Working on my first big drywall project (converted garage) and the instructions say to sand between every coat of mud. But ive also seen people say you only need to sand before painting. Im already behind schedule and the sanding is the most annoying part. Whats the actual truth here? Can i skip sanding between coats if i knock down any obvious ridges with my knife?
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You dont NEED to sand between coats if youre good with the knife. The key is knocking off any ridges or bumps while the mud is still workable - like semi dry but not fully cured. Use a wide blade and make light passes. But if you leave big ridges and let them fully harden, yeah youre gonna have to sand or theyll show through.
ok that makes sense. so basically keep things clean as i go and only do a real sanding at the end?
exactly. pros barely sand at all because their knife work is clean. amateurs (no offense) end up sanding more because they leave more imperfections
I did my garage last year and sanded between every coat like the youtube videos said. Took forever and created so much dust. In hindsight i way over sanded. My buddy helped me with his basement and we only did a light scuff between coats and a real sanding at the end. Looked just as good.
Pro tip - use a damp sponge instead of sandpaper between coats. It smooths down the ridges without creating dust clouds. Only works while the mud is still a little soft though. Once its fully cured you need actual sandpaper.
this is the way. sponging is a game changer. no dust, no mess, and it blends the edges better than sanding imo
Depends on your standards honestly. For a garage? Skip the sanding between coats, nobody cares. For living spaces where you want level 5 finish? Sand between coats. You can always tell the difference under raking light.
The real answer is that sanding between coats helps the next coat bond better. But if youre using all purpose premixed mud its less critical than with setting compounds. Just dont leave any glossy spots from overtroweling.
just finished my second garage conversion and wanted to circle back on this. first garage i sanded between every coat like a madman. second garage i only knocked down ridges with my knife while the mud was setting up and did one final sand at the end. second garage looks just as good honestly. the trick for me was using a 12 inch knife for the final coat and keeping it thin. less mud = less sanding needed. also a shop vac with a drywall filter bag was a game changer for cleanup, regular filters clog in like 5 minutes