Types of Sandpapers and Glasspapers
By: The Working Man
Sandpaper can come in a number of different forms in
different grades. Sheets of sandpaper are often sold at your
local hardware store and come in packs of four sheets
usually. These packs can be the same grade or mixed grade
and are usually only used for hand sanding purposes.
Rolls of sandpaper come in different widths of a single
grade per roll and rolls are almost always used with
electric sanders. Roll sandpaper can be used for hand
sanding, but this is usually not its purpose.
Sandpaper discs are used for power sanders. They are fitted
with a flexible, round backing disc and a hole is in the
center for securing to the power tool. Different diameters,
grades and fits are available for different power sanders.
Belts are for use with belt sanders and come in various
widths and lengths. They fit different models of belt
sanders, be careful to choose the right one for your
particular belt sander.
There are also specially shaped sandpaper for power sanding
tools that need a non-standard size of sandpaper. Most of
these have a self-adhesive backing to stick to the power
tool sanding plate.
Sandpaper that is made for use with power tools is usually
stronger and more durable that most any other type of
sandpaper. Some can be used for hand sanding, but hand
sandpapers cannot be used with power sanders. They don't
last against the constant abrasion and friction of a power
sander.
There are also flexible adhesive blocks that are usually
rectangular in shape and have grit on all four surfaces of
the rectangle. The usually have two different grits per
rectangle usually facing opposite each other. They aren't
very durable but are useful when doing fine decorating. They
come in all different grades and
sandpaper grit and
sandpaper types.
There is also liquid sander available, which is the lazy
DIYer's sanding implement. When brushed onto a surface it
will finely abrade the surface and clean it for a ready-to-
paint surface. It doesn't create a smooth finish; rather it
provides a key on a sound surface for a new paint
application.
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