Best sandpaper for drywall compound using ETS150/5

[BMAC]

I apologize if this question has been already posed/answered elsewhere. I've used the sandpaper selection tool that Shane has provided which is helpful with a number of said choices of abrasive types and grits. That said, I'd like input of the other FOG members as to what they've used successfully to achieve the best results in the most time efficient manner possible.

I mostly do custom cabinetry and millwork at various worksites that tend to be downtown Condos that have had water damages to the structure, but on occaision I may take on smaller drywall patch repairs where drywall has been removed to ventilate the walls as part of the drying process and when I don't want to wait for the drywall sub to their part first which sometimes has me waiting an extra week or so.

That said, rather than buying tons of different grits per the selection tool and experimenting to find the sweet spot of abrasives what grits do you start off with and finish with? Any advice is most appreciated.

I just acquired the ETS150/3 and I'm using the CT36AC for DC. I've had the TS55req for the past year and I use it both in the shop and at work sites regularly to replicate water damaged cabinet gable panels in situ (I will post a separate posting on the tracksaw's unique use in the cabinetry repair offering I provide to my clients).

 

[w802h]

Last month I used my RTS and ETS 150/3 to sand the drywall on an 800 sq ft garage turn residence.  The design was stupid and complicated the work with 27 inside corners and 11 outside corners, but thankfully few ceilings and the ones that exist were easy to reach.  This was a big job - drywall-wise - for me and I did a lot of experimenting beyond just grit.  My favorite abrasive remains 220 Brilliant on both sanders.  For coarser grits in either brilliant or granat I slow the sander speed to minimize the chance of paper fuzzing.  Ultimately, I prefer using an interface pad with the final sanding, but for larger butt joints I like to knock any trowel chatter flat with the standard pad first.  I still don't want to tape everyday, but the festool sanders have substantively changed my enjoyment of drywall work. 

 

[BMAC]

Thank you w802h for that, much appreciated!

That sounds like a pita job to be sure!!! Your information is quite helpful narrowing the abrasive to use for drywall compound and thank you. The project you describe for sure was one that would allow for broad testing of ideal grits and type of paper.

My local Festool suppliers seem to only stock the 50 sheet packs and not the 10 pack to experiment with. I'll have to order on line to get what I need for now and then off to experiment. I do insurance work so we get an allowance for the poly site protection and cleanup so if I can keep the dust under control and minimize the two former activities mentioned I can still get the allowance and not have the hassle.

It would be cool if Festool offered a bonnet or shroud for the ETS like the Planex has for even better dust containment...just a wish list item...

 

[AlexThePalex]

Granat works best with drywal. Both Granat an Brilliant will give you good results on drywal but Granat doesn't clog as fast as Brilliant, giving you more area per sheet.

 

[w802h]

Hi,

I tried Granat and found the Brilliant better at getting a finer edge and overall texture.  The Granat worked fine but was more agressive than I wanted.  Doing a patch on a pre-painted wall, you wouldn't have to worry about the paperface as much and Granat is a more versatile paper that resists clogging.  That said, the only time I've experienced noticeable clogging was going through drywall mud that was still wet!  Oops!  A complete do-over!  I don't claim to be a drywaller, but Festool helps me get through it. 

 

[Scott B.]

Personally, I have found the smaller orbitals (ets125/dts400/rts400) to be more effective than their 6" counterparts on patch sanding.

I find that the larger sanders tend to get edgy, with the potential to scallop, while the smaller ones just float around.

I prefer Granat 240.

 

[BMAC]

Thanks for the input guys. I've got a couple of jobs this coming week involving some minor drywall work and I'll try out the suggestions given and see how it goes.

 

[peter halle]

You've gotten great advice on sandpaper.  I'll offer that how you handle and move the sander will make a great deal of difference when it comes to dust collection.  Move your sander clockwise in a circle or left to right for the best dust collection.

Peter

 

[landowner]

Interesting topic. I have some repair sanding to do on cracks in older plaster walls. Do the same sandpaper recommendations apply? I have an RO90 and an RO 150 available to use. Any guidance would be apprecated.
Regards
Doug

 

[BMAC]

You've gotten great advice on sandpaper.  I'll offer that how you handle and move the sander will make a great deal of difference when it comes to dust collection.  Move your sander clockwise in a circle or left to right for the best dust collection.

Peter

You are correct, some excellent advice on abrasives. Thanks also for the clockwise or left to right sanding motion suggestion. I would of not thought of that tip without some trial and error and of course more dust than necessary!

 

[BMAC]

Update!

Well, I've used my new ETS 150/5 on 3 smaller patches in a downtown condo. Patches ranged from single and double layer 1/2 to 3/4 sheet drywall to a couple of walls and one drop ceiling.

Using the suggestions I received from other posters here was VERY helpful with regard to grits and the method of sanding, etc so thank you to all!

The clockwise movement suggestion was spot on and I noticed that more dust was captured employing this technique. As for grits I settled on brilliant 220 as that was what I had mostly on hand having bought the sanding disc set from LV.

