Finishing drywall means having the proper tools and knowledge.
Sanding walls makes them smooth and ready for a new coat of paint. Sanding a textured ceiling will remove the old paint, but also will remove the textured drywall plaster. Once the old drywall plaster has been scraped and sanded away, you are left with a smooth, flat ceiling. If you prefer the look of a textured ceiling, you need to apply new plaster and texture it.
Instructions
1. Remove all furniture from under the ceiling. Cover the floor, any countertops and other immovable fixtures in the work area with dropcloths.
2. Open the retaining clips on the pad of your sanding pole. Place a sanding screen onto the bottom of the pad. Fold the end of the screen around the ends of the pad and under the clips. Tighten the retaining clips to hold the screen in place. Trim the excess screen away with your razor knife.
3. Hold the end of the sanding pole with one hand. Grasp the middle of the pole with your free hand. Place the pad of the pole against the ceiling. Sand the seams of the ceiling using long, smooth strokes. Change sanding screens on the pole when necessary. Wipe the dust off of the ceiling with clean rags.
4. Pull the plastic strip off of the bucket of drywall compound. Cut down through the holes in the bucket with the point of your 5-in-1 putty knife. Pull up on each tab around the lid of the bucket to free the lid. Use the 6- inch putty knife to scoop compound out of the bucket and into your mud pan. Fill the mud pan three-quarters full of compound.
5. Apply a thin coat of drywall compound to the entire ceiling with your 12-inch knife. Cover a 3-by-3-foot section at a time. Smooth and level each section before continuing to the next. Allow the compound to dry for one hour.
6. Wipe your damp sponge across the ceiling in 3-foot arcs. Overlap the arcs and change their direction to give the ceiling a random textured look. Rinse your sponge in the water bucket periodically to keep it clean. Wring out the sponge to be sure it's damp, not wet.
7. Gently drag the damp sponge around the perimeter of the ceiling to create a border. Repeat the process around each light fixture and vent in the ceiling to create borders for those edges. Allow the ceiling to dry overnight before applying paint.
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