What grit should I sand bare wood to before applying epoxy?

There is no specific sanding grit required before coating raw wood with UltraClear Bar & Table Top Epoxy. If you want a rule of thumb, sand to around 80-120 grit.

What matters more is the condition of the surface. The wood must be completely dry and cleaned of any dust, debris, oils or residue. Once it is clean and dry, brush on the seal coat and pour the flood coat as described in the instructions. No other special preparation is needed.

Do not confuse this with the 220-320 grit called for between epoxy coats. That is for scuff-sanding a cured epoxy layer before re-coating it, not for preparing bare wood.

If the wood has a stain or finish on it, the rules change. We only recommend water-based or alcohol-based stains under the epoxy. Oil-based stains must be sealed with 3 coats of oil-based polyurethane first, and the epoxy does not adhere to water-based poly. If you want to use a finishing product we have not tested, do a small-scale test first to check compatibility, or skip it and use the epoxy itself as the seal coat.

Bar & Table Top Epoxy Instructions: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0320/7168/0140/files/Epoxy-Instructions.pdf?v=1616443869 Tutorial videos: https://www.bestbartopepoxy.com/tutorial-videos/