A customer in Denver taught me a crazy trick for sanding drywall seams

I was finishing up a big basement remodel out in Denver last month and the drywall dust was driving me crazy. This old timer homeowner came down and saw me struggling with a pole sander and just laughed. He told me to wet the drywall compound a little before sanding and use a damp sponge instead. I thought he was messing with me but I tried it on a scrap piece and it worked way better than I expected. No dust cloud, smoother finish, and it actually saved me about 20 minutes per room. Now I keep a bucket of water and a sponge in my truck for every drywall job. Has anyone else tried this sponge method or is there a better trick out there?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim69311d ago

Well I'll be. Wet sanding drywall compound? That just sounds like asking for trouble with the paper tearing or the mud getting all gloopy. But I guess if it worked for that old timer in Denver and saved you a chest full of dust, there's got to be something to it. I've been doing this for 15 years and never once heard of that trick, so you've got my attention. A damp sponge instead of a pole sander sounds so simple it almost makes me mad I never thought of it myself.

sam_murphy3910d ago

You hit it right on the head with "so simple it almost makes me mad." That's pretty much how I felt when that old timer showed me. I was standing there with my pole sander and a mask, coughing up a lung, and he just comes over with a wet sponge like it's no big deal. Felt about two feet tall, I tell you. But yeah, the trick is you gotta wring the sponge out real good, almost bone dry. If it's dripping wet, that's when you get the paper lifting and the mud turning into paste. Just a damp sponge, light pressure, and you're good.