Frequently asked questions
What nail files and buffers does ND carry?
Around 30 listings: the LAVIS file line in regular, jumbo, and halfmoon shapes and 80/80, 80/100, and 100/180 grits, sold singly, in packs of 5, and in boxes of 50; LAVIS and Classy mini buffers 80/100 by the box of 1,500; the LAVIS 3-way buffer 80/80/100 and Classy slim buffer by the box of 500; double-sided sanding buffers and strips; pumice by the pack of 40 and case of 400; and the DND disposable pedicure kit with file, buffer, and pumice, single or box of 200.
Which grit should I use?
The lower the number, the coarser the file. 80/80 is for taking down acrylic and hard gel and shaping a sculpted edge, never on a natural nail. 80/100 is the enhancement workhorse and the pedicure file for thick toenails. 100/180 is the natural-nail and finishing file: 100 shapes the free edge, 180 smooths the sidewalls and preps the surface before base coat. Mini buffers 80/100 remove shine before gel and smooth a pedicure.
Regular, jumbo, or halfmoon file?
Regular is the everyday straight file and the cheapest per unit. Jumbo is wider and longer, so it files acrylic flat without dips and handles thick toenails. Halfmoon has a curved edge that follows the sidewall and cuticle line without nicking skin, which suits a clean cuticle prep and almond or oval shaping. Most salons keep all three in 100/180 and the jumbo in 80/100.
How many files does a salon use, and can they be reused?
One file and one buffer per client: a station doing 30 services a week uses about 120 of each a month, so the boxes of 50 files and 1,500 mini buffers are the reorder units. Files and buffers are porous and cannot be disinfected, so most state boards require a new one per client or that it goes home with the client. Files keep indefinitely in a dry drawer, so a year's supply can be bought at once.
Are nail files and buffers sold at wholesale?
Yes. Every file, buffer, and case at ND Nails Supply is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The boxes of 50 files, 500 and 1,500 buffers, and 400 pumice are the working sizes for a busy salon. Orders $100+ ship free, and in-stock boxes ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.
Nail files and buffers: grits, shapes, and case packs for the salon
A file shapes and a buffer smooths, and the number on each side is the grit: the lower the number, the coarser the abrasive. ND Nails Supply stocks around 30 file and buffer listings at wholesale, built around the LAVIS file line in three shapes (regular, jumbo, halfmoon) and three grit pairs (80/80, 80/100, 100/180), sold singly, in packs of 5, and in boxes of 50, plus mini and 3-way buffers by the box of 500 and 1,500, pumice by the pack and case, and the DND disposable pedicure kit that bundles a file, buffer, and pumice per client. Files and buffers are single-use items under most state board rules, so the case pack is the unit a salon actually buys.
What is on this page
| Product | Grit | Pack | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAVIS Regular Nail Files | 80/80, 80/100, 100/180 | 1, 5, or 50 | The standard straight file for natural nails and fills |
| LAVIS Jumbo Nail Files | 80/80, 80/100, 100/180 | 1, 5, or 50 | Wider and longer for acrylic and pedicure work |
| LAVIS Halfmoon Nail Files | 80/80, 80/100, 100/180 | 1, 5, or 50 | Curved edge for the sidewall and cuticle area |
| LAVIS Mini Nail Buffer 80/100 and Classy 2-way mini buffer 80/100 | 80/100 | 1,500 per box | The disposable pedicure and prep buffer |
| LAVIS 3 Way Buffer 80/80/100 | 80/80/100 | 500 per box | Shaping to smoothing block for enhancements |
| Classy Slim Buffer | Fine | 500 per box | Natural-nail buffer at the manicure desk |
| Double-sided sanding buffers and strips | Fine | 2, 40, or 50 per pack | Light prep and shine on the natural nail |
| Pumice and mini pumice | Stone | 40 per pack, 400 per case | Heel and callus in the pedicure |
| DND Disposable Pedicure Kit | File, buffer, pumice | Single or box of 200 | One sealed kit per pedicure client |
Which grit for which job
- 80/80: the coarsest, for taking down acrylic and hard gel, shaping a sculpted free edge, and removing bulk on a fill. Never on a natural nail.
- 80/100: the enhancement workhorse: 80 to shape, 100 to refine, on the same file. Also the pedicure file for thick toenails.
- 100/180: the natural-nail and finishing file: 100 to shape a gel-polish client's free edge, 180 to smooth the sidewalls and prep the surface before base coat.
- Buffers: the 80/100 mini buffer roughs and smooths a pedicure or removes shine before gel; the 3-way block takes an enhancement from shaping to a smooth surface; the slim and sanding buffers bring a natural nail to a low shine.
The grit pair is in every listing title, so a reorder is by number rather than by guess.
