Brad the Painter

Sanding drywall is downright painful and don't get me started on drywall dust: it has a mind of its own if you are not using a drywall sander vacuum (dust extractor). Bottom line: most folks buy a low-cost drywall sander (not top quality but fine). It's a US-based company called WEN and this tool is fine for homeowner jobs. Really not for pros, but some pros do use it. The WEN drywall sander has GREAT, and I do mean great ratings: and it's fast. See it here. More details just below. Re-sale value is good for these tools, so pull that trigger, fly through the work, then get at least half your money back. Here is the drywall sander for every budget: from the pro-type orbital vacuum sander to the ole trusty: pad and stick. See my favorite sander here: expensive, for pros, or serious tool lovers. More on this baby at the bottom. But here are the main homeowner level tools: Big boy toy: if you want what the pros use... this rig is pricey but worth every penny. Jump down to check it out. Your new franchise! Bottom line—our top 4 tools for drywall sanding, all from makers of the real-deal pro tools: the first 3 suck great! Best for the money: WEN, a decent company, makes the same basic type of orbital drywall sander as the big boys that costs a lot less. Click on the picture for the price. Surprised? Yes, it's a good deal but it's not Festool (bottom of page). The WEN company website shows the care they put into their tools. (They're based in Elgin, Illinois.) More below. Want to be neat and sand by hand? Hyde Tools' hand sander: very good price here. It attaches to the shop-vac like the big boys. Don't use your house vac! Trust me the dust will kill it. You need a shop vac with a filter to trap the dust. This Hyde is a great little tool made in the USA: check the price here. For the drywall sanding screens (don't get sandpaper for this one). More on tool, screens, and shop vac below. This painter's everything sander: the Dewalt 5-inch orbital with dust bag (great for many projects), check price online. An un-flippable pole sander (use your broomstick) that's not like the rectangular ones that flip on you and leave marks. All pros use this now and then: old school drywall sander—improved. See Online here. More detail on these below, plus the downside of not using dust-extractors, shop-vacs (and how to improvise one). Drywall Sanders: Top 4. After the best sanders are some ways to control the dust. You know those ridges left by the wall sander...like dried mud under the paint? That's because you had a lazy sander. It used to be very hard work. Our advice: Cut your time in half and get a good electric drywall sander that sucks...up almost all the dust. Then, re-sell it online: you will get most of your money back: "Only used once" ... pros always need a good drywall sander vacuum, plus they will buy your leftover paper. Of course, you need a respirator: we simplified the crazy, complex world of filters here: for drywall dust, you just need P100 or HEPA filters: look for the kit with the retaining clips. 2. WEN is a company we have come to trust. They make lower-cost power tools like this almost dustless sander that have thousands of great reviews. Our guess is that they want to become accepted with the big boys like PorterCable and DeWalt, then they will raise prices. For a homeowner, this would be a decent choice. same 9-inch hook/loop (velcro) paper that the pros use (see the 120-grit drywall sander paper I use) the hose is 1.5 inches (get this adapter if your shop vac hose is 2.5", etc) only 9 lbs, and has a telescoping handle: nice job Wen. hand help version is ½ the price (not worth it in our view) comes with some paper, but you'll appreciate this variety pack How I use this tool: I start with 80 grit after the first coat of drywall compound is dry just to knock down the big chips. Then a quick blast with 120 grit and then more mud. For the final sanding I give a quick touch with 12- then use 220. In other cases, I feel 120 is enough. New to this? Experiment with how much drywall board (paper) can take before you scratch it. You will get the hang of just keeping the drywall sander head on the dry mud. 3. Hyde's hand block vacuum pad: drywall sander with a vacuum attachment comes vacuum hose adapters for any dust trapping canister style vac. Hyde also sells a similar one that has no pole attachment (save about 10 bucks). DON'T USE SANDPAPER: You need the dust to get sucked through a screen! Get the Norton washable drywall sanding screens. only 3 ounces (plus the weight of the hose) snap-lock, not wing nuts to hold sanding screens in place (thank you Hyde) comes with hose adapters for different shop vacs. must use sanding screens, for drywall sanding: not sandpaper Comes with a 6-foot hose, so if you have high work, you'll have to put the vac on a stand or get a longer hose (see below for the extensions). 