Sanding walls for paint..

me4many

I need to smooth out some walls for painting...(the original paint has that orange peel feel to it )
As I have several rooms to do I thought I might use a sander.
I have a B&D sander approx 2.5" x 6" which kind of vibrates.
Would that do the job or do I need a different type Or is there a different way .
Thanks.

listermint

I found orbital Sanders the best finish and most efficient tbh

me4many

Thank you..
What grade/ grit ? sandpaper do you use...?

listermint

Depends on wall condition tbh. I've used anything from 180 to 320

Muahahaha

listermint wrote: »

Depends on wall condition tbh. I've used anything from 180 to 320

listermint can you expand on that, what would necessitate 180 and what 320? Doing this job myself soon and have the same question as the OP. Also apart from saving you elbow grease do orbital sanders have any advantage over doing it manually with a hand held sander that just clamps the paper in place?

listermint

Muahahaha wrote: »

listermint can you expand on that, what would necessitate 180 and what 320? Doing this job myself soon and have the same question as the OP. Also apart from saving you elbow grease do orbital sanders have any advantage over doing it manually with a hand held sander that just clamps the paper in place?

How bad the wall surface is would dictate how low you go in sanding grade. Poorer walls lower grade. Better walls higher grade.

I don't like sanding so tbh orbital is great for bad walls.

If however your just prepping a decent wall and just want spot areas brought back. Just get sanding sponge around 200 grade any decent DIY store has them about 1 or 2 euro each. They're great for this application on touch ups of decent walls. No sanding block required

Muahahaha

Thanks listermint, that clarifies it nicely. I might actually just buy an orbital sander from Lidl/Aldi next time it pops up. It wont get much use after some big jobs but would be handy to have in the future.

GreeBo

If it's just a general touch up before painting then get a wall sander head and a pole
https://www.handyhardware.ie/product/73464/Faithfull-Drywall-Pole-Sander-Head-235-x-80mm-901?gclid=CjwKCAjwusrtBRBmEiwAGBPgE2RGj0GmhIgrF9MYEufEV61zbEZK8n-Q-GZ1-E0l8BVkXEHZfXO_0RoC2KgQAvD_BwE

Muahahaha

Yeah I have one of those (though without the pole). Its more than just a touch up as it looks like the previous owner to me never sanded any walls before painting and now you can see the blemishes clearly when the light hits it the right way. Think I'll just pick up an orbital one as I've a log store and two large wooden tables to maintain annually too so it will get some use aside from the walls.

hesker

Muahahaha wrote: »

Yeah I have one of those (though without the pole). Its more than just a touch up as it looks like the previous owner to me never sanded any walls before painting and now you can see the blemishes clearly when the light hits it the right way. Think I'll just pick up an orbital one as I've a log store and two large wooden tables to maintain annually too so it will get some use aside from the walls.

Sanding walls before painting is not something I would ever do unless plastering was really bad. Normal plaster finish leaves a nice even beaded finish that in my opinion is preferable as it gives a more matt like appearance with less glare and will also hide imperfections better.

GreeBo

Muahahaha wrote: »

Yeah I have one of those (though without the pole). Its more than just a touch up as it looks like the previous owner to me never sanded any walls before painting and now you can see the blemishes clearly when the light hits it the right way. Think I'll just pick up an orbital one as I've a log store and two large wooden tables to maintain annually too so it will get some use aside from the walls.

If you are seeing waves in the plaster with up/down lighting then you aren't going to sand that out

t8010789

I bought a workzone and a 5” Makita orbital sander for bringing old painted and papered walls back to life. The workzone comes with its own dust bag and does a great job at collecting the dust, literally no dust in the room when in use. The two downsides I found were getting replacement discs, I ended up buying a universal square sheet and cutting it to size. Secondly, it doesn’t work well on uneven surfaces, as the guard can stop the disc from touching the wall. The smaller makita one did an excellent job and probably did the majority of the sanding, although it did fill the room with dust. A good mask, ear defenders and eye protection are essential.

listermint

Highly recommend these DeWalt disks. They last long and have great finishing on them. Been using them for a year . Excellent

me4many

listermint wrote: »

I found orbital Sanders the best finish and most efficient tbh

Thanks for info..
I got myself an orbital sander and it works very well. It does create some amount of dust..
Do you know if it would work if I connected my vacuum cleaner to sander to collect the dust.
Tks..

listermint

me4many wrote: »

Thanks for info..
I got myself an orbital sander and it works very well. It does create some amount of dust..
Do you know if it would work if I connected my vacuum cleaner to sander to collect the dust.
Tks..

You can do that yes but you'd have to clean the vacuum throughly afterwards.