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Eric Franklin
01-29-2008, 11:22 AM
How do you smooth a wall that has had sand added to the paint? Going to make the room a kids room for a toddler and don't want to leave the texture in there.

Thanks,
Eric

Joe Pelonio
01-29-2008, 11:59 AM
Do you want it to be perfectly smooth? I've sprayed texture over it, but if you want smooth you'll have to either trowel on a coat of mud and sand, or apply some 1/4" drywall over it, both big jobs. Sanding is futile, I've tried. To get the sand off you end up getting down to the paper and it gets real messy. I even tried soaking the paint, sand and all in goof off, it did scrape off but then the new paint didn't stick.

Eric Franklin
01-29-2008, 2:27 PM
I would likes the walls to be as smooth as the other walls in the house. Don't know if it will make a difference but the walls are plaster.

Rob Russell
01-29-2008, 3:10 PM
Rent one of the Porter Cable drywall sanders with vacuums and lightly sand the walls.

Tom Godley
01-29-2008, 3:24 PM
Do you know if it is sand or a "sand finish"

The regular "Sand Finish" was flat wall paint with an additive -- Taking a very wet rag and one of those drywall sponges would normally get you to a point where you could repaint.

If it has been repainted with a gloss paint I think you will have a problem. But I would try to work with what you have -- covering it adds another host of problems

Eric Franklin
01-29-2008, 3:28 PM
Do you know if it is sand or a "sand finish"


It is the sand additive you buy at the HD. It has not been painted over since this was put on.

Joe Pelonio
01-29-2008, 3:52 PM
Plaster walls make it easier for you, use a paint stripper meant for latex and safe for plaster.

Eric Franklin
02-01-2008, 7:25 PM
I talked someone at Home Depot and Ace Hardware. They both recommended using a ROS with around 80 grit sand paper. Does this seem like good advice?

Greg Cuetara
02-01-2008, 10:54 PM
If you are going to sand I would go with Rob's suggestion and use a drywall sander with the vacuum attachment. Drywall or plaster can be a very fine dust which can and will get over everything and is probably not the best to be breathing in so as much as you can vacuum in would be a good thing. I have not used the drywall sanders but I would think with the longer reach it would be much easier to use to get all the way up to the ceiling and down to the floor with not as much reaching and bending over etc....just something to consider.
Greg

Rich Engelhardt
02-03-2008, 7:34 AM
Hello,


I talked someone at Home Depot and Ace Hardware. They both recommended using a ROS with around 80 grit sand paper. Does this seem like good advice?


No.
With all due respect to the individuals, I doubt if they've ever actually done it - or at least not on all 4 walls of a room.
I (we - my wife and I) have done several rooms with plaster walls, which were in varying states of disrepair.

- Obvious signs of once failed or loose paint:
(look for tell tale signs of previous attempts to patch the surface - there's a usually a sand or texture applied in an attempt to cover up things)
The easiest/fastest way to deal with it is to use a 4" wallpaper stripper.
It's a long handled tool, with a sharp -as in razor sharp - blade. You pick a spot to start, work the blade between the painted surface and the plaster substrate and "start zipping". Alternate the orientation on the blade so you constantly "hone" the edge. Some areas will resist the effort.
Sand those areas. The absolute best sander to use is a 1/3 sheet B&D you can pick up @ WalMart for ~ $17.00. A ROS doesn't do anywhere near as good a job.
Feather the edges into the surrounding area.

- Very tightly adhering finish w/ no signs of failure:
4 or 5 gal. pail of mud. Apply with a 10 or 12 inch broadknife only as thick as needed to cover the texture of the sand. Two, three or four applications may be needed. Applying multiple thin coats is easier/quicker than trying to do it all with one.

Here's a couple of crappy pictures of my (our) crappy work. The first set is of a wall where the paint showed some signs of having let go, and the previous owners had attempted to cover it up with a light coat of texture.
The surface was "zipped" down to the plaster, then redone.

Dave Verstraete
02-03-2008, 10:44 AM
Hire it out! As you can see, I really dislike drywall work. A professional will do that job (with the right tools) in so short a time that you'll be wondering why you ever considered it. At least, that's the excuse I use.