Wet sanding can be a decent compromise, but honestly, it's not perfect either. I've tried it a few times—definitely less airborne dust, which is a huge plus for indoor air quality—but the tradeoff is the muddy residue you have to keep rinsing off your sponge or sanding pad. It takes some patience and practice to avoid accidentally gouging the joint compound while working with a damp surface.
One tip if you're going the wet sanding route: use a large bucket of clean water and change it frequently. Once the water gets cloudy, you're just smearing diluted compound around instead of actually smoothing it. Also, make sure your sponge isn't overly saturated—just damp enough to do the job without leaving drippy trails behind.
Personally, I find wet sanding works best for smaller areas or final touch-ups rather than major sanding jobs. For larger projects, investing in a quality drywall sander with built-in dust extraction (and a proper HEPA filter vacuum) really makes the difference. It's pricier upfront but worth it if you regularly tackle drywall work indoors.
"Personally, I find wet sanding works best for smaller areas or final touch-ups rather than major sanding jobs."
Totally agree with this. I recently tackled a small bathroom reno and thought I'd give wet sanding a shot to keep dust down (small space + drywall dust = nightmare). It definitely helped with air quality, but yeah, the muddy residue was a bit of a hassle. I found myself constantly rinsing and wringing out the sponge, which slowed things down quite a bit.
One thing that helped me was using two buckets—one for rinsing the sponge and another with clean water for final wiping. It kept things cleaner longer and reduced the cloudy water issue. Still, if I had to do a larger room or multiple walls, I'd probably bite the bullet and rent one of those drywall sanders with dust extraction. Seems like it'd save a lot of headaches in the long run...
I had a similar experience when I restored our old Victorian's guest room. Thought wet sanding would be less messy since the room had original hardwood floors I wanted to protect. It did help cut down on airborne dust, but honestly, the constant back-and-forth to rinse out sponges drove me nuts. Ended up switching back to dry sanding with a vacuum attachment halfway through—much faster and still kept the mess manageable...mostly.
"Ended up switching back to dry sanding with a vacuum attachment halfway through—much faster and still kept the mess manageable...mostly."
Yeah, dry sanding with a vac attachment is usually my go-to as well. Another trick I've found helpful is using a drywall sander with mesh screens instead of regular paper—cuts down dust even more and lasts longer between changes.
Have you found the mesh screens actually give you a smoother finish though? I've tried them a couple times and while they definitely cut down on dust, I felt like the surface ended up a bit rougher than with regular paper. Maybe it's just my technique or the brand I used... Curious if anyone else noticed this or if it's just me being picky.
