What is the best way to sand drywall in prep to paint.?

Question

I just removed wallpaper from my walls. I also had glow-in-the-dark star stickers on my ceiling, which when removed, tore off bits of drywall. Furthermore, my "do-it-your-self-er" Dad decides to load on tons of spackle without cleaning the moist, sticky wall underneath. What is the best, fastest and least expensive way for ME to remove this spackle, sand the walls and prep them for a nice clean coat of white paint?

Answer 1

Ok, use a Random Orbital Sander with 80 grit sand paper (if you have really rough spots that are extremely high).

Now, if you have spots that are just ..so-so, tips and little mounds that are almost flat, then use 120 grit.

Remember, the stuff will "blind" the sandpaper, (make it smooth because it cloggs the sand paper), so do a bit, and then take a bit of sand paper and "sand the paper", to clear it a bit, then sand some more...

Also, if you have an older house, (pre1975), you may have lead base paint on the walls, so you may have to do lead abatement...(basically all kinds of EPA Regulations for lead based paint), so, have it tested and see, because you dont want the lead all over the house if you sand it off and it becomes airborn and gets everywhere.

I would have a fan blowing into the room, and a window fan that is blowing OUTSIDE in the window, so you have good cross ventilation...(Personally, I put plastic up on the door leading into the room, cut a hole enough for the fan and duct tape it around the fan, so its air tight and doesnt get dust into every room of the house and blows it out with the help of the fan blowing out the window).

If the spackle is in gobs, and hard, get a hammer and hit it, and it should crack into a lot of pieces, then take out the chunks by hand.

Now to put it back, just apply it in thin layers and build it up over a period of days, or, you can get that 5 minute drywall compound, and mix some up and apply it, and after 30 minutes apply some more... until its built up to where you need it to be...

Prime the entire area and make SURE you dust everything, wiping it down with tack cloths in order to get all the dust out...(I like to use a wet & dry vac, and have a pool hose, on the exhaust, so that it blows out the window.."yea, I like windows eh?", so that you dont get the dust back on the walls, and go all over the walls with out a filter and shove it all outside... first rain, the dust dissapears...also, make sure kids are not in the yard when you do this).

I wish you well..

Jesse

Answer 2

Buy a pole sander and some moderate grit sandpaper for the really rough spots, then switch to a finer grit. You have to make sure that all of the glue and everything else is off of the walls. If it's really rough, purchase or rent a "Palm Sander" and have at it. Be careful with the sander though, you can go too low and really make a mess. Spackle your low spots and "feather" sand the edges to blend in smooth. Use a good primer and a good quality paint. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Use a fine grit sand paper and sand down the rough spots till they are smooth with the walls. I would probably use a primer beore I paint so that all the surface has the same texture to it, the paint will absorb better and will be more even if you use a primer.

Answer 4

Buy a Pole sander made for Drywall, buy Drywall sheets of sand paper made for it, sand the rough spots down, then Prime the walls and cieling with "Drywall Primer" not paint primer, Drywall primer, thats gets you back to square one.

Answer 5

after wallpaper it is best to wash off any remaining glue or else it may cause the paint to clump and look bad. I would always use a primer on a wall that was papered before painting. if you don't you may wind up doing the job twice. the primer will show up any problems also. primer. primer. primer.

Answer 6

I used a random orbiting sander which worked well.