Sanders and Vac's

[paulandfrodo]

I'm not a painter by trade, but as part of the refurb job it's one of the jobs that need to be done. Now, as I've got a portable vac I use this with my sander and get great results and seem (to me) to speed up the prep work no end. Also, between coats and a higher grit level seems to really improve the finish - esp on wood. My litmus test is not to look at the finish, but to feel it. If I feel anything, it gets a little zap !

Now, when I see jobbing painters, I don't seem them using these tools, just a elbow grease, heaps of paint dust and a pretty swift painting shuffle ! (By that I mean they paint a hell of a lot quicker than me).

I would appreciate your comments.

p.s. Their are times I do revert to hand sanding in awkward corners or shapes that I really cant move my sander around.

 

[dcdec]

The best thing about your method is cutting down on the dust. I get fed up looking like a snowman pole sanding walls and ceilings. Woodwork i've always done by hand and dont think a sander would make a lot of difference on the average job. I have often thought about getting something like a mirka ceros but i'm trying to watch the money at the moment as times arn't getting any easier just now. I could strap my henry to a sander but i just find it a bit cack handed.
Nothing wrong in what your doing though if it works for you no reason to change and i think quite a few decs mechanically abrade. Sanding between coats also really helps the finish, good on you for doing it right, good prep is the key to a good finish

 

[paulandfrodo]

On one refub, we had one large door we made up from a 4ft x 8ft door blank. It was massive. I painted/sanded this about 6 times going through the grits and the end result was stunning. Took a few days. But, as it was going to be touched every day, it was worth it. Well, I thought so