grain for the job: removal, general, final or between coats
- A backing heavy enough for the tool
- Stearate-coated paper for resinous woods and finish
- Discs that match the sander's pad and attachment
- Grits up to the finish maker's stopping point, and finer for between coats
- CAMI or P grading checked, and not mixed by number
Sources
Grain, backing and coating definitions are Klingspor's; grit sequences are finish makers' instructions for their own products. No abrasive brand was tested and none is ranked.
- 1.
Coated Abrasives Basics. Klingspor.
Used for: Aluminium oxide as the versatile wood grain that wears finer; garnet as very sharp, for end grain and final finishing; silicon carbide as sharp and brittle, mostly for finishing; alumina zirconia for dimensioning wood; ceramic best value in removal grits 24–60; paper A–C for sheets and light discs, D for sheets and discs, E–F for belts; cloth X for belting and Y polyester waterproof; film or latex for wet-or-dry finishing; stearate deterring loading on resinous woods and sealer coats.
- 2.
Technical Data WAT-02, Watco Danish Oil. Rust-Oleum (Watco), 2020.
Used for: A #120, #150, #180, #220 sequence before Watco Danish Oil.
- 3.
Technical Data Sheet, Clear Wood Grain Filler (130-099). Aqua Coat.
Used for: #120 then #220 before grain filler, and 320 or finer between coats.
- 4.
Minwax Product Guide. Minwax.
Used for: #220 between coats of Minwax polyurethanes, and fine steel wool as an alternative on Wipe-On Poly.
- 5.
Technical Data Sheet, High Performance Topcoat. General Finishes, 2019.
Used for: Fine 220–320 foam pads between coats, and wet/dry automotive paper for buffing a fully cured finish.
About this buying guide
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