What to take into account when choosing a sandpaper for sheet metal and paint

The sandpapers They are used in the car repair process when their surfaces are sanded and then paint is applied. A sandpaper for sheet metal and paint serves as a tool essential for polishing, smoothing, and removing any errors from the surface of the vehicle.

In this article we will know what to take into account when choosing a sandpaper for sheet metal and paint depending on the type of grain, and so on we will save time and money by selecting the right paper.

32 and 40 grit sandpaper

The paper of 32 and 40 grit sandpaper can be used for sanding and grinding from paint to metal. They can also be used to sand away rust and continue repairing.

For example, if a car has been scraped along the side of a tree, a piece of 32-grit sandpaper might help even out the roughness.

However the sandpaper of this intensity could leave unnecessarily rough scratches on a smooth, even coat of paint. Therefore, the use of this grain in a car should be reserved for extreme cases.

80 grit sandpaper

The 80 grit sandpaper it is the most common to shape the padding of the body, in a specific area of ​​the car.

It is a good grit for body shaping and sanding rusted body panels.

Also a great resource to help you lay the groundwork for moving towards the finer grains which we will talk about next.

80 grit sandpaper

150 grit sandpaper

When the rusted portion of a body panel has been sanded down with a piece of 32 or 40 grit sandpaper, 150 grit is an ideal choice for smoothing out uneven grooves that might exist at certain points.

On cars that have a single smooth coat of paint, 150-grit sandpaper can do an adequate job of stripping the paint to reveal the metal surface.

In some cases, there may be little or no need to smooth rough grains with sandpaper of an even lower intensity.

In areas where you only need to touch up in a certain spot, 150 grit will often be the perfect choice for softening the edges.

When people ask about what sandpaper used to paint a car, 150 grit sandpaper is one of the most popular recommendations.

240 grit paper

When you get into the 200 range, the sandpaper becomes softer, but stronger, than any of the lower grit options.

Therefore, one can use a 240 grit sandpaper to easily remove all paint from a car.

Sanding can be accomplished without the fringing that a 32 grit would leave in its path. As such, 240 grit is the first level of sandpaper to consider. for a car or truck that has a smooth but thick paint job, but lacks corrosion or damage.

Even if your car has a second paint job over the first, it’s fairly easy to remove the paint and reveal the 240 grit metal.

240 grit sandpaper

320 grit sandpaper

This type of 320 grit, it is ideal for soft damping and removing thick paint. Using a piece of 320 grit sandpaper, paint should come off the vehicle with evenly applied strokes of the disc.

When working with 320 grit paint, the shine of the metal should sparkle off the surface. Because of the strength of sandpaper, it’s a good choice for cars or trucks that have been treated with enamel or other hard coatings.

A perfect example of how the sandpaper 320 grit is when you want to turn on the tones of a blue truck.

Before you apply the new paint job, you’ll want to sand down the older blue layers. At 320 grit, the blue should come out smooth and easy. Once all layers have been removed, the surfaces should be smooth enough for a primer coat of the new paint.

The 320 grit paper could make it very easy to change the paint on a single panel, like a scratched door.

400 grit sandpaper

400 grit sandpaper is the most popular choice before applying the new coat of paint, 400 grit paper makes prep smooth and easy.

If there are rough spots along the surface or at the edges of an area, the 400 grit could be used to smooth the metal in a way that lower grits might not be able to.

The best of paper 400 grit sandpaper is that despite its strength, it is thin enough to handle challenges along a car body surface without damaging the metal.

When the question arises as to what grit sandpaper is appropriate for a wet sanding primer, 400 grit is sometimes singled out as being better for wet sanding than dry sanding.

The reasoning here is that when dry, 400 grit tends to leave behind sand, which can be problematic when it comes to finishing work. Therefore, while 400 grit is one of the most popular sandpaper grits, it is often used exclusively for wet sanding.

1500 to 4000 grit sandpaper

As for the colored sanding and polishing, the sanding discs in the range from 1500 to 4000 They are ideal options.

Once a new coat of paint has been applied to a vehicle and given time to dry, a sandpaper disc from this range allows for a smooth, even touch along panel areas that may show roughness or inconsistencies along painted surfaces.

That way, you won’t experience any major setbacks if minor challenges occur, like discovering that dirt or hair has stuck to the surface under the paint.

The benefits of 1,500 to 4,000 grit sandpaper discs make it especially easy to paint larger cars.

In the past, sanding a van could take an entire day, if not longer. Likewise, redoing a door that dirt settled on when the paint was drying could lead to more money and man-hours being wasted.

painting of a vehicle

But at present, the electric sanders They allow a van or truck to be sanded in a matter of hours, while mistakes can be easily removed in minutes with 1500 or 4000 grit sandpaper.

choose one sandpaper for sheet metal and paint It is determined by the vehicle and repair that we are going to carry out. Selecting the correct sandpaper can mean time and cost reduction, so we assume this decision is of vital importance.

Acquire sandpaper of different types of grain and using them in the correct order according to the repair of the vehicle, will allow us to have a greater skill in this task, as we get to know and perfect our skills. sanding technique.