Sandpaper grit question for newbie

[Ken Alcott]

I know grits get very specialized as you go low or high in the # but what are the best universal grits for avg smooth sanding for around the house?

Thanks.

[Tim Solley]

I'm no pro, but from my own experience, if I was to just grab a piece of sandpaper for general use around the house, I'd probably grab a piece of 150 grit first.

Tim

[Steve Schoene]

I use 220 the most, particularly because almost all the preperation prior to the final sanding is with hand planes. But since there are always a few parts that get sanded more extensively I do finish off everything with 220 grit for consistency, even though much of the wood is ready to finish off the plane. 180 grit would work about the same.

Between coats of finish I use 320 grit.

[Ken Alcott]

Thanks Steve and Tim:

That is what I wanted to know. It gets confusing with so many choices and what grits to use before sealing and after.

[Tim Solley]

Thanks Steve and Tim:

That is what I wanted to know. It gets confusing with so many choices and what grits to use before sealing and after.

I agree, it can be confusing. My solution was to just go grab a pack of every grit from 80 up to 400. Then when someone here on the Creek tells me to use 242.894 grit, I have a sheet in the shop ready to go :D.

Tim

[Howard Acheson]

There is no one grit that is an all purpose. It depends why you are sand, what you are sanding and how smooth you want it. If you are sanding to remove some type of defect in wood, you want to use an agressive grit. If you are sanding a finished surface to make it smooth for a final coat, a fine grit is called for.

If you are preparing wood for staining and/or clear finishing, you want to sand from 100 to 120 to 150 and finish at 180. There is little value for sanding wood beyond 180 and you may even cause problems for staining if you sand above 180.