When it comes to sanding, apart from tearing and other breakage, there are two main reasons for changing your belt, disc, sheet or sponge: either, the product is completely clogged, or the grains have dulled, rendering the abrasive useless. We always want to maximize the life of our abrasives, so making sure to choose the appropriate product based on the application is essential – that means understanding the mechanics of sanding, loading and prevention and the technical aspects of the products. For example, coatings, whether open, semi-open or closed, refer to the amount of grain coverage on a particular product. Understanding this can help to avoid common issues.

Quickly clogged sandpaper is one of the most common and frustrating problems known to anyone who sands. While it’s difficult to avoid completely, particularly when sanding soft woods and lower melting point metals, choosing an open coat product for these applications can help minimize the effects of loading, due to the additional space between grains. When sanding harder materials, or rough sanding, closed or semi-open coats can be used.

Ultimately, choosing the right product for the application will help you get the best finish in the most efficient way – whether you’re considering coatings, minimizing loading, grain type, or backing.  If you are looking for the best abrasives on the market look to Uneeda.  A worldwide leader in abrasives that is a family owned and operated business in New York.  Paint Life Supply Co. is an authorized dealer in Uneeda abrasives and sanders.