Camper Van
Freedom.

Cutting & Abrasives · My build kit

Diablo 60-Grit Sanding Discs

The coarse discs sit at the rougher end of my sanding purchases, alongside finer abrasives for later surface-finishing stages.

By Steven Smith · Camper Van Freedom

Read my build notes ↓
Diablo 60-Grit Sanding Discs

The item in my kit

I bought Diablo 60-Grit Sanding Discs as part of my camper van equipment.

The coarse discs sit at the rougher end of my sanding purchases, alongside finer abrasives for later surface-finishing stages.

Where it fits my build

I taped the boundaries and covered the areas that would not be painted with plastic sheeting. I then sanded the exposed areas with an orbital sander and 60-grit abrasive, blew away the dust with a compressor, and cleaned and degreased the surfaces.

I mixed clear bedliner with white tint and sprayed the van. After it dried, I removed the masking. The tape and sheeting stage alone took around eight hours, and the finished edges still needed some touch-up.

My van with masking around the exterior areas prepared for coating.
My van with masking around the exterior areas prepared for coating.
The side of the van during the white-bedliner project.
The side of the van during the white-bedliner project.

My build notes

The most useful detail in my diary is the result, including the problems. Rust-Oleum pooled and dripped in places, and trying to repair one area with a paintbrush made it worse. I wrote that I would use a foam roller for touch-ups and preferred the more consistent finish I had obtained with RAPTOR.

Masking, preparation and application method each became a substantial part of the exterior-coating job.

Alternative products

Two alternatives to compare

Dura-Gold's assortment includes sixty grit along with finer steps. The Diablo 120-grit discs provide a finer single-grit option for a later sanding stage.

Dura-Gold Five-Inch Disc Assortment

Dura-Gold Five-Inch Disc Assortment

This assortment contains five-inch hook-and-loop sanding discs in five grits. The eight-hole discs cover coarse through finer sanding stages in one pack.

View on Amazon
Diablo 120-Grit Sanding Discs

Diablo 120-Grit Sanding Discs

These five-inch Diablo discs have a 120-grit abrasive face and hook-and-loop backing. The Amazon option is a fifty-disc pack.

View on Amazon

Questions from my build

What took the longest before painting?

Taping the edges and covering the areas I was not painting took around eight hours.

What problem did I record with the bedliner?

The Rust-Oleum pooled and dripped in some areas, leaving an uneven finish that needed touch-up.

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