we are doing drywall in our house while we are living in it with three children. my question is, is there any way I can get away without sanding the walls?I wouldn’t mind an old world look to the walls, but I don’t want an “orange peel ” look to them. Can we coat them with thinned down joint compound? Any info would help!!!
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Good knife work. The less you put on, the less you have to remove.
This probably isn't exactly what you were after, but if dust is the issue there are people out there that can help. In my area there's a company called "Bite the Dust" (this is not a plug) that deals exclusively with dust abatement for construction such as floor refinishing and drywall work.
You could contact a firm like this in your area by asking local floor refinishers if they have any contacts, or try the Yeller Pages
Best,
Seth
As was already mentioned, good knife work will save much sanding.
Still, to get super-smooth walls, "wet sand."
Get a couple of clean, empty drywall buckets. Something tells me finding these won't be a problem for you.<g> Fill them 2/3rds or so with water.
Get a couple of grout sponges...those large, orange sponges used for wiping down grout.
Wet the sponge, thoroughly wring it out, and scrub the walls down. The slight moistness of the sponge will take down the roughness of the mud. Every once in a while, clean the sponge very well, wring out again, and repeat. It's very easy to feather the mud into the paper for totally smooth walls.
It'll take a while to get the hang of it. It may not totally eliminate all sanding/screening, as there may be a few spots where screening is required before sponging...but it sure will help minimize the dust in the house.
You may be able to rent a drywall sanding rig with a vac attachment from your local Rent-All place. Still, try the wet sanding to see if that doesn't work for you.