Drywall sanding

[SteveC]

I use my rts400 w/ 220 and CT26 for drywall.  Unlike wood I doubt you can "polish" the grain closed and cause adhesion issues.
The new Midi's now have same motor as CT26 so it's just matter of portability and capacity.

 

[JLB builders LLC]

Porter Cable 7800 drywall sander. I have one and used it for the past 4 years. I believe it has gotten me more jobs by word of mouth because it does not dust the area or house.

 

[GreenGA]

I must concur with Ken Nagrod's post, a few posts up.  [thumbs up]

Since we do not have the Planex, we use the two 400's for all our drywall sanding.  Once, only once, did we try using a ROS from another manufacturer.  For weeks afterwards we were cleaning up the dust.  [sad]

The only advice I can offer is carefully control the suction from your CT.  If you get it ... just... right, the sander will float on the walls as it's doing its job.  Too much, and the sander will be plastered, no pun intended..., to the wall instead.

 

[Scott B.]

Sean

You ought to try one of these out:

[attachimg=#]

 

[peter halle]

For those who do not know that is a Planex being used to sand drywall on a temporary wall set up in the Festool USA conference room.

Hope to see those in North America in the future!. Coming To NA Mid 2012.

Peter

 

[Scott B.]

For those who do not know that is a Planex being used to sand drywall on a temporary wall set up in the Festool USA conference room.

Hope to see those in North America in the future!

Peter

And the person in the picture is the original poster in this thread. I believe Sean may have put the Lebanon facility under surveillance.  [big grin]

 

[AlexThePalex]

I also mostly use 120 grit paper. 180 works too but is slower. You can't close the pores as Ken suggested. There will be no adhesion problems with any grit.

For drywall my go to paper is Granat, I have found that it clogs a whole lot less than Brilliant. On wood I see little difference between the two papers, but with drywall/plaster it's evident.

 

[greenMonster]

For the low-tech crowd: MARSHALLTOWN The Premier Line VS792 Vacuum Sander with Hose

Bought one some time ago for giggles, haven't tried it yet though. As other reviews mention it came with a large cup in it. A heat gun, and some clamps pretty much flattened it out (enough?)

This is the other one that I considered Hyde Tools 09170 Dust-Free Drywall Vacuum Sander.

I personally have been a bit reticent of using my ct for such work.
I have been wondering if the DD will catch the fine dust? Anyone?
*oh, and another Q, anyone sand with the DD filled a bit with some water?

 

[Sean.M]

I love this forum, fast paced and good members.  [thumbs up]
Thanks to all that replied and thanks for all the suggestions that I had yet to consider. I have been thinking a lot about this and have no doubt I can find the right sanders for what I am thinking of but I am equally concerned about the extractor. Sheetrock dust fouls everything up and I am going to go for it and will see the over all long term effects of drywall dust.

Before anyone mentions that Festool's drywall/ plaster specialist the Planex has a round pad, remember that it has a specially designed head with brushes to contain the dust, which the other round sanders don't have.

[attachthumb=1]

Alex, as Scott posted above I had a chance to try the Planex and have been wondering if the round specialty head could be developed for an added attachment to other sanders.

Depending on how much sanding you are looking to do, a 150 would be better in my opinion. I have used my RO150, but I think the ETS 150/3 or150/5 would be best.

Erik, I do complete houses a couple times a year and a lot of repairs through out the year so I was mostly thinking of repairs at the moment and if it was working out well then probably advancing to seeing how much the systems can take as long as production was met or exceeded.

Just my opinion here--- Most any cheap sander works fine for drywall and can be disposable. I think drywall dust is really abrasive and as I use my Festool sanders for wood primarily, I just hate to abuse them with drywall dust. I use an old PorterCable PC333 6" sander that has dust collection. I hook it to my Midi vac and it works great for that. Now the issue really is just how much of this you are going to do and how big an area are you sanding? If this is a full time business, your needs are far different than someone remodeling or just patching. For full time professional use, I would think you need a sander with a large pad area to get smooth transitions and for speed. For me, primarily patching, sanding prior to painting, small remodeling in my own house, a $75 sander works great. I have used my RO150 for this but it was way too heavy. My 150/3 is my finish sander so I save it from this usage. So far, I have used that old PC333 for about 5 years for occasional drywall usage and my son used it for redoing half his house and it still runs great. The vacuum is the key of course to keep as much dust as possible out of the motor. I find a 6" sander to really be perfect sized to cover area and to keep transitions smooth.

I am looking at this from a different angle, I too know how drywall dust takes its toll on tools and am willing to see how Festool handles that.

I am considering the Midi and the CT-26 not yet decided on that. I like how the Midi will fit in the van but not sure I should just go with the 26. I know the Extractor is the key to this being successful so I want to make the right choice.

I am mostly a painter and see a lot of repairs throughout the year along with a couple complete homes for drywall so yes it is my job. Thanks for all your suggestions Peter.  [smile]

i use the 125 all the time for patching etc and it works great and have been using it for several years with no problems the customers love it when you tell them you can patch and sand with a dustless sander it usually gets me the job.

especially ceiling repairs it does not fall in your face... i use the midi van the small middle one  and it works great no problems at all.

