In my old house, nothing’s square anyway, so I just call the imperfections “historic character.” Makes me feel better about it, at least.
That “historic character” line is gold. I’ve definitely leaned into that excuse more than once. Here’s my go-to: after the first coat of mud, I run a bright work light across the seams at a low angle. It’s wild how much it reveals—stuff you’d never see in normal light. Then I feather out the edges with a wider knife each time. It’s a pain, but it really does help blend things in. And yeah, splurging on a decent sanding block is worth every penny. The cheap ones just chew up the wall or your patience, whichever gives out first.
I hear you on the “historic character”—my place has so much of it, I could charge admission. That low-angle light trick is a lifesaver, though. I’ll add: if you think it’s smooth, run your hand over it with your eyes closed. Somehow my fingers always find the stuff my eyes miss. And yeah, cheap sanding blocks are basically sandpaper-wrapped frustration.
if you think it’s smooth, run your hand over it with your eyes closed. Somehow my fingers always find the stuff my eyes miss.
That’s so true. I swear, I can stare at a joint for ten minutes thinking it’s perfect, then do the “blind test” and immediately find a ridge or tiny crater. It’s like my hands have higher standards than my eyes.
I’ll admit, I tried those foam sanding blocks because they looked easy, but after one use I just went back to plain sandpaper and a hard block. The cheap ones always seem to round off the edges or shred halfway through. Not sure if there’s a secret to making them work, but I haven’t cracked it yet.
On the bright side, every time I mess up and have to fix something, I learn a little more about what not to do next time. At least that’s what I tell myself while cleaning up drywall dust for the tenth time in a week...
Yeah, I hear you on the foam sanding blocks. I tried those too, thinking they’d be easier on my wallet and my arms, but they just didn’t hold up. Hard block and regular sandpaper seem to give me better control, even if it takes a bit longer. Honestly, I think half the battle is just being willing to redo stuff until it’s right. At least you’re learning as you go—beats paying someone else, right?
I totally get what you mean about the foam blocks. I wanted to like them, but they just seemed to fall apart after a couple passes, especially on those old, uneven walls in my place. I keep going back to the hard sanding block too—feels like I can actually see what I’m doing, even if it’s a bit more work.
One thing I started doing (after way too many hours of patching and cursing) is using a bright work light at a low angle across the wall. It really shows where the seams and bumps are hiding. Makes it easier to spot the stuff that’ll show up after painting, which is always when I notice it otherwise.
And yeah, redoing things is kind of the name of the game with these old houses. Sometimes I wonder if the pros just have more patience or if they’re just better at hiding their mistakes... Either way, I’d rather spend a few extra hours than pay someone else to mess it up for me.
