Preparing Unfinished Furniture With the Help of Sandpaper
When it comes to finishing an unfinished piece of furniture, it isn't just the case of applying several coats of finish.
In order to fully appreciate the grain, and get the most out of your project, you will have to go through several stages of rubbing down, or sanding.
The term sanding refers to the process of rubbing down the wood furniture in several steps, alternating the grade of sandpaper as you go.
Starting with a rougher grade, and slowly ending up using a finer grade.
Sandpaper is used for a variety of surfaces from flattening rough panels; right through to polishing delicate finishes in tabletops.
In parts of Europe, sandpaper is also referred to as glass paper, and this was determined by the type of grit that was used to cover the paper.
Over the years, manufacturers have come a long way in developing these abrasives, and the adhesives that are used to hold them together with the paper.
These sandpapers are all engineered for a specific purpose.
Not only does the grade of grit have to be taken into account, but also the type of force that will be applied in the sanding.
Will the paper be used by hand, or will it be used in a machine.
In taking all these considerations into account, you can well imagine that the amounts of choices for sandpaper are huge.
For many woodworking machinists, there are a lot of high performance abrasives out there that make the sanding faster, but the types tend to be more expensive.
As I'm writing this article for the average do-it-yourself enthusiast, you will need to find a balance between the cost, and the performance, and what each particular abrasive is designed to do.
Manufacturers put a variety of abrasives into belts, disks, sheets, rolls, and sanding sponges and these products come in several price ranges.
There is virtually sandpaper for just about any purpose.
Printed on the back of the sandpaper will be information about the abrasive type and grit size.
You may also see information attaining to the weight of paper used, although this wont be that helpful to you.
Whether you'll be using a sanding machine, or a sanding block, with the aid of some "old fashioned elbow grease", you will always sand in the direction of the grain.
Never across, as this will lead to heavy scratches being left in the unfinished piece of furniture, requiring it to be re-sanded.
Depending on the surface that is to be sanded, you will begin with a certain grade.
If it's scratched and slightly dented, you will need to start with an 80 grade, then repeat the sanding with 150, right through to maybe a 220.
Always sanding your furniture in the direction of the grain.
By going through the respective grades, using this method, you will gradually produce a desired smooth surface, in which to apply your chosen finish.
In order to fully appreciate the grain, and get the most out of your project, you will have to go through several stages of rubbing down, or sanding.
The term sanding refers to the process of rubbing down the wood furniture in several steps, alternating the grade of sandpaper as you go.
Starting with a rougher grade, and slowly ending up using a finer grade.
Sandpaper is used for a variety of surfaces from flattening rough panels; right through to polishing delicate finishes in tabletops.
In parts of Europe, sandpaper is also referred to as glass paper, and this was determined by the type of grit that was used to cover the paper.
Over the years, manufacturers have come a long way in developing these abrasives, and the adhesives that are used to hold them together with the paper.
These sandpapers are all engineered for a specific purpose.
Not only does the grade of grit have to be taken into account, but also the type of force that will be applied in the sanding.
Will the paper be used by hand, or will it be used in a machine.
In taking all these considerations into account, you can well imagine that the amounts of choices for sandpaper are huge.
For many woodworking machinists, there are a lot of high performance abrasives out there that make the sanding faster, but the types tend to be more expensive.
As I'm writing this article for the average do-it-yourself enthusiast, you will need to find a balance between the cost, and the performance, and what each particular abrasive is designed to do.
Manufacturers put a variety of abrasives into belts, disks, sheets, rolls, and sanding sponges and these products come in several price ranges.
There is virtually sandpaper for just about any purpose.
Printed on the back of the sandpaper will be information about the abrasive type and grit size.
You may also see information attaining to the weight of paper used, although this wont be that helpful to you.
Whether you'll be using a sanding machine, or a sanding block, with the aid of some "old fashioned elbow grease", you will always sand in the direction of the grain.
Never across, as this will lead to heavy scratches being left in the unfinished piece of furniture, requiring it to be re-sanded.
Depending on the surface that is to be sanded, you will begin with a certain grade.
If it's scratched and slightly dented, you will need to start with an 80 grade, then repeat the sanding with 150, right through to maybe a 220.
Always sanding your furniture in the direction of the grain.
By going through the respective grades, using this method, you will gradually produce a desired smooth surface, in which to apply your chosen finish.
Source...