120 or 220

guest · Post by **guest** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:50 am

Can someopne tell me if I should use 120 or 220 grit sandpaper to sand my gunwales and decks after they have been coated wih epoxy in preparation for applying varnish. I thinks you are supposed to use 220 to sand the varnish for applying multiple coats but was not sure is I was supposed to use 120 or 220 on the epoxy as I apply 3 coats on the wood.

thanks :lol:

Glen Smith · Post by **Glen Smith** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:19 am

I usually use 120 on epoxy unless it is quite rough then I would start with 80 and finish with 120.

Enjoy your project.

Erich Eppert · Post by **Erich Eppert** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:20 am

You can sand the epoxy with 180 or 220 grit for a smooth surface. This will give the varnish good grip and gives the surface a very fine finish. For smoothing gunnels and decks a 3M sanding pad or steel wool works very well. Since there are so many curves sufaces these will take off the least amount of varnish and still rough the surface for the next coat.

Rod Tait · Post by **Rod Tait** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 10:01 am

And for less paper, noise and dust, use 220 wet sandpaper. You will be surprised at how fast and easy it is to smooth out epoxy on your gunwales.