Finding The Correct Drywall Sander
Builders and finishers use drywall sanders to smooth newly prepared plastered walls. Sanding and preparing it may be the most frustrating and ugliest part of drywall installation, so choosing the right tools can help reduce the effort. Choose tools that depend on the size of the job, the layout of the wall, and your estimated budget. Here are the tools and their intended purposes.
The manual sanding block is a handheld sanding tool that measures 2.75 inches (6.99cm) wide, 4 inches (10.16 cm) long, and 1 inch (2.54 cm) high. It is mostly used for small jobs and repairs and is available in medium and fine grits. It is also available in single and dual angles to prevent accidental sanding of the opposite wall. For corners use a sanding sponge instead.
The Porter cable drywall sanders are ones used by professional sanders. They are highly fast motorized sanders with 13-foot (almost 4 meters) extensions to sand high walls and ceilings without using stools or ladders. The benefit of Porter cable sanders is they sand large areas very quickly; however they are really heavy tools weighing 8 pounds (3.63 kilos) and are very pricey too, they cost an average of $800.00.
Orbital drywall sanders are hand-held motorized power tools. The sander is shaped like a disc and attached to a motor that swirls to remove the mudding compound of the drywall. They are ideal for self-repairs in homes. It comes only with an extension cable and so you need a ladder to sand high walls and ceilings.
The dust-less (vacuum) turbo drywall sander is a lightweight, inexpensive ($500) sander that uses a vacuum to suck most of the dust created by sanding. It has a hose like a vacuum cleaner in addition to a sanding device. The advantage of these is easier clean-ups and comes in rectangular head and extension cable to sand high places.
