Can you Wet Sand Drywall with a Sponge???

Pro tip.... or total hack move? Let me know in the comments!!!

[srharris]

As a painting contractor of 20 years I DO USE sponges for drywall sanding. Not for the final finish but it works well for hot mud between coats. I like to sponge quick set/hot muds once they just have started to harden, you can feather out the edges, take down the highs, and get it ready for air dry mud which I dry sand.

[hutchdw]

I like using sponges, keeps the dust down.
Damp, not wet.
The side of your mud bucket says specifically that you can wet sand.

[dennypugh]

I think the term "wet sanding" is the issue. I am knocking on 70 years old and in the commercial drywall business almost all my life. You younger guys have the benefit of power vacuum sanders but in the "olden times" you had a pole sander or a hand sander and no matter which you used they made a hell of a dusty mess. I worked my way through college in the late 70s patching drywall, repairing water damage, and finishing drywall hung by homeowners or carpenters. Most of the time I was either in someones living space or office space and dust was the enemy. I could and still can wipe down the edges and blend in the field of a patch, butt joint, or factory joint easily. I still do it a lot after I wet and remove the popcorn ceiling texture then re-skim the joints. But, I am not am blending. Interestingly, I sprayed a lot of popcorn in existing homes in those days because and made pretty good money for a college kid. Now I am retired and make pretty good spending money taking it back off and getting them ready for paint drywaller retirement plan !!

[davidcarotallc]

Dude. I was trained by a guy who was the " I've been wet sanding for 20 years" professional you're talking about.... he didn't use that sponge, and to this day, I always wet sand, and do not use, that sponge. A regular sponge, like the one you first had is fine. Even better... for a patch... 3M makes a wet sanding sponge that is abrasive on one side like a sand paper, ans a smooth sponge on the other .... that you can keep cleaning and keep using for wet sanding all patch work. Which is what I do. It really is the technique that matters the most. Watching you half heartedly attempt wet sanding with that garbage sponge that I agree is a huge scam...for homeowners and rookies... but you weren't really trying to get good results. The sanding on top is nice and all.... but for patching, a 3M wet sanding sponge from Sherwin Williams is better... cheaper... and if you know what you're doing, faster than a machine connected to a vac. I haven't even considered the need to make a video to prove that... but perhaps now it's time. I have done gigantic patches without anything more than a 3M wet sanding sponge and continue getting word of mouth referrals in my area based on the finished results. I appreciate the video but yeah, wet sanding isn't for everyone.... but when you get it right. .. it's my preffered method for going dustless. I have a video on my channel of me doing a same day patch and paint... if you find it, that was all done with a bucket of water, and a couple different grit 3M wet sanding sponges. It looked better than the original finished wall. It's all about taking the time to learn how to do it well. As one person already mentioned, it really should be done while it's drying, not completely dried .. you can do this with any level of easysand... 5, 20, 30, 45 or 90 minute... depends on how good you are applying it etc. Wet sanding for patch repairs, is the only way I do them.... in Bergen County, NJ.

[dakotarose]

I been finishing drywall professionally for 35 years. On walls we used to want extra smooth. We would use a smooth wet sponge on it & not rinse it out very often. This was done after regular sanding and will spread a thin coat of mud around all over the board once it dries. Its quicker to skim coat everything now with the big level 5 blades.

[zeus_]

Wet sanding works but this video does not show how to do it properly. I patched drywall in my bedroom while sleeping in it and used wet sanding methods so I wouldn't introduce drywall dust into my sleeping space. My patches were glassy smooth and didn't generate even one speck of dust. There is a technique, and it definitely requires a lot of finesse. You need to use a soft grout sponge and squeeze out as much water as possible. I use a cosmetic-grade beauty salon style mister to lightly spritz the surface and then work the sponge gently in a widening circular motion. The finished result was fantastic, but it is time consuming and will never be feasible for production work. It is appropriate in a domestic situation where the occupants do not want any dust in the environment.

[eill]

I love wet sanding but my sponge is not wet, just damp - and it doesn't have a rough side. I don't dunk it into the water after the initial wetting and wringing out. In my homes, I do dry sand, but I wet sand too - especially the final coat. This produces a clean smooth finish that fills in any tiny holes and smooths out the transition from new sheetrock/joint compound into the painted plaster walls. I have been wet sanding since a friend who was a pro, finished my husband's first office in our home. We were as poor as church mice, but he taught us well. Priceless! Glad I found your videos!

[lincolndickerson]

This reminds of “How to prepare kale: Throw out the kale, make nachos, enjoy your evening eating delicious nachos.” Throw out that sponge, use your festool, enjoy your evening admiring a job well done.

[topsweatgaming]

Just wanna thank you for years of confidence building DIY videos. I’ve watched hours and hours of content and always enjoy it and come out knowing more than before. The only place I ever use a sponge is on wall patches that the walls are already painted. I just use a regular dish sponge on the VERY outside edge like 1/4” . I find it helps make sure I get rid of the tiny ridge left from sanding due to the texture from a paint roller that sanding can’t get to.

[mjmyers]

The wet sanding technique is used when you are doing patch work with multiple coats of hot mud and you need to knock down the edge that you could not feather properly, into existing texture. You still need to sand it as usual. I have never seen a professional sand there whole job with a sponge.

[DamnGoodITGuy]

The few times I've done this, it was before I knew how to feather the mud before it dried, I'd take a wet songe and feather out the edges then. Also, I've never heard of using a "drywall sanding sponge". I used the grout one you held up. Lastly, trying to wet sand an already dry wall sounded like a really bad idea and was, and I feel like no matter if it was hidden or not, there was no way you were gonna leave it like that!

[chrisdelap]

It takes practice. It takes a VERY light touch. You are using too much much water. Don’t use the white side unless the surface is rough. Your final mud coats are already smooth. I was taught by a pro who knew how to use the sponge.

[THETIMINATORTHETOOLMAN]

I have been using the sponges to blend a freshly completed patch into an existing textured wall or ceiling and have had no issues. My Pops had taught me to tape and float to have little to no sanding needed.

[Techie_Lee]

Wet sanding isn’t ideal for large jobs but is perfect for small home jobs with furnished rooms with electronics. Never had mine turn out to be noticeable.

[John.Doe-OG]

I've seen a pro use a damp sponge once. It was a regular sponge and he used it to feather the edges on each of his coats. (I think he only did two coats). It didn't look to bad after paint but, it was in a poorly lit hallway and it was work, so I didn't pay that close of attention.

[brianhaygood]

I have used a wet T-shirt to get a wall super smooth. For someone who doesn't really have good skills at putting the compound on, it worked well. If you are good enough with a trowel, or in a hurry, it would be inefficient, but it worked well for me because I could do a touchup here and there between other tasks. Totally tears up the shirt material in no time.

[tmc]

I only need to patch some holes in a wall with the old lath and horsehair plater mix and thought that wet sanding would save me on dust in the room but I did not know about those pole sanders with the dust bag. Now I have another excuse for a new tool.

[joserodas]

Surprised you didn’t say you prefer sanding with a hawk and trowel instead

[gregnixon]

I've been finishing for 21 years...never had any luck with wet sanding either...I've heard people say their finishing was so good they didn't have to sand...can't imagine what it looked like

[FIGJAM]

wet sanding has worked for me. but I only ever do it on a really small patch. and I used a clean microfibre rag