Toolbox: Sanding

Now the first thing that you want to remember with your sandpaper when you get it is to look on the backside. The number will be there. And remember the higher the number, the finer the grit. A 36 is coarse; and 80 is a medium; and a fine is 220 grit, with the number right there on the back.

You always want to remember to sand with the grain of the wood. Assess the condition of your wood; if it's relatively smooth, you can get a medium number like a 150 and work up. If it's rough, you're gonna need to start with a course grit and work up . If you don't sand with the grain you may end up with scratches, and then you'll have to work real hard to remove them. So in this case have a 150, the next step is a 220, then a 320.

And you can remove just about all the dust with a tack cloth, which is simply a rag that has been soaked in a waxy substance. You can get it in just about all the stores.

One final note: always remember to wear eye protection and a dust mask when you're sanding.