Note that brush sanders cannot calibrate, so you need to combine the brush sanders with a wide belt sander to get an even surface.

Brush sanding is used for kitchen cabinet doors, raised panel doors, mouldings, MDF etc. for the preparation of flat or profiled wood. Brush sanding removes the loose fibers to improve the surface quality before lacquering. It is also used to optimize lacquer adhesion in sharp edges or to open the wood surface after moulding to allow a better penetration of stain or even to intermediate sanding of primed/lacquered parts.

Brush sanding is commonly used to sand mouldings and products with profiles. It is also used on products with sharp edges and to remove fibres from the wood before lacquering.

Type of Sanding What is the difference between AO and AOC sanding? There are two different kinds of brush-sanding: AO sanding (Wood) and AOC sanding (Sealer) In a general brush sanding setup, wood would first be measured, cut and then processed in a wide-belt sander before being brush-sanded with AO abrasives. Then sealer would be applied whereafter it would be brush-sanded with AOC. This last part of the process is often repeated a couple of times. AO Sanding AO is an acronym for Aluminum Oxide . AO is used for what is known as pre-sanding, as it is applied before stain, primer, sealer, lacquer etc. Sanding with a sanding disc or sanding wheel, using AO, is for sand mouldings and profiled parts, to remove fibres from the surface before lacquering. To achieve the perfect finish it is crucial to choose the right sanding cloth. The primary choice, as we would recommend, for AO sanding grit is between #120 – #400. The right sanding grit depends on the profile and material as well as the previous processing of the wood. If your product needs sealing on the wood such as stain, primer, lacquer etc. you may use AOC as described below. AOC Sanding AOC is an acronym for Aluminum Oxide Electro-Coated . AOC is used for what is known as intermediate sanding; when sealer has been already applied to the surface. After initial AO sanding, you can progress to AOC sealing. The AOC abrasive is a special sanding paper that is coated to ensure that lacquer does not stick to the sanding cloth and ensures a longer lifetime. For AOC sealing we recommend to use grits between #240 - #600. The grit you should use depends on your profile and material and the previous processing of the wood. If you are unsure which grits you should use, you can read more in our grit guide.

Height Which height should I choose? To determine the heights of the brush, we need to know which depth the profile has. For flat profiles no deeper than 10mm. we recommend a brush height of 46 mm.

For deep profiles, which means profiles between 10 mm. and 25 mm., we recommend brushes with height 61 mm. Be aware that we do not recommend brush sanding in deeper profiles than 25 mm. due to the risk of oversanding the top. If you have a deeper profile than 25 mm. please contact us to get our recommendation.

Length of the Abrasive Which length should I choose? If you have an abrasive or brush strip we recommend you to use the same length. At AbrasiveNow we offer customized length, so you can choose inbetween 30 – 1600 mm. in length.

Grit Which grit should I choose? To insure the use of the right grit in your sanding process, you should consider which type of sanding you are doing. Further more, you should consider the previous process of the wood. You can read more about AO sanding and AOC sealing in the section above regarding "Type of Sanding". What is the abrasive grit? Grit determines the roughness of the abrasive. The grit size of the abrasive is stated as a number inversely related to the particle size. A small number such as #40 or #80 indicate a coarse grit, while a large number such as #600 indicates a fine grit. First, you want to remove the fibers before the lacquering process. We always recommend a grit between #40 - #100 for calibration (AO sanding) and between #120 – #240 for fine sanding. For wood sanding we provide these grits: #120, #150, #180, #240, #320 and #400 A common error that we find is skipping grits. For example, we see some who go from grit #80 to grit #180 or from grit #180 to #320 in the same machine. We definitely do not recommend skipping grits to ensure maximum fiber removal. What happens if I skip grits? If you skip more than one grit you will not remove all the fibres, and that means that you will have to use more lacquer in the next AOC sealing process. If you skip more than one grit in the process the fine sanding paper is not unable to remove all the scratches of the rough sanding paper. Skipping more than one grit will give you a rough surface and the lacquer may remove easily because it will be on top of the wood rather than sinking into the wood.