When it comes to interior walls, drywall has many advantages. It’s cheap, fairly easy to install and maintain, and works well enough for the average household. However, drywall requires some pretty thorough sanding before painting, unless you like the look of bumpy, bumpy walls with noticeable creases between the seams. Sanding drywall means dust. In fact, it’s so dusty that you might be tempted to build it out of MDF. But while MDF doesn’t require a lot of sanding to give the paint a nice, smooth finish, it doesn’t respond well to fluctuations in humidity and is prone to expansion and contraction cracking.
Luckily, with the right technique, you can wet your drywall to reduce dust while still getting the painted surface you want. Read on for professional tips to know the do’s and don’ts for perfect results.
Wet sanding is time consuming: if you’re really in a rush to get your drywall ready for painting, dry sanding is your best bet. But keep in mind that while you’re drying the sand, you still have to spend a lot of time cleaning up the dust. Wet drywall sanding requires minimal cleanup, so the total time spent on the two methods is comparable.
Wet sanding drywall usually leaves very soft waves on the finished surface due to the flexibility of the drywall sponge. This can be to your advantage if you’re patching up a textured wall: it’s easier to pick up the texture with a damp sponge than with sandpaper. Simply blot drywall dirt (used to hide the tape that holds the drywall panels together) with a sponge, wiggling and tapping it until it matches the texture you want to reproduce.
Wet sanding requires a lot of water, so use a five-gallon bucket and fill it three-quarters full with warm water to help soften drywall grime. This way, you don’t have to constantly stop to fill the bucket.
While any hard sponge will do the job, you’ll get the best results with a drywall sponge designed for wet sanding, such as this one, available on Amazon. These special sponges are thick and hard, with a slightly worn side for the first sanding and a soft, fluffy side for the second smoothing drywall dirt.
Submerge the sponge completely in water until it gets wet, then wring out excess water so that the sponge is damp but not dripping. When sanding an entire wall, keep two or three sponges on hand in case one gets too worn or breaks during use. For small repairs, a drywall sponge is sufficient.
Wet-sanding drywall is a bit tedious, but resist the temptation to speed up the process by vigorously scraping lumps and bumps off the drywall putty. This creates craters and holes that you will eventually have to fill in. Excessive approach can also lift or tear the drywall joint tape under the dirt.
Start by softening all of the drywall putty in broad, soft strokes, then focus on uneven or ridged areas using circular motions to fill in imperfections. Let the sponge and water work, not the strength of your hands. Designed to remove stains without creating depressions or holes.
During use, the sponge can pick up drywall and dirt, reducing its ability to smooth out bumps. When the sponge gets too dirty, be sure to thoroughly rinse the sponge in the bucket and then wring out the excess water before returning to the task.
After several rinses of the sponge, the water in the bucket will become milky and viscous. Pour out the cloudy substance, then fill the bucket with fresh water, the sponge will be easier to clean. If you pour water down the sink drain, flush it with hot water to prevent water from collecting in the drain.
The strongest bumps and bumps should be wiped off the first time you use the abrasive side of the drywall sponge. During the second pass, focus on using the fluffy side of the sponge to smooth the edges of the drywall dirt and achieve a perfect finish while aiming to minimize minor imperfections.
If twice isn’t enough, you need to let the drywall dry and then use sandpaper to finish the job. Repeated wet sanding more than two times can cause the drywall to become over-wetted, resulting in pitting, pitting, and melting spots.
Post time: Aug-03-2023