Sanding Grit Theory

Thinking about skipping grits when sanding?  Think again.

The theory of sanding if to replace one set of scratch marks with another set of finer scratches. Well, sort of.
Each higher grit will remove the scraches from the previous grit. When you skip grits you waste time and paper. 100 grit will do a more efficient job removing the scracthes left behind from 80 grit than 150 would. You'll end up sanding more with the 150 and wear the 150 out faster than if you used 100 or 120 in between. Five pieces of sandpaper, one of each grit, will sand faster and last longer than two pieces of 80 grit and 3 pieces of 150 grit.
I usually sand up to 220 before staining. 150 leaves scratches that only become visable when the stain is applied, then its too late. DAMHIKT!

Car analogy

You're not really saving much time if you use only 1st, 3rd and 5th gears in your car (assuming a non-automatic of course) and you're placing needless wear and tear on the car. Think of how effective and long your care will last if you only used 2nd and 4th gears.
How's that for an analogy!

Where to buy

If you are tired of using mediocre sanding paper, discs and belts that you find at hardware stores, and you're ready to move up to professional abrasives, go to Klingspor's or their Woodworking Shop. The difference is very noticable.