Best product for sanding down plaster?

Question

Hi everyone,

I've plastered over a gap which is about 2" wide & 15" long, it's dry now & i've got lots of little dimples in it & that'll obviously show up badly when painted. I picked up some sand paper which has made everywhere smooth but it doesn't seem to be taking off any layers to get rid of the tiny dimples/holes.

Am i using the wrong type of paper? Not sure of the name but it was the yellow type, should i be using the black wet & dry stuff?

Thanks in advance. =)

Answer 1

normal yellow sandpaper should work as it worked perfectly for me,maybe u put too much plaster on,just rub it with the sand paper really hard and it should work

Answer 2

Put another thin skim coat over it to fill the pin holes and then sand lightly. Try a 3M sanding sponge available in most paint departments.

Answer 3

There are drywall hand sanders at your local hardware store and drywall sanding sheets that clip on to them that takes excess drywall off quickly. They also have the finer grit foam backed sanders for finishing touches. Reapply plaster on areas with holes and pits, let dry and re sand. Repeat process until wall is completely smooth. Happy drywalling!

Answer 4

120 to 150 grit drywall sand paper found in the drywall section....the pin holes are caused from the paint under your material.....just add a thin layer of joint compound over the holes ( press hard )

Answer 5

The dimples you have are air pockets, normally caused by the plaster going on a warm wall or playing with the plaster too much whilst it's drying.

Depending on the density of the dimples, it sounds like you need a courser grade of sandpaper, try 80, it will say on the packet or on the underside, then as it gets smoother use 120grade.

If the work is still quite bad, I would reccommend a a good quality filler, trowel it on, let it throughly dry, then sand down with 120grade sandpaper.

use 50:50 water and paint when you paint it for the 1st coat so to seal it a little before you paint it.

Hope this helps

Answer 6

Get a Stanley Surform (about $20) and plane across the crack.  I think they are brilliant and swear by them as a household tool.  Any small holes left, just refill wait to dry, and go over them with the Surform.

Answer 7

If the holes go deeper than wall level, you don't want to sand them out.  Fill them (spackle would do fine), and then go back to your paper for final dressing.

If your patch is still above wall level, i.e., you need to sand a lot off, you might want to try sanding screens.  They look like window screen, but with abrasives on it.  They don't clog, and take quite a lot of plaster off.

Answer 8

The dimples are air pockets. It seems you did not "polish" down the plaster as it was drying so the dimples will be throughout the plaster. Sorry, but no sanding will get rid of them.

paint it with a 50/50 mix of white emulsion and water. When dry, fill the holes with a fien surface filler. If you scrape if over level  it will not need sanding again.

Answer 9

don't use sandpaper use an Emery cloth type product. it is abrasive mesh. sandpaper gets clogged. the mesh allows the debris to fall through the holes. but plaster is hard to sand. it dry much harder than drywall mud. most plasters don't sand when they are done. the finish coat is smooth when it is put on. if you can try to go back and finish it with drywall mud. it will fill the holes and if done right, feathering the edges far enough, you should be able to sand it smooth enough for a finished look.