If you’ve ever worked on a project that involves wood, you’ve probably used sandpaper to get the edges smooth or when applying a finish. But are you sure you used the right sandpaper?
When looking at sandpaper, there are five different types of abrasives:
Aluminum oxide: This is the most common type of sandpaper. It’s brittle and crumbles easily, which comes in handy when you’re sanding drywall, wood, or painted surfaces.
Ceramic: This sandpaper is harder than aluminum oxide and is ideal for rough or heavy-duty sanding. It’s also one of the more expensive options, often used with belt sanders.
Emery: This sandpaper has sharp particles and works well for removing corrosion from metals. You can also use emery to polish metals.
Garnet: This naturally abrasive material wears down more quickly than aluminum oxide, so it doesn’t last as long. However, it’s great for hand-sanding and smoothing finishes.
Silicon carbide: This type of sandpaper maintains an abrasive action even when it gets wet. It’s perfect for polishing between coats of finish, sanding plastic or metal, and performing wet sanding.
Sandpaper is an excellent tool to use in shaping a variety of projects. No matter what type of sanding you need to do, you’re bound to find a sandpaper abrasive that works well. Head to your local home improvement store to pick up the best type of sandpaper, and you can get that project finished in no time.
Sources: Familyhandyman.com, Thesprucecrafts.com, Bobvila.com
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