Overheard an old timer say something about sanding that stuck with me

I was picking up some buckets of joint compound at the supply house last Tuesday and this older guy, probably 60s, was telling the counter guy he never uses a pole sander on butt joints. Said he always does them by hand with a 12 inch sponge. I've been doing drywall for about 3 years now and I always just hit everything with the pole sander cause it's faster. Tried his method on a ceiling repair this weekend and man, the finish was way flatter, no swirl marks at all. It took me maybe 20 extra minutes but the customer noticed the difference and mentioned it looked like factory work. Makes me wonder what other little tricks I'm missing out on cause I'm too impatient to listen. Anybody else got little tips from older guys that changed how you do the basics?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lee10d agoMost Upvoted

Heard a similar guy swear by hand sanding corners only with folded screen.

milesbailey10d ago

Man that guy's hands must be tougher than sandpaper.

alexk6010d ago

Folded screen can work but you're missing the whole point of sanding by hand. The whole idea is to feel the surface and adjust pressure on the fly, and a folded piece of screen just gives you a sharp edge that digs in. For corners I'll take a small foam block with 220 wrapped around it every time, lets me hit the exact angle without gouging the surrounding finish. More control less messing up a piece you already put hours into. Has anyone actually tried both methods back to back on a tight miter joint?