The Best Type Of Sandpaper To Use For Prepping A Paint Job

The Best Type Of Sandpaper To Use For Prepping A Paint Job

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned woodworker, sanding can be a bit of a chore. But with a few tips and tricks, you can make the process go more smoothly and get better results.

Choose the right sandpaper

There are a variety of sandpaper types available, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. For most projects, you’ll want to use either aluminum oxide or silicon carbide sandpaper.

Aluminum oxide is the most common type of sandpaper and will work for most projects. It’s durable and long-lasting, and it can be used on a variety of materials.

Silicon carbide is a good choice for sanding hardwoods, as it’s very sharp and will remove material quickly. However, it can also clog up quickly, so you’ll need to clean it frequently.

Start with a coarse grit

When you start sanding, it’s important to use a coarse grit sandpaper. This will remove the majority of the material quickly and help to level out the surface.

Once you’ve removed the majority of the material, you can switch to a finer grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface.

Use even pressure

When sanding, it’s important to use even pressure. This will help to avoid creating gouges or uneven surfaces.

Use a sanding block

A sanding block can help to evenly distribute the pressure you’re putting on the sandpaper and will also help to avoid creating gouges.

Clean the surface regularly

As you sand, the surface will start to clog up with debris. This can dull the sandpaper and make it less effective.

To avoid this, it’s important to clean the surface regularly. A simple way to do this is to use a vacuum cleaner with the hose attachment.

Finish with a fine grit

Once you’ve removed the majority of the material, you can switch to a finer grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface.

For most projects, you’ll want to finish with a grit between 220 and 320.

Apply a finish

Once you’ve finished sanding, it’s important to apply a finish to the surface. This will help to protect it from damage and keep it looking its best.

There are a variety of finishes available, and the best one for your project will depend on the type of wood and the desired look.

A few common finishes include lacquer, polyurethane, and Danish oil.

Sand with the grain

When sanding, it’s important to sand with the grain of the wood. This will help to avoid damage and create a smoother surface.

Use a dust mask

When sanding, it’s important to wear a dust mask to avoid inhaling the fine particles.

Take your time

Sanding can be a bit of a tedious task, but it’s important to take your time and do it right.

If you rush the process, you’ll likely end up with an inferior finish and a surface that’s more likely to be damaged.

Tips for Refinishing Hardwood Floors

I’m restoring a house from 1905, and as we worked on demolishing and removing what my husband calls “100 years of well-intentioned renovation,” I was excited to find some lovely hardwood floors underneath a few layers of old linoleum and glue. Luckily, the wood was largely in great shape — it just needed some sanding, and, in one room, some major scraping and sanding.

The kitchen had layers of old linoleum and glue on top of the original hardwood floors. I knew I needed some serious tools to expose those floors. I love that Home Depot has a Tool Rental department, and they had just the tools for the job. I found that there are different kinds of floor sanders — and choosing the right one is important. I’ll show you what sander I chose, why, and share some tips and tricks you’ll need to know — after the break!

As you can see in the preceding picture, the kitchen floor in the house was the worst. Once I scraped up the old linoleum layers, there was still some old backing paper and glue on top of the hardwood, and I knew that it was going to take more than a little effort to get it done. Before I even got started in the rental department, I stopped and picked up some of these:

I grabbed this kit because it had three essentials: a sanding mask, eye protection and ear protection. I’ve later found a style of mask I like even better — with a valved respirator (meaning it’s easier to breathe) — and that isn’t as hot (you can find it here).

You don’t want to breathe the sanding dust if you can help it. It’s just a bad idea to breathe a lot of sawdust to begin with, but it’s also possible that you might be allergic to something in the wood. Most frightening: some of the paints and adhesives used years ago may also contain asbestos, so it’s — again — better to be safe than sorry. Since I couldn’t identify exactly what it was on my wood floor — probably some old adhesive, possibly mastic, I felt it was best to be safe.

Once I had the safety supplies, I was off to the rental department.

The helpful gentlemen in my local Home Depot Tool Rental department asked me about the floors I was going to sand, and disabused me of the notion that I wanted to use a drum sander. I had thought I wanted to use one, but they pointed out my first important tip: unless I really knew how to use one, they are hard to control and likely to damage the floor. They suggested I was better off using a oscillating sander — so that’s exactly what I did.

Tip: Consider a oscillating sander to minimize damage to the floor, accidentally making lower and higher places in the floor, and to provide an overall more even finish.

They also had me pick up a variety of grits in the sanding pads. As you might imagine, it’s best to start with a coarser grit and work your way to a finer grit with each pass of the sander. I started with a very coarse grit — and went through a lot of pads — to remove the gunk from the floor; then moved to a finer grit for a semi-final pass.

Tip: Be sure to start with a coarser grit and move to a finer grit with each pass. This will give you a more even and smooth finish on the floor.

I picked up the full system, complete with a vacuum system I wore on a back harness. I had to empty the canister frequently to minimize the danger of fire. (The second time I rented the sander, the Home Depot folks recommended I just use my giant ShopVac, which I did.

As you can see from that day’s Instagram photo, I was ready to go and looked like a GhostBuster.

Rather than detail the “fun” I had getting all of the gunk off of this floor, I’ll simply say that it took most of a day to get that one room done with the thick coat of adhesive on top. The other two rooms I did went much faster and used up much fewer sanding pads because they didn’t have as many layers of gunk.

You can see that the random sander enabled me to go back over stubborn sections more than once without worrying about accidentally gouging or creating valleys in the floor.

Tip: You can use a mouse sander or other smaller hand sander to get particularly stubborn patches. Just don’t forget your mask!

Now, I’m not done yet. While we’ve done the major “gunk removal” process and gotten the floors nearly ready, we are still going to go over each of them with a handheld belt sander, with the grain and with a fine grit paper to help bring out the grain and make sure we’ve edged the room correctly.

Tip: Use a handheld belt sander with the grain, with a fine-grit sandpaper, as your final pass to help bring out the grain.

As a final pass, we’ll fill in any big gaps or gouges with stainable wood filler.

Finally, we’ll be putting down a nice dark stain — and we’ll probably have to custom-mix the stains for each room since the woods appear to be different in each.

We expect to use a nice stain and polyurethane, like the fine Minwax products sold at Home Depot. I’m going to put on multiple coats of the oil-based polyurethane to help give each floor a thick, protective, glossy finish.

And don’t forget — it might be worth considering just installing a new hardwood floor instead if your floor is overly damaged or irreparable.