Once you’ve taped and hung your drywall and taped it, follow these steps to make it perfectly smooth. We’ll teach you the methods experts use to accomplish the job quickly and with great results.
Tools Required
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Prepare for Dust-Lots of It!
Sanding drywall is among the most challenging tasks in construction. It’s more than just messy and exhausting; it’s also stressful since you must correct any previous mistakes. The best sanding results are built upon excellent taping. The final step in sanding gives you a last chance to finish the task correctly. The painting process will show the truth: You either succeeded, all seams and fasteners look like they’re invisible, or any taping and mistakes in sanding are now evident for the rest of your life. It’s no wonder that homeowners are so inclined to outsource work in drywall.
Sawdust isn’t only a health risk; it can also cause fires and falls, as well. The five tools for dust collection will help keep your workplace secure and clean.
Be confident. If you’re patient and attentive to details, you’ll be able to tackle this task! We’ll walk you through the steps to sand and the finishing techniques used by the pros to finish sanding quickly with outstanding outcomes.
Our Best Sanding Drywall Without Dust Tips:
Dust from drywall is fine as flour and can be carried to other parts of the home. To prepare a home for the future and to reduce dust take these steps:
Lay drop cloths. Use masking tape and plastic sheets to seal off cold air return ducts and doorways. Set up box fans inside window frames (exhausting the air) to allow the room to breathe. Before beginning work, take the screens off your doors and windows so that you don’t have to wash off the dust from working with drywall.
Make sure you have the proper safety equipment for your work: a two-strap dust hood (changed every half an hour for those working in poorly ventilated zones) or a respirator — both are suitable for use in drywall–along with glasses, a hat (goggles can fog) and comfortable clothes.
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Step 1 - Time-Saving Tip: Capture Dust at the Source
Dust can be captured at the source. How to Sand Drywall
If you’ve been a homeowner who has sanded your own drywall, you’re aware of the mess that dust can make! You can solve the dust problem by using a power sander with an attachment that connects a vacuum to the sander. The Mirka sander kit and Dewalt sander both come equipped with this option.
Step 2 - Before Sanding
Before sanding:
- Make sure you round up the edges with a large taping knife and a pencil.
- Do not use a felt tip pen, as it can bleed across the paint.
- Map every wide seam found on ceilings and walls to determine how much to sand every seam.
- With the backlight on the opposite side of the ceiling or wall, set your taping blade at the seam’s edge to slide the knife down the seam, and each time, you go over 4 feet. You can label the areas “high,” “fill,” or “even.”
I will use the following codes to label my products:
High: If light reveals a high point at the center of the seam, you can sand the high area down until the seam is even and even. Be careful not to sand off the joint compound so that it exposes and scratches the drywall tape underneath. If this happens, use a wide taping knife and more mud to smooth up the joint from the top point towards both edges on the outside, allow the mud to dry, trace the seam, and sand it.
Fill: If the light appears only in the center edge of the blade, then the seam requires additional “mud” fill. Recoat the seam with more mud and allow it to dry prior to sanding it. Make use of an “easy-sand” joint compound found in hardware stores and home center retailers in 25-lb. bags of powder mixed with water. Then, add the mud, let it dry, and finally, smooth the seam. You can do this within the next day.
Even: If the light appears evenly blocked throughout the length, smooth the seam lightly and uniformly.
Step 3 - Using the correct grit and sander
For most of the work, you’ll employ hand sanders on the lower walls and an electric sander for the upper and lower walls and all ceilings. Both of these tools can be used with disposable sanding discs (which are available in one type of coarseness on the surface, also known as “grit”) as well as a sheet of sandpaper available in various grades. Utilize these tools to swiftly grind away high spots or soft, uneven spots on surfaces, including outside corners and fastener strips.
Set up your work lights, so they shine on the seams to highlight any flaws in the taping. Take the time to master your sanding technique to reap the rewards once you paint and be content with the result.
Open Mesh Sanding Screens Yay or Nay?
Certain pros employ “open mesh” screens for sanding. However, those who do it themselves should steer clear of these. The mesh lets dust from drywall generated when sanding flows through and away from the sander. Screens are prone to leave marks on the finished surface and get worn out more quickly than sandpaper.
Best Results From 150-Grit Drywall Sandpaper.
Most workers will have the best results using 150-grit drywall and sandpaper. Its pores could be blocked when used, but the drywall dust acts as an abrasive, which can be used to finish and grind down the surface giving a more smooth finish and prolonging the life of the paper. For easier and faster sanding, you’ll need to switch out sandpaper sheets often (an average-sized bedroom can use about three to four sheets).