Specs comparison: grit, shape, and pack size
| Item | Grit | Shape and size | Pack | Job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAVIS Regular Nail Files | 80/80, 80/100, 100/180 | Standard straight file | Single, or 50 per pack | Shaping enhancements (80 and 100) and the natural nail (180 side) |
| LAVIS Jumbo Nail Files | 80/80, 80/100, 100/180 | Wider, longer board | Single, or 50 per pack | Long acrylic and sculpted sets, where the wide face levels a surface faster |
| LAVIS Halfmoon Nail Files | 80/80, 80/100, 100/180 | Curved edge | Single, or 50 per pack | Following the C-curve and the sidewall on a shaped nail |
| LAVIS 3 Way Buffer | 80/80/100 | Three-sided block | 500 per box, or the single set | Removing shine and leveling before base; a buffer, not a shaper |
| LAVIS and Classy Mini Buffers | 80/100 | Mini block, two-way | 1,500 per box | Single-use surface prep, one per client |
| Classy Slim Buffer; the 40 and 50-piece double-sided sanding buffers; 2-piece strips | Fine sanding grit | Slim block, mini block, strip | 500 per box; 40, 50, and 2-piece packs | Fine smoothing before top coat |
| Classy Mini Pumice; Pumice Yellow | Pumice stone | Mini block | 400 per case; 40 per pack | Callus and heel work on the pedicure chair, one per client |
| Classy Toe Separators; DND Disposable Pedicure Kit | Foam separators; kit with file, buffer, and pumice | 1,000 pairs per box; single kit | Pedicure consumables, one per client |
The grit numbers read the same on every item: the lower the number, the coarser the surface and the faster it removes product. 80 is for enhancements only, 100 for shaping enhancements and knocking down a fill line, 180 for the natural nail and finishing, and the fine sanding buffers for the final smoothing before base or top.
Grit scale, from removal to finish
Troubleshooting: when the file is the problem
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Natural nail peels in layers after the service | An 80 or 100 grit used on the natural plate, or filing back and forth | 180 grit only, one direction, light strokes |
| Gel wrinkles or lifts at the cuticle | Shine left on the plate, or buffer dust left behind | Buff the whole plate with the 3 Way or mini buffer, dust with a brush, then dehydrate |
| A file loads up and stops cutting | Product dust packed in the grit | Single-use files are replaced; a client's file goes in the bin at the end of the service |
| Uneven surface on a sculpted set | A narrow file on a wide nail | The jumbo board levels a long nail in fewer passes; finish with 100 then 180 |
| Heel skin raw after a pedicure | Pumice used dry or too hard | Soak first, light circular strokes, and a fresh mini pumice per client |
Regular, jumbo, or halfmoon?
The regular file is the everyday shape and the cheapest per unit. The jumbo is wider and longer, which matters on acrylic where a broad face files flat without dips, and on a pedicure where the toenail is thick. The halfmoon has a curved edge that follows the sidewall and the cuticle line without nicking skin, so it is the file for a Russian-style clean prep and for shaping an almond or oval free edge. Most salons keep all three in 100/180 and the jumbo in 80/100 for enhancements.
How many files does a salon go through?
One file and one buffer per client is the rule, so a station doing 30 services a week uses about 120 files and 120 buffers a month; that is two or three boxes of 50 files and a box of 1,500 mini buffers every year per station. The boxes of 50 are the reorder unit for files, the box of 1,500 for mini buffers, and the case of 400 for pumice. A salon that wants the client to see a sealed kit opened at the chair buys the DND disposable pedicure kit by the box of 200 instead of stocking file, buffer, and pumice separately. Files keep indefinitely in a dry drawer, so buying the year's supply at once is the cheapest way to buy them.
Why single-use matters
A file or buffer is porous, so it cannot be disinfected the way a metal implement can; most state boards require it to be new for each client or given to the client to take home. A salon that reuses files risks both a citation and a client infection, and the cost of a new file per client is a fraction of a dollar. The case packs on this page exist so compliance costs less per service than the alternative.
Files and buffers against the e-file
A drill does not replace the file tray; it changes what the tray is for. On a station with an e-file, the coarse 80 grit boards are used less, because a carbide barrel takes bulk product off faster and with less effort, and the file's job becomes the shape and the finish: the 100 side to set the free edge and the sidewalls, the 180 side on the natural nail, and the buffer to remove shine before base. On a station without a drill, the 80/80 jumbo board does the removal work and a salon goes through more of them, which is why the 50-piece packs exist. Either way the buffers are consumed at the same rate, one per client, since every gel and dip service starts with a buffed plate whether or not a drill was used.
Case packs and the monthly reorder
- Count clients, not services. One file and one buffer per client is the hygiene standard, so a chair doing eight clients a day uses roughly 200 of each a month.
- Buy files by the 50-pack in the two grits the chair uses most (80/100 for an enhancement chair, 100/180 for a natural-nail chair) and singles of the third grit.
- Buy buffers by the box. The 1,500-piece mini buffer box and the 500-piece 3 Way box are the salon sizes; a two-chair salon reorders the mini box roughly quarterly.
- Buy pedicure consumables by the case (400 mini pumice, 1,000 pairs of toe separators) or as the DND Disposable Pedicure Kit for the salon that wants file, buffer, and pumice bagged per client.
- Keep one pack of halfmoon files at the station that does shaped sets, since the curved edge follows a stiletto or almond sidewall that a straight board cannot.
How to file without damaging the natural nail
- Match the grit to the surface. 180 on the natural nail, 100 on gel polish removal and light shaping, 80 only on acrylic, hard gel, and poly gel. A coarse file on a natural nail thins it in one pass.
- File in one direction on the free edge. Sawing back and forth on a natural nail splits the layers; on an enhancement it does not matter.
- Hold the file flat against the sidewall. Tilting it under the nail thins the edge, which is where a natural nail breaks.
- Buff to remove shine, not to thin. Two or three light passes with the 100 or 180 side of a buffer before gel; the surface should look matte, not dusty.
- Dust off before base. A manicure brush or a lint-free wipe with dehydrator, so filing dust does not end up under the gel.
Wholesale pricing at ND Nails Supply
Every file, buffer, and case is wholesale-priced for everyone, with no business license, no minimum order, and no membership fee. The boxes of 50 files, 500 and 1,500 buffers, and 400 pumice are the working sizes for a busy salon. Free shipping on orders $100+, and in-stock boxes ordered before 2pm PT on weekdays leave the same day.