However with this final skim coat of mud it is important to just very lightly sand the drywall seams.Īs an alternative to sanding the final skim coat of mud, use a damp sponge instead. Likewise go lightly when sanding directly over the nail holes.Īfter the third and final skim coat layer of mud has fully dried, repeat the drywall sanding process of focusing on the edges of the seams and nail spots. When sanding the seams be sure to only lightly sand directly over the taped area of the seams so that you do not sand down to the drywall tape. Focus your sanding energy near the edges of the mudded areas so that you blend them into the surrounding drywall area, however start the sanding process at the center of the seams and work your way outwards towards the edges. If your taping knife did not sufficiently remove all the high spots, then lightly run your pole sander or hand sander, with attached drywall screen, over the mudded areas, paying most attention to the edges.Īfter the second coat of mud has been applied and is fully dry, again go back and lightly sand over the seams and covered nail spots. Instead, once the first coat of mud has dried, simply run your 6 inch taping knife over the seams and filled in nail spots to remove any high ridges.

Normally if the joint compound (mud) is fully dry the drywall screen won’t clog up.Īfter hanging the drywall and bedding the drywall tape into joint compound you can often skip having to sand the drywall at this stage. In the event a clog does form on the drywall screen, with just a few flicks of the wrists you can remove any clogs that do form on the drywall screen. Unlike sandpaper, drywall screen won’t easily clog up or rip. A grout or sanding sponge can also come in handy. In addition use an abrasive drywall screen and a 6 inch drywall taping knife. Much of the dust is collected in this way.įor best results when sanding drywall use a pole sander and/or a hand sander. I also find it best in these cases to have someone running a shopvac just below your hand that is sanding the drywall mud. If your drywall sanding plans are limited in scope, such as a small drywall tape repair project, I highly recommend moving furniture and neighboring wall decorations out of the room to avoid having them coated in dust.Īlso, put drop clothes down directly underneath where you plan to sand drywall mud. In many cases they limit drywall sanding to after the final skim coat of mud has been applied. If you ever watch the drywall pros you will observe that the amount of drywall sanding they do is quite limited. One of the best secrets to sanding drywall is to tape and mud the walls and ceilings so that limited sanding is required. Make sure to always wear a dust mask and eye protection when planning to sand drywall mud and have a filtered shopvac nearby. Sanding drywall is messy and dusty business.

Scope of work for drywall skim coat