Sanding Walls with 80 Grit Paper on Orbital Questions - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

plazaman · 12-17-2008, 09:44 PM

Guys I recently started a fairly large rehab project where the walls are in bad condition. The budget doesnt allow for skimcoat nor new drywall so spackling is the only alternative. These walls have layers of paint, bumps, previous patches, etc.. In the past, we usually give it a quick scrape , spackle bad spots, sand, prime, and paint, comes out ok.

I Have the PC sanding system in my garage, I thought if i could sand these walls down smooth, i could achieve better results.

I plan on having my guys sand the entire walls with the sander with 80 grit paper. Then come back, do my spackling, sanding, and painting. My biggest concern is that I dont want swirl marks on my finished product.

I plan to prime with Sherwin Williams High Hide Primer, and paint with 2 coats Kualiquote Eggshell.

SLSTech · 12-17-2008, 10:07 PM

Buy a crap load of paper - skim coat maybe cheaper

Just my .02

Workaholic · 12-17-2008, 10:10 PM

If you are worried about swirls then start out with a higher grit. 120 is probably to weak but 100 might be just right. Then again the 80 might be necessary. Hard to say without seeing.

boman47k · 12-18-2008, 09:30 AM

I have the same situation here in a smal foyer. It is going to be either a fine skim coat and a fine sanding or a rough sanding with pole or vibrating sander going to a fine sanding.

Burby · 12-18-2008, 10:04 AM

On my porter cable drywall sander I use both 80 & or 100 grit sanding pads.
Painted walls I use 80 & it works fine, then again the finish is flat, eggshell is a bit different and is where I would use the 100 grit.
Just let them start with light pressure and go from there. You will see & know if you need a finer grit. Sanding the complete walls will take time so the faster the better as long as the deisred results are met.
Depending on the wall condition, (not seeing or being there) I would start with 80, see how it looks, if needed go over with the 100 and stay with the 100. The pressure applied & what is presently on the walls will make a difference.

Power sander vs hand sanding = priceless

boman47k · 12-19-2008, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burby

On my porter cable drywall sander I use both 80 & or 100 grit sanding pads.
Painted walls I use 80 & it works fine, then again the finish is flat, eggshell is a bit different and is where I would use the 100 grit.
Just let them start with light pressure and go from there. You will see & know if you need a finer grit. Sanding the complete walls will take time so the faster the better as long as the deisred results are met.
Depending on the wall condition, (not seeing or being there) I would start with 80, see how it looks, if needed go over with the 100 and stay with the 100. The pressure applied & what is presently on the walls will make a difference.

Power sander vs hand sanding = priceless

Is 100 grit the highest you go before painting?