Drywall Sanders

Many folks forget that once drywall has been hung, the job has just begun. Now it’s ready to receive a few slaps of paint, or a coating of some garish flowery wallpaper, but the truth is that the job is only partially done.

There is still the job of taping the seams, and then mudding the entire area so that you have one beautiful, smooth, continuous surface where you can then add paint or wallpaper. Ah, but I actually missed a step in the process, and that’s because it’s one that anyone who has ever done any form of drywall work wishes they could avoid completely; sanding. That’s where drywall sanders come into play.

Hand Drywall Sanders

Those with a high threshold for pain will enjoy using the simple, cost-effective hand drywall sanders that consists of nothing more than a piece of sand paper attached to a metal pad that has a handle on one side. Believe it or not, they’re actually the tool most commonly used by the pros, since they allow more control, making it easier to achieve an even finish.

Many of the hand drywall sanders are now dust free, which means you can attach an exhaust port that runs into a shop-vac. This will collect the majority of the dust and save a bunch of time on clean-up. In order to reach higher areas, the hand sander is usually equipped to attach to a telescopic pole, and the whole lot can be purchased for under $30. No one does it better, than Marshalltown which offers a premiere brand of hand sanding tools with hose attachments for any shop vac.

Electric Drywall Sanders

Now when it comes to electric drywall sanders, no one out does Porter-cable sanders. They offer an awesome dustless orbit sander that is great for a huge range of jobs, including drywall sanding since it offers wide range of grit sandpaper (80, 120, 150, 220 and more), allowing you to easily control your result, leaving a smooth, clean finish.

But, the single best feature has to be the fact it’s dustless. If you’ve ever done a drywall project, you’ll understand the horrors of sanding.

The Porter-cable drywall sander is powerful, quiet, low vibration, light-weight, dustless, cheap and easy to hand making this electric sander an unbelievable addition to any homeowners toolbox. Believe me; I use mine all the time from cabinet work to drywall installation.

Porter-cable drywall sanders just work right.

Bottom line

If that all seems like a little too much like work, and you have no desire to have arms like Popeye after a spinach binge, then you would probably be better off with the power drywall sanders. These are basically powered versions of the pole sander that employ the use of rotating sanding discs to get the job done. They are a little harder to control than the hand sander, but they certainly make for a quicker job. The power drywall sanders can run into the hundreds of dollars, so if you are doing a simple home renovation, then you may want to look at renting one from your local hardware store, and while you are there, you should also get a drywall vacuum to either attach to your tools, or to use for cleaning up afterwards.

No matter which type of drywall sanders you prefer, either one will save you both and money when working on your next big home remodel.