Whether you're undertaking a bit of DIY painting to revamp a piece of furniture, spruce up an interior wall or do a repair job on a favourite but chipped wooden figurine, having a basic knowledge of how sandpaper works will benefit your project.

As the essential piece of equipment for smoothing and shaping wooden surfaces, sandpaper is accordingly specific to each job requiring its employment.

From finer grades - larger numbers - to the coarser grades with smaller numbers, these coloured squares need to be worked with the grain of the wood, not against it.

Using a block of wood when hand-sanding can help keep the surface of the paper from moulding to the shape of your palm.

Contouring sponges have four-sided sanding capability, to make getting into corners easier.

There are also a range of power tools you can use for sanding projects and your local hire company should have a variety for you to choose from.

A more delicate job may not benefit from added capacity, so make sure to ask a representative at the hire firm about the best tool for the task.