ABRASIVE BACKING AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME

1 .- 55 . (canceled)

56 . An abrasive backing comprising:

a base sheet comprising wood fibers, synthetic fibers, cellulose filaments and a saturant comprising two or more latex polymers and a crosslinking agent, said base sheet comprising a first surface and an opposing second surface;

a barrier coating adjacent the first surface of the base sheet; and

a backside coating adjacent the opposing second surface of the base sheet.

57 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the barrier coating is impervious to liquid water and allows transmission of gases.

58 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein grit is applied adjacent to the surface of the barrier coating opposing the first surface of the base sheet.

59 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the backside coating is waterproof.

60 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein a layer comprising a plurality of loops or a plurality of hooks is provided on a surface of the backside coating opposing the second surface.

61 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the wood fibers include hardwood fibers.

62 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the wood fibers include softwood fibers.

63 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the wood fibers in the base sheet include a blend of softwood fibers and hardwood fibers wherein the blend comprises 30-70% softwood fibers by weight and 70-30% hardwood fibers by weight, each based on the weight of the wood fibers and the cellulose filaments in the base sheet.

64 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the two or more latex polymers comprise from 55% to 99.9% by weight based on the weight of the dry solids in the saturant.

65 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein at least two of the two or more latex polymers is crosslinkable.

66 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the latex polymers are selected from latex polymers having a Tg of from −40° C. to −20° C. and latex polymers having a Tg of from −12° C. to 8° C.

67 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the latex polymers include 10% to 50% by weight of a latex polymer having a Tg of from −40° C. to −20° C., 50% to 90% by weight of a latex polymer having a Tg of from −12° C. to 8° C., and 10% to 50% by weight of a latex polymer having a Tg of 32° C. to 52° C. based on total dry weight of the latex polymers.

68 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the crosslinking agent comprises from 0.25% to 1.5% by weight of the saturant based on the weight of the dry solids in the saturant.

69 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the crosslinking agent comprises an aziridine crosslinking agent.

70 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the cellulose filaments comprise from 1% to 5% by weight based on the weight of the wood fibers and the cellulose filaments in the base sheet.

71 . The abrasive backing according to claim 56 , wherein the cellulose filaments have an aspect ratio of from 200 to 5000 and a width of from 30 to 500 nm.

72 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the synthetic fibers comprise from 2% to 8% by weight based on the weight of the wood fibers and the cellulose filaments in the base sheet.

73 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the synthetic fibers comprise polyester fibers.

74 . The abrasive backing of claim 56 , wherein the abrasive backing has a basis weight of from 75 to 155 gsm.

75 . A method of making an abrasive backing comprising:

providing a base sheet comprising wood fibers, synthetic fibers, and cellulose filaments and a saturant comprising two or more latex polymers and a crosslinking agent;

applying a barrier coating to a first surface of the base sheet; and

applying a backside coating to a second surface of the base sheet opposing said first surface of the base sheet.