Step 4 - Apply Even Pressure
Sand drywall using a hand sander
Use a consistent push-pull action to move using a hand sander within the flat seams and along the narrow nail/screw lines along the vertical sides. Make sure you work the edges of seams or strips using this push-pull stroke or use circular buffing motion for a circular motion to “feather the edges” and smooth the edge of transition that runs between the seams and rough wall.
To smooth out small scratches on a seam or nail/screw pattern (called”fastener strip “fastener strip”), apply moderate pressure on the hand sander and then make an arc of buffing.
Note: We chose to use water-resistant drywall since its green color offers more distinction between the wall, taped seams, and the strips. Do not use water-resistant drywall for ceilings (it is prone to sagging). Also, consult an inspector for the building; some locations do not allow its use on exterior walls.
Step 5 - Using a Pole Sander
Make use of a push-pull stroke when using the pole sander. Your arms could turn into rubber; however, using the pole sander is quicker and more efficient than operating with a hand sander on an elevated ladder.
Tips for Using the Pole Sander
Pole sanders can be more difficult to control. You can use either the push-pull motion or a side-to-side sweeping.
Turn the handle to adjust the ball joint on the sanding head. This will alter the movement of the head. It will also let the sander change directions and rotate around the inside corners, where seams meet.
The face of the pole sander to make it wider to work along seams or narrower for sanding along fastener strips.
Pole sanders and a good hand towards making the “field” of the ceiling or wall. Working too close to corners inside the tools could hit adjacent walls, damaging or scratching the surface.
The pole sander with its ball joint inside the sander’s head can easily flip around (“jackknife”) or cause injury.
Avoid Scuffing the Drywall.
Be sure to smooth the edges between the taped seams/strips and the drywall surface to avoid scratching the drywall’s paper surface. Be careful not to scratch or scratch the surface of the drywall, as these flaws could be apparent when you paint. The edges of edges and strips of fasteners need to appear smooth and soft after they’ve been cleaned.
Don’t use drywall that is water-resistant on ceilings. We used it to improve the clarity of photos.
Step 6 - Three Common Problems
Three common problems that arise when sanding drywall
Certain issues can arise in this phase of drywall sanding, so be aware of the following three issues while sanding:
Put a screw (or nail) by first putting the fastener in a proper position below the surface of the drywall before applying two coats with easy-sand the mud.
Cut off a ridge-dried joint compound from an edge using a tiny tapping blade, then smooth it out with a small layer of easy-sand dirt.
If you’ve got a large layer of drywall on the edge of your transition, avoid sanding with abrasion, as you’ll probably scratch the adjacent drywall. Instead, use a 6-inch blade to create a feather of the easy-sand material inside the corner, where the two seams intersect.
Step 7 - Sanding drywall with a soft touch
After you’ve finished most of the sanding work, switch gears and tools to complete the difficult “finesse” areas, such as those around light fixtures or electrical outlets and in the corners. You can use the hand sander to finish your work, but the best alternative around outlets is to use handheld sandpaper.
You can control the sandpaper using a simple smooth stroke to avoid scratching or damaging the finish of the surface. If your sanding reveals the joint tape and then scratches it, apply more mud to make it feathery, let it dry, and continue to sand.
Step 8 - Using a Sanding Sponge
Sanding sponge
Hand sanders can be used to smooth the inside of corners. However, when smoothing one side, you could be able to over-sand the other side, creating a large channel that needs an additional layer of mud to correct. Instead, it would be best if you used a fine-grit, angled wet or dry sanding sponge to smooth every side of the corners on the inside.
Hold the Sanding sponge, apply consistent pressure, and then move it upwards and down in the corners to create an unobstructed, straight edge. Then move the sponge using either an upward or circular motion to smooth the transition edge of the completed corner seam.
Step 9 Preparation for Painting
In the past, following the sanding process, my drywall was pre-painted by cleaning the surface or vacuuming it to remove all dust. False, according to many experts. They suggest only minimal cleaning of the ceiling and walls. Remove the dust from the corners and dust balls formed from taped seams wide or fastener strips. In other cases, spread an even coating of dust all over the surface of the drywall, particularly along the edges that transition between the seams, fastener strips, and seams. Dust will bond with the paint and act as an effective filler to cover pinholes, scratches, and chafed paper surfaces.
Dust, which is your opponent in the initial stages of the drywall process, ironically turns into an all-weather partner at the end to help improve the paint finish and achieve high-quality results.