For me the sander speed set to just under 3 was ideal as it was less aggressive this way. The vacuum I had set to full (CT36AC) but you do need to keep the sander moving otherwise the sander will dig in and remove material too aggressively. For me, turning the vacuum suction down meant more d/w dust dispersal.

The DC was very good and only the largest and heaviest drywall dust particles land at the base of the wall. That said, the dust that hit the floor was very, very minor and there was virtually no airborne dust (these suites are occupied). Some pics of the areas involved as attached.

I also put the ETS 150/5 to the test in my own home. I'm developing our walkout basement with a bar, pool table area, and media room.

The media room is 14' 6' x 14' 6 and I skim coated the side walls and the projector screen wall with d/w mud so I will end up with a level 5 d/w finish. The only furniture in the room is the 9 foot long part of a sectional couch that I had to place in the room BEFORE I framed the walls as it is to big/long to fit through the door so I covered the couch in poly.

So, despite major ceiling and wall sanding the poly barely has any d/w dust on it!!! I was impressed. Some pics as attached

 

[rst]

You can buy quantities of ten from Bob Marino in almost every grit and while I have not, also from Toolnut and Toolhome.

 

[BMAC]

Crap, I realized that some of the better pictures I took last week of the condo wall drywall damages I deleted to make space on my iPad. I did find one "before" pic of one suite with double drywall that I had texted to the GC. See attached.

I'm at the site later this week completing the millwork so I'll take fresh pics then and post them

 

[BMAC]

Just took some after pics of the level 5 finish in my media room. I went with a dark flat paint on the ceiling and a darker eggshell on the walls. For the ceiling I'm planning to use a heavy splatter of spandex (yikes!!! I meant spantex!!! Darn spellcheck!) over the dark painted surface. The contrast of the white splatter on the dark background looked cool on another media room I saw a few years ago. I'm thinking heavier splatter and not knocking it down. I'll experient first as I've got some time to play with things until I can afford the projector and screen I want.

As for the couch picture, I have NOT dusted or cleaned it off, there is hardly a speck on it!

All A/V gear will be behind the front wall in the utility room controlled by wifi (on iPad, iPhone and remote) using the Harmony whole home media hub, you can even turn on the stereo or TV or control lights etc in the home while on a beach so where that you've got internet access

 

[BMAC]

Sanding drywall compound with 220 or 240 grit? Really? That is silly excessive.

If you plan to roll on paint then 120-150 grit is all that is needed for drywall work. You need to prime anything that's been sanded anyway before painting. Drywall is not fine woodworking or cabinet work. You won't see swirl marks from 120 grit through primer and paint rolled on.

If you plan to spray with airless then maybe use 150-180 grit. 240 grit is such a waste in time and extra cost.

The key to drywall is starting with good mud work.

Maybe you're right and I'll find with more practice on the drywall sanding that a lower grit may be a better choice. I found that that initially when I tried more aggressive grits that it was too easy for me to take off too much material too quickly and then cause more work for myself, plus heavier grits seemed to equate to more
potential dust dispersal (the jobs I do all have people living in them and it often is a kitchen or LR wall where the plumbing stack is that caused the damages).

I didn't seem to go through much paper just the same and new to this sander I felt that I could control the outcome better this way.

I agree that the key to good drywall is good mud work and I'm pretty decent at mudding and always let the knife do the work so there is little to sand.

 

[BMAC]

You can buy quantities of ten from Bob Marino in almost every grit and while I have not, also from Toolnut and Toolhome.

Unfortunately, they are not able to send Festool stuff Canada per Festool licensing agreements and even if they could the import fees and taxes can be a killer. I've had $50 items end up costing $90 at the end.

My wife and I were down in San Antonio a couple of years ago and she bought this hand blown glass bowl. It was about a $550 item there and we had it shipped to us here in Canada as we couldn't bring it on the plane. Between the UPS "Customs" handling fee, etc and the GST (Godda*m Stupid Tax) it ended up being a $750 bowl!
Won't do that again!!!!

 

[Cheese]

Ya, but that's a pretty piece of glass.

 

[AlexThePalex]

If you don't have to sand a lot of material away, 220 grit is perfectly useable. I mostly use a grit between 120 and 180, but I was doing a small drywal job the other day and found myself sheer out of those grits and all I had was 240. Took a bit longer with the DTS400 to get the job done and had to change more papers than usual, but it got the job done just fine.

 

[BMAC]

Ya, but that's a pretty piece of glass.

Lol!!! Better be for that price!

Because of her big purchase when we got back to Canada I bought myself a new NEA AR-15 in 5.56 and 223 for my birthday....and she didnt say a thing.....I guess the new toy cost me an extra $750 after all....

 

[BMAC]

For the three separate patches in three separate condo unit (same building) I only used one disc of 220.

For my media room I think I used 3-4 discs of 220 and a few of the other grits I tried and hardly even used up