Which Sandpaper Grit Should I Use When Sanding My Car?
If you need to paint your car, you must strip the old paint. This is also a great time to smooth out any imperfections or work off any rust that’s built up. The best way to remove old paint from your car is to use sandpaper. It’s up to you what type of sander you want to use, though we don’t recommend sanding by hand if you’re stripping a whole car— save that for little touches on your new paint job.
The big thing about sanding is what grit to use. Lower numbers are harsher, more course, while higher numbers are finer. Let’s take a look at the most selected grits and how they’re used:
- 26-40: Pretty rare to use these, but sometimes you need to strip through several layers of paint and smooth out scrapes from tree limbs.
- 150: If the car was previously coated in thick enamel, you might need this density to get through.
- 240-320: This is more what you’re looking for to start a paint job, especially on newer model cars that have likely only been painted once before.
- 600: This is great for small errors in your paint job. If you run out of paint just before hitting an edge, you can even use this to wet sand the area for extra coverage.
- 1500-4000: For buffering and smoothing a finished paint job, removing any roughness or inconsistencies.
By having a selection of grits available, you can ensure the proper preparation and finishing touches that lead to a professional-quality paint job with high-quality paint kits from Paint for Cars.
