How To Sand Drywall
Do you have some drywall work on your horizon? You will need to choose between two techniques on how to sand drywall lumps, ridges. Wet or Dry?
Drywall known as sheetrock is a common material used in finishing interior walls. Drywall installation is an easy DIY project. A few tips and techniques can make the difference between a smooth, wall surface and one with waves, bumps, and glaring imperfections.
First, you need to decide if you want your walls smooth or textured. Smooth walls are great for wallpaper, but smooth walls will point out imperfections with a neon sign. Textured walls will hide imperfections but there is a limit to what they will hide. So in both cases, you will still need to use these sanding techniques to get to your objective.
Review of Hyde Tools 09170 Dust-Free Drywall Vacuum Sander
on October 26, 2016
Dry Sanding Technique
Personal Protective Equipment
Dry sanding is my preferred method to finish drywall. It produces the smoothest finish. But it does create a ton of dust in your home. So using an ordinary dust mask is not the right tool for this job. You will need a good respirator mask with good particulate filters to keep the dust out of your lungs. Safety glasses goes without saying. You don’t want drywall dust in your eyes.
Keeping dust down using your shop vacuum is a good first step but you will need a filter bag for your shop vacuum to keep from spreading the dust into the air. Here is a short one minute video that shows how well a shop vac bag will work keeping your home dust free during your project.
Sandpaper and tools
Ok, so now you have the dust generated controlled. Let’s move on to the sandpaper. I prefer to use a sanding screen. It’s perfect for this kind of work. It cuts the material quickly and does not clog. One screen lasts a very long time(one sheet will do your entire room and more). It leaves the surface smooth. I can use it with a pole sander or a hand sanding block. I like the pole sander because it makes the job go much faster. There is no up the ladder, down the ladder with a pole sander in an eight-foot room. I can do all the sanding from a standing position. The following video explains how the screen works and demonstrates how the pole sander works.
Wet Sanding Technique
Wet sanding drywall is pretty simple. A sponge and a bucket of water. No dust is generated so the technique is pretty simple. Keep the sponge moist but not wet. You will be surprised at how fast the mud softens up and is removed with just a couple of passes. I like to use a tile sponge. It is dense enough to give you a good sanding technique. Here is a short video showing how fast the tile sponge works.
Squeeze the water out of the sanding sponge, you’re working with a damp sponge but not dripping. Work your sponge in large circles to sand. Remember, light pressure will avoid removing too much material. Clean the sponge in warm water often. This will wash out the mud that collects in the sponge and avoids redepositing the drywall mud where you don’t want it.
Related Articles: Drywall Prepping, Patching, Texturing, etc.