Thanks Kreg., just what I am thinking.

Hey Sean....to be honest I too have been concerned about using a power sander for drywall. That dust is nasty! Just been using Mirka hand sander.

May try some of the suggestions here.

I know what you mean Paul. I am thinking of how Festool will benefit my business and see some positive signs in this thread.

Wound up getting the DTS400 for something else, but because of the posts here and some encouragement from another member,

That is what I am looking for like was already mentioned a good mostly dustless system will make us more efficient and will aid in selling jobs.

For optimum performance, the new fleece bags are recommended for your CT.

Tom

Thanks Tom.

I've never needed to go above 150 grit.  Anymore than that and it's like polishing the compound, which might create a paint adhesion issue.  Might.  All you need is to remove visible sand scratches, not buff it to a shine.

Thanks Ken.

I use my rts400 w/ 220 and CT26 for drywall.  Unlike wood I doubt you can "polish" the grain closed and cause adhesion issues.
The new Midi's now have same motor as CT26 so it's just matter of portability and capacity.

Yeah I know that is what has me going back and forth on the subject.

I must concur with Ken Nagrod's post, a few posts up.  [thumbs up]

Since we do not have the Planex, we use the two 400's for all our drywall sanding.  Once, only once, did we try using a ROS from another manufacturer.  For weeks afterwards we were cleaning up the dust.  [sad]

The only advice I can offer is carefully control the suction from your CT.  If you get it ... just... right, the sander will float on the walls as it's doing its job.  Too much, and the sander will be plastered, no pun intended..., to the wall instead.

Thanks Green.

Sean

You ought to try one of these out:

[attachimg=#]

I would love to try it out in a work environment Scott, right now not available and not sure what the cost would be when it is. I liked how it performed but at the moment I am envisioning repair work and that would be over kill for many repairs. I keep mentioning it but I would like to see that head option available for other hand held sanders.

For those who do not know that is a Planex being used to sand drywall on a temporary wall set up in the Festool USA conference room.

Hope to see those in North America in the future!

Peter

And the person in the picture is the original poster in this thread. I believe Sean may have put the Lebanon facility under surveillance.  [big grin]

Yep that good looking guy is me. drank the green kool-aid and now the Festool guys are getting tired of my questions lol.

I also mostly use 120 grit paper. 180 works too but is slower. You can't close the pores as Ken suggested. There will be no adhesion problems with any grit.

For drywall my go to paper is Granat, I have found that it clogs a whole lot less than Brilliant. On wood I see little difference between the two papers, but with drywall/plaster it's evident.

I like the Granat too from my limited experience.

That took a minute to respond, if I missed any I meant to comment to I will come back to it. Thanks again for all the on topic advice.

 

[peter halle]

I have used the rotex 150 and the ets 150/3.  Rotex is heavy on ceilings.  That is why i got the ets.  The fine orbit might be overkill, but i also wanted it to be my fo to finish sander.  Ct 22 bags - old style paper - would generally clog at one third to one half full.  Dust extraction on walls better if you sand left to right or in clockwise direction.  Haven't tried the Granat for that, brilliance in 150 grit worked for me.  Oh, and don't do what my helper did.  If you use your spare hand to test the smoothness, don't lift the sander off of the wall.  Move the sander over and feel behind the sander with your spare hand.  Otherwise you will drop a stream of dust.

Peter

 

[Scott B.]

Sean

You get the green star today for exemplary use of the forum quote feature.  ;D

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Sean,

For what it's worth, I've used my CT 36 with the disposable bags for a lot of drywall sanding and I never had any problems.  There are times when I can tell there's a decrease in suction.  That's when I shut the vac off allowing the bag to collapse fully, then turn it back on and I'm in business for most of the day.  I get those bags pretty well filled, getting every pennies worth out of them.  Nothing wrong with you having reservations about using this stuff.  I'm sure you'll be very happy with the Festools.

 

[Paint and Hammer]

Nice thread here Sean. I have the CT26. I too looked at bigger and smaller. Bigger I felt was getting heavy as myself like you will always be hauling it to and from the site.

I can't remember, but does the Midi have the hepa filter with it?? There was something in my deciding process that I felt it was worth to go to the CT's. I thought it had something to do with the filter and/or bags. Maybe someone who knows the products better will recognize and clarify what I'm saying.

The 26 takes up less space than a typical shop vac.

As mentioned, its amazing how effective the bags are. Mine is near full of drywall dust. I'll take some pics of the inside of the unit, BEFORE it goes through the filter and send them to you....surprisingly clean. I've burnt three shop vacs so far.

 

[tiralie]

I am thinking of trying festool for drywall sanding, I have a RO90 DX on the way but for this application I was thinking maybe the ETS125 along with the RTS400 Both recommended by Festool when I asked about this type of work.

Are any of you currently using either of these products for drywall work? Or what are you using if something different.

I thought I was sold on the CT-26 for this as well but am now wondering if the MIDI would work just as well.

