What do I use to sand walls?

[dazzystar]

Hi All,

I'm going to be repainting all our walls in the house. The majority of them are plaster on brick if that makes any difference. Currently painted with vinyl matt, going to be re-painted with Leyland acrylic undercoat and Dulux Heritage Velvet Matt. The wall surface feels a little rough and I don't like the roller speckly finish (this may be unavoidable) so my question is what grade sandpaper should I use with my Bosch Universal sander before undercoating and painting. Next, what type of roller gives the smoothest finish?

Cheers
Daz

 

[blup]

I use a decorators pole with a sanding attachment, much quicker than an orbital as you can adjust the pole length and the attachment moves up and down and side to side, independently of the pole

 

[dazzystar]

Thanks for the reply but what about dust extraction. Aren't these bad to use?

 

[endecotp]

Mirka Dust Extraction Handy Sander Kit

Remove paint, sand fillers and key surfaces prior to painting with this Mirka hand sander kit. The sanding plate lies flat when you use it, making it ideal for sanding putty. Simply attach the hose to a dust extraction machine to achieve a virtually dust-free environment when using. The 55 holes...

www.toolstation.com

 

[opps]

A 5" random orbital sander with 100-150 grit paper is likely to give you a flat (flater) finish. Connecting it to a dust extractor (read: vacuum cleaner) will help to reduce the risk of the paint overheating and gumming up. That said, if the orange peel is very pronounced and a previous coat was a vinyl silk, you are on a hiding to nothing. V silk is a mare to sand flat. It overheats really quickly.

In such cases, I would recommend lining paper, which you have said in a later thread that you are considering.

Lining paper is very forgiving. You really can sand through it if you find an annoying high spot. The caveat being that you need a sander connected to a dust extractor, otherwise it might rip.