How to Choose Sandpaper
- 1). Determine what type of material you'll be sanding. Metal projects tend to need a finer grit paper than wood projects because the fine grit removes metal shavings more smoothly and easily. If you're working with wood, you can use a coarser grit paper and still retain a smooth finish.
- 2). Determine how much stock you'll need to remove from the material you're sanding. If you need to remove a large amount of stock, pick a coarse-grit sandpaper, but if you're finishing a job and only need to buff out small scratches or remove a little stock, pick a fine-grit sandpaper.
- 3). Think about the job you're working on. If you're going to be working with hard metal or in wet conditions, a fine-grit wet sandpaper is best, whereas if you're buffing out the finish of a wooden piece of furniture, you'll want a fine-grit dry sandpaper.
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