Tried sanding drywall compound with the 120 grit I use for wood... big mistake

Spent a whole afternoon on a patch job in my hallway last week, sanding joint compound with the same paper I use for furniture. Left these ugly scratches that showed right through the primer. Anyone else learned the hard way that you need like 220 grit minimum for compound?

2 comments

2 Comments

sagelane3d ago

You need like 220 grit minimum for compound" - yeah that's exactly right. I made the same mistake years ago on a bathroom ceiling patch and had to redo the whole thing. It's funny how we get used to using the same tool for everything and forget that different materials need different approaches. This is true with so many things in life, not just sanding. People use the same cleaning solution on every surface, the same communication style with everyone they meet. We get comfortable and stop noticing the small differences that really matter.

angela1913d ago

Sanding ceilings is the worst. Did my mudroom ceiling last fall and went way too coarse first. Had to skim coat it all over again because the scratches showed through the paint. 150 grit is safe for most mud work. Anything rougher just creates more work.