Drywall Sanding Tools

Although your hardware store may have full sheets of drywall sanding screen, you'll find that die-cut strips load quickly into pole-mounted and hand sanders. Avoid ordinary sandpaper -- it clogs too quickly. For conventional drywall compound, sand with -grit or finer abrasive; when you're sanding lightweight or topping compounds, choose 150-grit or finer.

The swivel-joint pole sander improves your reach and leverage whether you're sanding a ceiling or a wall. If you use 1- or 2-inch beads on outside corners, consider a corner bead cleaner. It mounts onto a standard handle to quickly remove unwanted joint compound.

A cellulose sponge can eliminate some dust during the sanding process. The sponge smoothes joints by slightly dissolving nonsetting-type joint compound. Consider the sponge a final smoothing step -- not as a substitute for dry sanding. For actually sanding down compound, you can use a dry abrasive sponge or pad.

Contain sanding dust by raising walls of plastic sheeting held by adjustable spring-loaded poles. Setup is surprisingly quick, and it's a particularly good solution for remodeling projects. You can buy a basic system or fully accessorize it -- including adhesive-backed zippers that make doors in the plastic and foam rails that dust-proof the edges.

For dust control right at the source, consider a sanding system that attaches to a shop vacuum. Some designs connect directly to the vacuum, while others utilize a water filter to grab the dust before it even gets to the vacuum.

You won't need a full wall of sheeting if you are working in a room that is separated from the rest of the house by a door. There you can simply attach plastic sheeting over the doorway as a seal. However, you will still need to create a doorway in the plastic to gain access to the work area. Just cut the sheet by the door opening.

When you put up the plastic, leave a fold of about 12-18 inches where the doorway will be. After the plastic is up, slit the sheet vertically to make two flaps.

To seal the flaps, fold them together and clip them with two or three spring clamps.