Alternatives for Sandpaper

Ok, you have decided to tackle that project that you have been putting off. You know, the one that you said you would do last year. But, now that you have began getting all your supplies together you discover that you do not have any sandpaper. What do you do? Do you just put everything back and decide to do it at a later date after you have gotten the necessary sandpaper? You do not have to put off the project just because you do not have the sandpaper that you need. There are other items that can be used in place of the sandpaper to smooth wood and/or plastics.

Abrasive nylon pads that are found in the kitchen can be used in place of sandpaper. The ones that you use to do dishes with that either have the sponge on them or not. You can also use steel wool even though it may be rough on your hands when using it.

You can also use a pumice stone in place of sandpaper for smoothing plastics and wood. Pumice stones are commonly used by people to smooth calluses from their hands and feet. Now there is another use for them.

An emery board can be used to sand hard-to-reach places, especially if you do not have sandpaper to do the job. Since an emery board can flex it is especially helpful on surfaces that are contoured and curved that need to be smoothed. One more reason to have an emery board laying around.

If your job involves a larger area that requires rough sanding, you can use a piece of broken concrete block or a brick. This works on masonry, plastic and wood. Smooth sanding will likely need to be done after rough sanding.

A large area that needs smooth sanded can be the perfect spot for using fine sand poured on it then rubbing it with a thick piece of cloth until it is smooth as you want it to be.

Just because you are out of sandpaper does not mean that your do-it-yourself chore has to be put off another minute. Luckily there are alternatives to sandpaper for many jobs, both rough and smooth, and most of them are laying around the house. Give them a try next time but be prepared to have to clean up a mess as most of these alternatives are messier than using sandpaper.