4. Dewalt Orbital 5-Inch If you are not doing a very large job, this will handle it, but your arms will need rest after you are done. The nice thing is that this is a workhorse tool for so many other things you will do...and you will leave it to your grandkids. DeWalt is quality. Here are 5-inch sanding discs: fast change hook-n-loop. you'll love the dust catcher system you change with one hand: others are clumsy. the dust bag gets most of the drywall dust but gets 100% of sawdust. optional shop vac hose connector (1¼ inch) that swivels. larger hose adapters below. sanding drywall with an orbital sander is a bit messier. 5. Old school: pole sander head, fits threads for a broomstick/painting pole, but also comes with 'free' adapter for (use with our main quick-lock paint roller pole). All pros have one of these. Use this "hook-n-loop" 9" sandpaper. The paper is fast to change, unlike the 'old school' with screw clamps, uggg. No dust control, but look at the price, and: does not flip (which causes new dents in new sheetrock) lowest-cost way to get the prep done. can be paired with a washable duster head shown (necessary before priming) does not control dust metal ones are better than the plastic: metal spreads the force evenly from the pole: that's very important. it's not heavy-metal, Judas. Vacs, and other associated drywall sanding tools. The main thing today making your drywall sander into a virtually dustless drywall sander when it is connected to a dust collector—but you have to get the filter. IMPORTANT: You cannot use your regular shop vac for this ultra-fine dust—it will kill your upright carpet vac in one use—and instantly void your warranty. "Low-dust" drywall compound (mud) is supposed to sand off in larger particles: but in reality, it floats for hundreds of yards. The best way to clean up drywall dust off the floor and walls. These vacs are not just for dustless drywall sanders with vacuum attachments. Without dust trapping ability, you'll blow this stuff all over the house. Here comes my favorite all-around shop-vac, and the very best for drywall dust collection. I researched drywall sanding dust and shop vacs to handle it... and DeWalt wins the day, with a close runner-up (below), both made in the USA. I picked two: the DeWalt 10-gallon and the slightly bigger DeWalt 14-gallon. Few other brands are sold in drywall supply stores that pair the DeWalt with the Porter-Cable drywall sander shown at the top. Washable filter: you'll want to stop after sanding a while with your drywall sander. The 10 gallon uses "Quiet Technology" which other DeWalt models lack and they claim that it is built to live twice as long. Why do they only put this in some models? Don't know. The 14 gallon has large rear wheels and a cart handle, (yeah, baby), and actually costs about the same. Long cord, about the same number of horses, and a tank drain. In addition to the washable cartridge filter, there are different bag-type filters explained below. The filters are easy to find with the model numbers. Start by clicking here, then simply search for the model numbers in bold: Washable Cartridges The "standard" cartridge comes with the unit (1.0 micron, DXVC6914). Add the fine (.3 micron, DXVC6914, about 30 bucks). Add the very fine, HEPA (.3 micron, DXVC6914, about 40 bucks). We had never before seen a washable HEPA filter for a shop-vac. Nice going DeWalt. Filter bags use with 2 types filters for whatever the job calls for and they are not expensive for a change (average 5 bucks each) fleece bag DWV9402 (concrete, wood, drywall dust) dustbag - DWV9401 (concrete, wood, drywall dust) Runner-up The Vacmaster 4 Gallon with a washable cartridge filter. Big power, small price won me over when I saw this. 5 HP. Washable filter: accept no less. Tool containment: everything has a place. 15-foot cord: thank you. You have the option for 2.5, 4, 5, or 6-gallon sizes, and the 5 comes in 3 HP or 5 HP. Look out DeWalt and ShopVac. Honorable mention is this surprisingly powerful and stable 1.5-gallon unit from Shop-Vac. I have had one of these for years* and: uses washable filters that go a long time: just love that. downside: you have to clean the filter after suctioning up drywall dust for 20 minutes, but that goes fast: we have washed some 50 times. recommended for non-pros. works with reusable filters: the best deal is from Shop-Vac, not China! Here is our video of one way to trap the dust as you sand using an older model. We travel with this powerful mini Shop-Vac everywhere: it is strong enough to pull paint out of carpet: thank you, thank you, thank you. * I keep my old one dedicated to just cleaning my chimney after brushing: read how I clean my chimney. Shop-vac hose adapters. These adapters should work for almost any hose and any vac, but measure your hose: size matters. This particular adapter is 1.5 to 2.5 inches (for the WEN above). Counting for wall thickness, you will get, for the inner diameter (ID) about 1+3/16". They are tapered so they will fit if you are close. Extension hoses, adapters. These plastic ends taper so...

Brad the Painter

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Brad the Painter

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