How Does Sandpaper Work?
Introduction Despite its name, sandpaper is not made of sand. Sandpaper is actually a sheet of abrasive material glued to a piece of paper. The grit of the sandpaper, the weight of its paper backing, and the type of abrasive material affects how sandpaper works. Sandpaper works by using abrasive particles to remove the surface of materials, usually wood. Applying pressure to a piece of sandpaper either directly with your hand or with a sanding block and moving it over a surface causes the particles to act like the teeth of a saw, cutting off bits of the material. The ‘sharpness’ of the sandpaper is determined by its grit. Grit and Coating Grit is the number of abrasive particles on an inch of sandpaper. A piece of sandpaper with a high grit gives a smoother finish. A piece of sandpaper with a low grit gives a rougher finish. For example, a 40-grit sandpaper is very coarse while a 600-grit sandpaper is extremely fine. The abrasive particles have two types of coatings: open and closed. O
