Sanding Grit Used When Skim Coating Walls?
joejoyce
| Posted in General Discussion on
I have a project where I will be repaired horse hair plaster and then skim coating with joint compound (roll the compound on the wall, use drywall tool to skim it off and then sand). I’ve read that I should use 200 or 220 grit sand paper when sanding it done. Frankly I find that even 220 leaves some marks. So I do the final sanding by hand and use 400 grit sandpaper which leaves a nice smooth wall for painting.
Am I missing some reason NOT to stay with 200 or 220? I find articles that say not to use more than those grits, but not why.
Any thoughts?
Thanks, Joe
Replies
You may get a reply here, but you might be better off at teh Fine Homebuilding Forum. There's a link at the bottom of this page.
Once you put paint on the wall you will never see the scratch marks. I never sand joint compound with anything finer than 150g. If you really want a smoother finish, use a damp sponge.
If you want to skim coat, use plaster. The final surface is done after the plaster sets up a bit with a wet trowel.
I don't feel like I have the skill to mix up and apply plaster and have it come out any good. Tried that years ago and it wasn't pretty.....
Plaster takes far more skill than drywall. A lot more mess. And sets up rock hard, really fast, in comparison.
400 is nuts. A paint roller leaves a texture on the walls that will cover minor sanding scratches. I wouldn't even dream of going past 220. Depending on where it's located, I sometimes do only 120.
lol. It is our living room so I need to get it right. Will try it with 220 and evaluate it. Thanks.
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