# Dust free sanding?



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Wet sanding is a pain in the butt. It's very hard to get the right "touch" for doing it well. For me, it's just hard to see high and low spots once the mud gets wet and I end up making a "slurry" on the wall which is, well, a mess. Sure, it's dust free, but, your mud ends up looking like hell. 

The shop vac attachment is the way to go. Better yet, rent one of the circular sanding pole sanders from a rental shop. They are golden!


----------



## KC_Jones (Dec 1, 2014)

I agree with Gymschu I have used the circular sanding pole several times not only is it cleaner it is MUCH faster especially for us amateurs who aren't that great with the mud.


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

There is a particular compound you can get that's just about dust free. When you sand it, it just drops to the floor.


----------



## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Tape up plastic on all the doors leading to the space where you are working to contain the dust, get a package of dust masks and just get it done. I haven't used the sanding attachment but that looks like a winner to me if it works. 

Wet sanding can be done but IMHO it is a LOT more trouble than dry vacuuming everything with a shop vac at the end of the day. If sponge sanding is not done properly you get a muddy mess (at least) and possibly tear up the paper sheathing. Even after sponging you'd have a lot of dust spread all over the paneling after things dry, so if you want paint to ever stick to it you'll need to give it a good vacuuming anyway.


----------



## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

I have never gotten the wet sanding thing to work. And I really don't like the mud that is supposed to drop to the floor, never thought it worked all that well. Hyde makes a sanding block that takes sanding screens, this then attaches to your shop vac hose these work fairly well. The problem with them is drywall dust is really thin and tends to plug the filter in the shop vav. 

May try renting a regular drywall sander depending on how big the area is. May just want to seal off the area with plastic sand then clean.


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

The problem with wet sanding is it raises the grain on the paper, not coated with compound. Then you need to dry sand to knock the bumps off the paper.


----------



## begal (Jul 23, 2014)

I watched on youtube and what he did was light sand at the end and then finished with a skim coat. Seems the best way?


----------



## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

I thought it was just me who could not do the wet sanding thing! I see that touted all over the place, but I could never figure it out. 

I bought the Hyde shop vac attachment: 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hyde-Vac-Pole-Sanding-Kit-for-Shop-Type-Vacuum-Cleaners-09170/100659753

It has really good reviews and it's only 25 bucks. Mine broke the first or second time I used it. I got the one that goes on a pole and that pivot point broke. 

They have another one that doesn't go on a pole. So it won't break there. You can probably also put a little more muscle in it. I might pick one up. On YouTube, I've also seen a few people rig up a water filter to catch the dust.


----------



## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

I do a lot of drywall and imho the wetsanding sucks.There is a reason the pros do it the way they do it and has been working for a long time.
I use hot mud for prefilling and setting the tape and the second coat.I don't have to sand it.I knock down any little ridges with an 8" knife at an angle and then put on the 3'rd coat with topping compound with a little water added .Then sand a little and it's good to go .
Sanding is minimal and I usually use a Festool with a vac which a DIY'er will not want to buy for obvious reasons.Used to have a PC which I used for years which a DIY'er would not want to spend the money on.
My advice is to use hot mud on the tapping and second coat.Keep it as clean as you can and then use topping on the slick coat with something to move the air.A window fan will be better than nothing.
I have tried the "less dust formula"that Ron spoke if and it works to a point.May be better for the DIY'er than me.It has something heavier in it that makes it drop to the floor other than becoming airborne and works to a point .just not for my purpose.


----------



## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

I use 3 tools or products in combination to achieve very low dust sanding.

First, I use the Hyde vac attachment that mathmonger linked. I have never had a problem with mine.

Second, I use the Cleanstream filter for my Ridgid shopvac. The slippery, "plasticy" surface allows dust to knock right off.
http://www.cleanstream.com/

Third, while those 2 alone are fine for most small patches. For sanding larger areas, I use the water trap method in conjuction with my shopvac (also mentioned by mathmonger). Specifically, I built this one:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/reader-tip/a-better-way-to-suck-up-drywall-dust.aspx

They used to sell these (I saw them at Lowes and online), but once I decided I wanted one, I could never find one.


----------



## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

Cool link Jeff.Never seen it before but looks like a good down and dirty idea for the DIY'er and would come in handy for several things.


----------



## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

mako1 said:


> A window fan will be better than nothing.


This is what I used to do, and it is better than nothing. Put a fan in a window blowing out, as near as possible to the work area. A window or door (preferrably with a screen obviously) should be left open somewhere else in the house. Airborne dust will mostly go out the window.

Obviously this doesn't work well if in an area without a window, such as a bathroom, hallway, etc.


----------



## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Mako made a good point - the best way to minimize dust is to do the mud such that a lot of sanding isn't necessary. Good technique and clean knives help. Easier said than done sometimes, but it's a good goal.


----------



## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

Probably I would not have broken my sander if I wasn't trying to compensate for bad knife work. Maybe now I would do a little better.


----------



## begal (Jul 23, 2014)

Dust control mud is the way to go. I am happy to discover that the dust control has no bad VOC's either. I will still use the shopvac sander attachment. Seem everyone should use dust control mud? It only costs a bit more. The regular mud has formaldehyde and vinyl binder. I imagine drywall guys have some of the worst jobs, working with this stuff all the time.


----------



## Wildbill7145 (Sep 26, 2014)

I've used the dust control mud in the past. Found it to be a royal pain to sand. Always showed the lines from where second coat met first coat, etc. The dust control aspect of it does work pretty well though.

It takes a lot of experience to get really good at mudding properly. I painted behind two drywall guys a year ago. I was doing the priming. Guys were packing up and said "won't be much sanding" and left. I laughed. Next day I went into the room and it looked like they were right. I had to really look for stuff I needed to sand down. It was almost perfect.


----------

