Skip to Content

Can You Sand Particle Board? (All You Need to Know)

If you search your house, you will find some furniture or appliances made with particle boards. These are artificial wood-made boards that can be used for different purposes. It’s heavier and can give you reliable service for years without making any issues.

In today’s world, you will find some cheap or budget-friendly furniture made with particle board. It’s a great relief for people to change their existing furniture and experience something new.

Sanding particle board

You can sand particle boards with any orbit or belt sandpaper and get the smoothest wood material. The particle board doesn’t have any uneven areas or it doesn’t have any grain patterns that can be damaged through sanding. So, you can sand your particle board like other regular wood.

Although there are some basic differences between particle boards and wood boards, you will love to have some similarities. You can sand both the boards and will love to have a smooth wood surface. If you have any old particle board, you can also send it and get a good shape.

Sometimes, sanding is required to get the smoothness of your wood surface or any surface. You can use regular sanding paper to properly sand the wood and other areas. If you have used sandpaper, you can use it on the particle board.

Let’s see if you can sand the particle board cabinets, subfloor, and dresser. Sometimes, the sanding of these surfaces might get damaged due to unnecessary scrubbing and other reasons.

Particle board cabinets:

You can buy some particle board cabinets that come with artificial wood made with wood residue that goes through several machines and becomes the artificial wood board.

Manufacturers make these particle boards, then go for the cabinets or make other furniture.

You must use the new and smooth sandpaper when you get the particle board cabinets. It will protect your cabinets from getting damaged or scratched out of them. Moreover, the particle board will get cleaned after you sand them properly with new sandpaper.

Particle board subfloor:

You can also sand the particle board subfloor because of the hardwood surface.

If you have any particle board surface, you must be careful about the cleaning because you cannot use any water or liquid cleaner to remove string stains and dirt. Therefore, sanding would be your best option.

You may choose excellent or high-quality sandpaper and then sand your particle board subfloor to clean that area. When you use that subfloor for a long time, it will get some strong dirt. Only sanding and vacuuming can get rid of them.

Particle board dresser:

If you have a particle board dresser, you can use sandpaper. Sometimes, your dresser will need some sanding because of unusual or uneven surfaces.

Once your surface gets uneven areas, you will love to sand and revive the dresser.

Especially if you buy the new dresser made of particle board, you will find some edges that will be shared and might hurt you. In that case, you must sand those areas and try to get a smooth finish over them. Here, the sandpaper will play the ultimate role.

Is it okay?

It is okay to sand particle boards since they are also wood and might have uneven areas. You must sand those boards properly if you have any concerns about getting smooth particle boards. This sanding will be for cleaning purposes as well.

When you have dirt or stains on your particle board furniture, you must use sandpaper to remove them. You must sand those areas and then clean them with a vacuum cleaner. It will be easier to clean the entire particle board area with single sandpaper and a vacuum cleaner.

For all these reasons, sanding your particle boards or the artificial wood is okay and won’t damage the board quality.

You must use quality sandpaper for that purpose to get the best output from sanding. You cannot use sandpaper on your particle board for a few reasons and times.

When your particle board gets damaged or broken, you cannot sand it to bring back the original particle board. It will become useless and will be difficult to sand. If you try to sand at that point, it will be a bad idea. So, check your particle board’s health and then sand it accordingly.

What happens if you sand particle board?

If you sand particle board, it offers you a smoother surface and is arranged for afterward finishes. Particle board furniture is regularly surfaced with a cover to keep everything intact.

Even though the cover looks pleasant, it prevents the paint from staying on the surface.

You must gently sand the cover and make a range for the fabric to stay. Sanding will moreover straighten any zones where repairs happen.

It might not appear critical, but the shiny wrap-up of particle board furniture won’t permit the paint to stick well, and you’ll discover your fresh paint work chipping in no time.

How to sand particle board?

To sand particle board, you may follow the process below:

Repair Damage:

Particle Sheets are exceptionally lightweight wood. It may be a milder surface than normal wood. So, while sanding any harmed zone on your board, press carefully.

Fill the harmed area with wood filler or putty by employing a cut. It helps you make your surface smooth. After drying your putty, you’re prepared to sand.

Select Sandpaper:

Sometime recently, sanding particleboard, you’ve got to choose good sandpaper. It depends on your particleboard condition as well. If your board is, as of now, coating, you’ll be able to utilize 120-grit sandpaper.

Sand the board down with 120-grit sandpaper. The cover or luster on the particle board will prevent paint from staying on it. Utilize a medium to fine coarseness sandpaper, around 120-grit, to sand down the comfort of the particle board you need to paint.

Sand it down lightly, as it were sufficient to evacuate the sparkle from it and uncover the wood. Something else, you’ll be able to utilize 220-grit sandpaper for modern or coat-free surfaces.

Sand:

Numerous of the particle boards are covered. The covered surface can not be held with paint. In case you need to paint this surface, you must require sanding.

In this circumstance, we incline toward 120-grit sandpaper. You’ll make a light pressure when sanding. Continuously watch out to dodge damages to your board.

If your Particle board surface isn’t covered, you’ll utilize 220-grit sandpaper. The non-laminated particleboard surface layer isn’t so smooth. Hence, include a few additional pressures and move the sandpaper haphazardly over the surface.

Paint:

After completing the sanding, you want to paint the board to extend its toughness and quality. The color coat ensures dampness and makes the particle Board strong.

How to refurbish particle board furniture?

You can refurbish particle board in the following way:

Prepare:

First, use wood putty and a knife to fill up any chips or cracks. You can use a sharp razor blade to remove any water-damaged areas that have bubbled up. Make sure you prepare the wood putty or filler in advance because it will need to cure overnight.

Sand:

Once the repairs have been made and you’ve got an even surface, it’s time to sand the complete piece. Sand the area with high-grit sandpaper until it is smooth after wholly dried.

Use caution not to sand as it is difficult on the edges; otherwise, you might chip the protection and need to begin over. It may be exceptionally delicate wood, making it simpler to work with and move around but less demanding to scratch and harm.

Utilize as it were lightweight when sanding to maintain a strategic distance from harming your particle board. Use a vacuum cleaner or shop-vac to evacuate any tidy that comes off the board whereas sanding it.

Prime:

To begin with, select the correct primer. Go with a gray primer if you’re portrayed over a dull particle board. If the piece features a lighter wrap-up, use a white primer.

Again, if you have white primer on hand and need to paint over a soft wrap-up, blend a few of the paint color, you’ll be utilizing the primer.

Paint:

At long last, the fun portion. Utilize a roller to portray your piece. This will guarantee that the beat coat goes on equitably without brushstrokes, but you’ll require a brush to urge into corners and other unbalanced spots.

One coat may be sufficient to cover as long as you prepare appropriately, but if not, make sure beyond any doubt to let the primary coat dry some time recently, including another one.

Final Thoughts

Since particle board is also a kind of wood, you can sand particle board and get a smooth surface. It will become your best choice to sand and clean the particle board to refurbish or revive them. When you find an old particle board, you must sand it properly before using it.