Sandpaper for Auto Repairs- The Basics

Whether it is a simple paint job or a complete body work project, sandpaper is an essential raw material. You will need it before as well as after the painting process. Besides, you must also know a little about primers to find out the importance of coarse grit sandpaper like Norton Blue Mag.

For the paint to bind nicely to the car body and protect the surface, a coat of primer must be applied first. The primer forms a binding layer, preventing mold and pores from forming on the surface. It also removes stains and ensures that the paint stays for a longer time. Additionally, the primer helps reduce the number of coats needed to achieve a finished look.

You need to sand the material in order to remove the glossy top layer. This will allow the primer to   coat the metal or whatever material you are coating. Without proper sanding, the new paint coat will not stick to the previous layer. You also need sandpaper to remove stains and other imperfections, though the sandpaper required for this purpose is generally finer.

For the initial sanding, course grit sandpaper like Norton Blue Mag works better. Norton Blue Mag DA and Longboard sandpapers have grit PSA ranging from 36 to 80. This grade of sandpaper is useful for removing deep scars on the car body and sanding down the rust. However, if you want to remove specific rust stains or shape the body filler, you need to get finer 180 grit PSA sandpaper.

As you can see, sanding the chassis and other metal parts for auto repair and repainting require a number of steps. And each of these steps needs sandpaper of varying coarseness. However, most of the work is done during the first step where coarse sandpaper is used to smoothen the surface and prep it for the primer.