I hear you on the pole sander—definitely the way to go for big, flat areas. Here’s a trick I use to avoid those swirl marks: always sand in long, overlapping strokes that follow the seam, not circles. Keep the pole at a slight angle and don’t press too hard. For corners and tight spots, I’ll switch to a sanding sponge or even just fold up some sandpaper by hand. It’s a bit of a dance, but once you get the rhythm, you can get those joints super smooth without gouging the paper or leaving weird patterns.
Funny, I used to go in circles too until I realized I was just making more work for myself. Long strokes really do make a difference. One time I pressed too hard and actually tore the paper—had to patch that spot twice. Corners still trip me up, though... I usually end up using a sanding block wrapped in an old t-shirt just to avoid scratching things up.
Corners are always tricky. I’ve had better luck using a flexible sanding sponge instead of a block—less likely to gouge the surface, and it fits into corners without tearing up the paper. If you’re worried about dust, wet sanding with a barely damp sponge works too, though it takes a bit longer. Long, light passes are key… pressing hard just makes more work later.
I get the appeal of sanding sponges, but honestly, I’ve found using a folded piece of regular sandpaper gives me more control in tight corners. The sponges always seem to round off the inside edge a bit too much for my taste. I’ll sometimes wrap sandpaper around a putty knife for those crisp lines—just gotta go slow. Wet sanding is less dusty, sure, but I feel like it can sometimes raise the nap of the paper and make things look fuzzy? Maybe just me, but I always end up touching up with dry sanding anyway.
Never got the hang of wet sanding either—always seemed to leave a weird texture for me, especially on larger patches. I’m with you about sponges rounding over corners; drives me nuts when I want a sharp inside edge. Have you tried those flexible sanding pads? They’re not as soft as sponges, so you can keep an edge if you’re careful. I usually finish with a quick dry sand too—just feels smoother in the end.
