"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."
Funny you mention that—I had a similar experience when renovating one of my rental properties. Thought I'd save myself from the dust nightmare and gave mesh screens a shot. Definitely less dusty, but I noticed the same roughness you're talking about. Ended up lightly going over it again with fine-grit paper anyway. Maybe it's just a trade-off? Curious if anyone's found a sweet spot between dust control and smoothness...
Had pretty similar results myself. Mesh screens definitely cut the dust down, but I found they tend to leave tiny grooves or scratches behind—especially if you push a little too hard. One trick that helped me was using a sanding sponge after the mesh screen pass; it smoothed things out without kicking up too much extra dust. Maybe worth a shot next time you're in the thick of it...
I ran into the same issue with mesh screens leaving those annoying little scratches. Thought I was being careful, but drywall's unforgiving if you press even a bit too hard. Ended up switching to a fine-grit sanding sponge like you mentioned, and it made a noticeable difference. Still, I found the real trick was patience—going slow and steady saved me from having to redo spots later. Learned that one the hard way...
I've had mixed luck with sanding sponges myself. They're definitely gentler, but sometimes I feel like I'm sanding forever and barely making progress. Last time, out of sheer frustration, I tried wet sanding with a damp sponge—just lightly damp, not dripping—and it actually worked surprisingly well. Less dust too, which was a bonus. Anyone else tried that method? Curious if it's just beginner's luck or actually a legit trick...
"Less dust too, which was a bonus."
Funny you mention that—I tried damp sanding once, and while the dust reduction was great, I found it harder to spot imperfections as clearly. Ended up with subtle bumps I only noticed after priming... maybe there's a trade-off?
