Drywall dust can travel all over your home pretty quickly so sanding drywall without dust is the goal! These four tips will help!
I’ve been doing a LOT of sanding over the past several weeks. Sanding the spackled nail holes in our kitchen. Sanding the skim coated textured walls in our dining room. Sanding spackled nail holes at my parents’ house. Sanding. Sanding. Sanding. And I’m not sure which is worse – the tediousness of the sanding or the mess that it makes.
While I can’t take away how hateful sanding drywall is, I have figured out several tips for sanding drywall with less mess! And today I’m sharing those tips with you! (post may include pay affiliate links; for more details see my disclosure statement {here})
Tip #1: Angle a Dustpan on the Wall
For sanding smaller spots such as when you fill a nail hole, hold a dustpan at an angle under the spot that you’re sanding. The sanding dust falls right into the dustpan where it’s a cinch to empty it into the trash. A rubber edged dustpan that conforms to the wall like {this one} does the best job of catching all of the dust:
Tip #2: Place Painter’s Tape Underneath
Another tip for sanding drywall is to use a piece of 2″ wide painter’s tape like {this} that’s a little longer than the area you’ll be sanding. Fold it down about ½″ along the length of the tape (the sticky side should be on the outside of the fold). Stick the ½″ section to the wall under the area that you’re going to sand, creating a horizontal ledge with the remaining 1 ½″ width of tape with the sticky side up:
Now when you sand your spot, the sanding dust will fall onto the sticky painter’s tape. Once you’re done, you can slowly pull the tape off the wall, fold it up, and throw your sanding dust away!
Tip #3: Use a Shop-Vac
Another great tip for sanding drywall is to hold the nozzle of a shop-vac like {this one} under the spot that you’re sanding and suck up the sanding dust before it ever hits the floor. I tried this trick with various nozzle attachments and the small brush works best for me.
Tip #4: Use a Dust-Free Drywall Sander
A final option is to use a dust-free drywall hand sander kit like {this one} that attaches at one end to a wet/dry vacuum. It includes a washable sanding screen that’s attached to the other end of the hose. Once you turn the vacuum on and get sanding, the sanding dust gets sucked up as you go.
I’ve never used one of these before but they get rave reviews for sanding new drywall. They’re probably not ideal for sanding spackle spots on already painted walls since (in my experience) you don’t get as smooth as a final finish with drywall screens as you do with sandpaper.
Whichever method you use, don’t forget to wear a dust mask or respirator while sanding. Some sanding dust will still be getting into the air and you don’t want that stuff in your lungs.
Once you’re done with your sanding and are ready to paint, check out my post on how to paint a room with the ten simple steps for a perfect paint job! Also check out my post on painting tips that’s filled with time-saving tips! Enjoy your weekend everyone!
