Wet sanding

[opsirc]

I am in the process of repaint my boat, I have totally strip the bottom half so far. I plan on redoing the top also, but do not want to totally strip it. I was told that wet sanding would be best way to just scrap up the surface of the old paint to get the new stuff to stick. I have never done it before, is there a type of sand paper that works better than other for this purpose?

thanks

O

[Macgyver55]

Yes, they make sand paper especially for wet sanding. Maybe someone with paint experience could tell you what grit to use more accurately than I can. Maybe 320?

[efgh]

you can purchase scuff pads at N.A.P.A. which are used to scuff the painted surface to ready it to repaint. these are used dry. Wipe the finished surface with mineral spirits and let dry before repainting. I used these and I think that they work great. when you wet sand the paint will stick on the paper or cloth, which ever you purchase and load the grit, you use a lot of paper this way.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Wet sanding for paint prep I would start with anywhere from 500 - 1000 grit.The intent is to give some tooth for the new primer/paint to grab hold of but yet removing as little paint as possible. Sometimes I even used coarse rubbing compound and a buffer. Wet sanding, when done correctly, will keep the paper from loading up by washing away the solids you are removing form the surface. I like to use a larger dish soap bottle. Fill it with water and add a drop of dish soap, I prefer Dawn. Use plenty of water!! Wet sanding will give you the ideal prepped surface for paint/primer.

[Steve Bakken]

Ditto what efgh said. Scuff pads are cheap and the most effective at prepping the surface for adhesion. Now if you're trying to remove surface imperfections, then that's a different story. Then you have to sand. The rule of thumb is 320 if you're using a sealer under your paint, 500 if your putting the paint right over the top.