Any insight to this sort of tool use for this type of work would be appreciated. 

Sean:
I think Rob Z's review here http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-reviews/the-ct26-our-experiences-with-what-has-proven-to-be-durable-machines/ may be of some interest. A real good write up of the CT 26 in a real life situation.
Tim

 

[Paint and Hammer]

That's good thread of info Tim...nice post.

 

[Sean.M]

I have used the rotex 150 and the ets 150/3.  Rotex is heavy on ceilings.  That is why i got the ets.
 If you use your spare hand to test the smoothness, don't lift the sander off of the wall.  Move the sander over and feel behind the sander with your spare hand.  Otherwise you will drop a stream of dust.

Peter

Weight is something I am considering as well.
Sounds like something to remember, I can see myself doing that.

I am thinking of trying festool for drywall sanding, I have a RO90 DX on the way but for this application I was thinking maybe the ETS125 along with the RTS400 Both recommended by Festool when I asked about this type of work.

Are any of you currently using either of these products for drywall work? Or what are you using if something different.

I thought I was sold on the CT-26 for this as well but am now wondering if the MIDI would work just as well.

Any insight to this sort of tool use for this type of work would be appreciated.  

Sean:
I think Rob Z's review here http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-reviews/the-ct26-our-experiences-with-what-has-proven-to-be-durable-machines/ may be of some interest. A real good write up of the CT 26 in a real life situation.
Tim

Good link Tim.

Nice thread here Sean. I have the CT26. I too looked at bigger and smaller. Bigger I felt was getting heavy as myself like you will always be hauling it to and from the site.

I can't remember, but does the Midi have the hepa filter with it?? There was something in my deciding process that I felt it was worth to go to the CT's. I thought it had something to do with the filter and/or bags. Maybe someone who knows the products better will recognize and clarify what I'm saying.

The 26 takes up less space than a typical shop vac.

As mentioned, its amazing how effective the bags are. Mine is near full of drywall dust. I'll take some pics of the inside of the unit, BEFORE it goes through the filter and send them to you....surprisingly clean. I've burnt three shop vacs so far.

I think the Midi is Hepa but maybe someone else who knows better will comment.

Send me the pics Paul.

Sean

You get the green star today for exemplary use of the forum quote feature.  ;D

It's how I roll.  [big grin]

 

[Brice Burrell]

.....I can't remember, but does the Midi have the hepa filter with it?? There was something in my deciding process that I felt it was worth to go to the CT's. I thought it had something to do with the filter and/or bags. Maybe someone who knows the products better will recognize and clarify what I'm saying.

The 26 takes up less space than a typical shop vac.

As mentioned, its amazing how effective the bags are. Mine is near full of drywall dust. I'll take some pics of the inside of the unit, BEFORE it goes through the filter and send them to you....surprisingly clean. I've burnt three shop vacs so far.

I think the Midi is Hepa but maybe someone else who knows better will comment.....

Yes the Mini/Midi now have the same motor/suction, self cleaning bags and HEPA filter that all the larger vacs have. 

 

[Scott B.]

Not entirely on topic, Sean, but I am definitely seeing on the homeowner side of things that if there is one keyword that they can relate to, it is "hepa". The term is mainstream enough that they identify with it when contractors show up with it. Its like "low voc" has been with paints.

As a result, I am making sure to promote it, and making sure that machines themselves brag about it a little more loudly.

Our mini was the first little trumpet to roll out with full hepa graphics. It is my intent to make sure that local customers lay shame and guilt upon all paint contractors who would estimate against me without proper equipment!

 

[Brice Burrell]

Not entirely on topic, Sean, but I am definitely seeing on the homeowner side of things that if there is one keyword that they can relate to, it is "hepa". The term is mainstream enough that they identify with it when contractors show up with it. Its like "low voc" has been with paints.

As a result, I am making sure to promote it, and making sure that machines themselves brag about it a little more loudly.

Our mini was the first little trumpet to roll out with full hepa graphics. It is my intent to make sure that local customers lay shame and guilt upon all paint contractors who would estimate against me without proper equipment!

Great line! [thumbs up]

 

[Scott B.]

Not entirely on topic, Sean, but I am definitely seeing on the homeowner side of things that if there is one keyword that they can relate to, it is "hepa". The term is mainstream enough that they identify with it when contractors show up with it. Its like "low voc" has been with paints.

As a result, I am making sure to promote it, and making sure that machines themselves brag about it a little more loudly.

Our mini was the first little trumpet to roll out with full hepa graphics. It is my intent to make sure that local customers lay shame and guilt upon all paint contractors who would estimate against me without proper equipment!

Great line! [thumbs up]

It is shameless, but I will carry a mini in my truck when going to estimates. 9 out of 10 times I am discussing the estimated work with the lady of the household, and usually there are children involved. When the dust control topic comes up, I am not above actually showing them a mini right then and there. In the most recent case, the wife had just told me how their own (rigid) shop vac had blown dust all through the house. It takes about 2 minutes to assure them that this piece of equipment is way too sophisticated for that. Sometimes, that is a major selling point.