The Best Sanders and Sandpaper for Furniture Work

Ryan Fightmaster, MD

Writer. Furniture professional. Former practicing physician.

Sanding, of all the furniture-refinishing activities, is where I spend the great majority of my time in the workshop. Sanding, of all the furniture-refinishing activities, is the foundation of quality work. When I invested in better quality sanders and sandpaper, the quality of my work improved drastically. And I got the jobs done faster.

Here’s my list of essential sanders and sandpapers for furniture repair and refinishing:

Best Orbital Sander

Buy: Festool 576340 ETS EC 125/3 EQ-Plus Sys3

Buy: Festool 577413 CLEANTEC CT 15 E HEPA Dust Extractor

The real perk of the Festool sanding system, aside from the quality of the sanding and smooth stabilization of the sander in the hand, is the dust extraction system. YOU CAN SAND INSIDE AND NEVER SEE A SPEC OF DUST. It’s incredible. Then, once your vacuum bag is full, simply empty the bag and start again.

I consider this system the best overall investment I’ve ever made in my workshop. Period.

Best Mouse Sander

Buy: SKIL Corded Multi-Function Detail Sander

When trying to strip old finish or paint from a hard-reach corner, a mouse sander is invaluable for the furniture refinisher. No need to force a circular sander into a square corner. For only $30, this single investment has saved me hours upon hours of grinding away at corners with folded-up sandpaper. It’s a must-have.

Best Sanding Blocks

Buy: SATC Sanding Blocks Set

If you’re sanding veneer, sanding blocks are invaluable. Plus, you can use the sandpaper discs you already have laying around the garage to refill the paper. Compared to using folded-up sandpaper, the blocks offer a better fulcrum and weight for pressure, speeding the sanding process up greatly.

Sometimes too, if I’ve had to aggressively remove paint from furniture with 80-grit paper, I’m stuck with pigtail marks in the wood. By using these discs, I can quickly scrub out the pigtails.

Buy: SATC Small Detail Sanding Block

This little tool—aside from my carbide pull scraper—is my go-to. Because the foam is flexible, you can use it just about anywhere. To flatten an edge. To scrape away inside rungs of a chair. Anywhere. I use this tool daily. And you can refill the paper by cutting out the leftover sanding discs from the shop.

Did I miss a furniture refinishing or repair product you saw in one of my videos? Drop a comment and I’ll send the product your way. You can also check inside another workshop category on my Products Hub page.

Want to see these furniture refinishing and repair products in action? Here’s my most recent furniture makeover:

(Disclaimer: If you purchase these products using the links below, I may receive a small commission in return from Amazon.)