What Is Ceramic Sandpaper, And Is It The Best Choice For Your Wood Floors?

If you're tasked with installing or successfully refinishing hardwood floors, you'll likely want to get the job done as efficiently as possible. To this end, you should carefully consider which sandpaper material you use for the job. Although aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and garnet are some of the most popular sandpaper material options, ceramic is a particularly impressive choice. Ceramic sandpaper boasts a high level of hardness and durability and is well-suited for heavy-duty jobs, especially when used with power tools. This synthetic sanding material can be a particularly good option for wood flooring thanks to its high level of strength and its superior quality.  While ceramic blends can be pretty useful as well, the benefits of ceramic sandpaper are most obvious when using 100 percent ceramic. 

Perhaps the biggest advantage of using ceramic sandpaper on a wood flooring installation or refinishing job is that it allows you to start with a finer grit than would normally be wise. It also prevents wood overheating during the process and works well for rough and difficult spots. Although ceramic sandpaper tends to be more expensive than other options, it's well worth it — it's incredibly durable and works well for hardwood flooring tasks.

A common sequence for sanding hardwood floors is 36-50-80 – you'll need to work backwards from the fine grade that you're ultimately planning for. With the enhanced cutting capabilities and strength of ceramic sandpaper, you can start with a finer grade, such as 60, from the beginning. It can take a lot of time to refinish hardwood floors, but this can eliminate some of the time you'll spend on the job, helping you get closer to your ultimate goal more quickly. It can also reduce the total number of sanding scratches on your floor. You'll get better results than you would get when aggressively using another sandpaper with the same or a lower cut rate.

This increased efficiency can make using ceramic sandpaper on hardwood flooring a no-brainer, reducing the difficulty of the installation considerably. Hardwood floors are always a great choice for the home, but the installation and refinishing can be time-consuming. Ceramic sandpaper can help make the process go well and eliminate some of the time required to keep hardwood floors looking their best. However, be aware that it can be too strong to use towards the end of the refinishing process. You'll likely want to use another type of sandpaper during the very final steps to create a completely smooth finish on your hardwood floors.