1 Pros and Cons of Using an Orbital Sander on Drywall 2 How Do You Sand Drywall with an Orbital Sander? Step 1 Allow the Joint Compound to Dry Step 2 Sand with Light, Even Pressure Step 3 Finish with Fine Grit Sandpaper 3 Orbital Sander Grit for Drywall 4 Orbital Sander vs. Hand Sanding Conclusion Orbital sanders are excellent for drywall and other modest home repair chores. When compared to hand sanding, they can help you finish your drywall faster.

They also carry some hazards. You run the risk of entirely ruining your drywall job if you press too firmly or sand unevenly.
Here are some things to consider before determining whether or not to sand drywall with an orbital sander.

ORBITAL SANDER USE ON DRYWALL: PROS AND CONS For little drywall work, orbital sanders are a suitable option. They have a lot of drawbacks that make them unsuitable for big drywall projects.

The major issue is that swirls in the sanded drywall mud might be left behind since an orbital sander moves in a circular pattern.
If this occurs, you’ll need to manually sand over the swirls with a piece of fine-grit sandpaper to get rid of the stains.
For a professional finish, you’ll still need to hand sand with 220 grit sandpaper after using the orbital drywall sander.
The full list of benefits and drawbacks of utilizing an orbital sander on your drywall project is shown below:
Pros:

When compared to hand sanding, an orbital sander can sand drywall joints significantly more quickly. The cheap orbital sander is a great tool for many home repair projects. Cons:

Due to their circular motion, orbital sanders have the potential to leave swirl marks in joint compound. To finish the task, you might have to hand-sand with fine-grit sandpaper. The orbital sander will remove the joint compound if you apply too much pressure, which could harm the drywall underlying. Hand sanders like orbital sanders are not the best for sanding inaccessible areas. HOW DO YOU USE AN ORBITAL SANDER TO SAND DRYWALL? Here’s what to do if you want to utilize an orbital sander for your drywall project:

Allowing the joint compound to dry is step one. The joint compound needs to fully cure before you begin sanding. (At this time, the joints should have many light coatings of drywall compound on them.)

Sanding should be done after your final coat of drywall mud has dried, which normally takes at least 24 hours.

Step 2: Apply light, even pressure to the sand. Use your orbital drywall sander at this point. Turn on your sander after placing a brand-new piece of medium-grit sandpaper on it.

Sand using gentle, even pressure as you work your way down from the top of the joint. Continue to move the sander in a circular manner.

Never linger too long in one place. This will cause divots in the drywall mud or require you to remove a significant portion of it, both of which will require repair.

STEP 3: COMPLETE BY USING FINE-GRIT SANDPAPER You must use 220 grit sandpaper after using your orbital sander to smooth out ridges and bumps and achieve an even finish.

With this, you may achieve a finish that is incredibly smooth and ready for painting. The orbital sander’s swirl markings will also be eliminated.
To do this, lightly go over your joints by hand while using sandpaper, a sanding screen, or a sanding block.

DRYWALL ORBITAL SANDER GRIT You often start with a super coarse paper as low as 120 grit when hand sanding drywall. This removes any bumps and evens out the surface of everything.

After that, you’d switch to a medium-grit paper before finishing with a fine-grit sandpaper. You will approach things a little differently while using an orbital sander.

You should begin by using medium-grit sandpaper. This is so that you don’t have to start off as low because the orbital sander is considerably more powerful than hand sanding.

The joints can be finished by hand sanding with 220 grit sandpaper after orbital sanding.
The drywall will be sufficiently smooth for paint and primer after doing this to remove any swirl marks.
SANDING BY HAND VS. ORBITAL There are advantages and disadvantages to using an orbital sander over hand sanding your drywall project.

You will have far more control over the finish while hand sanding. Additionally, you won’t run the risk of unintentionally pressing too firmly or standing there for too long and doing serious harm.

The best option if you’ve never used an orbital sander and are concerned about damaging your drywall is hand sanding with a sanding block or sandpaper.

Since you mistakenly removed too much joint compound, the last thing you want to do is reapply it all.

On the other hand, if you have a lot of experience using an orbital sander, it can reduce the time it takes to finish your drywall by half.

The sander can more readily knock down ridges and smooth the mud since it has more power than hand sanding. Just keep in mind to apply very light, even pressure.

Use a random orbital sander to avoid leaving swirl marks. Circular sandpaper is used with random orbital sanders, which move randomly without creating swirls.
They are equally efficient as standard orbital sanders at finishing drywall.
After finishing, hand-sanding with 220 grit sandpaper is still recommended for a smooth, polished finish.
Consider purchasing a pole sander if you need to sand a lot of drywall so you can easily access high places.
CONCLUSION Orbital hand sanders are useful for simple DIY drywall projects.

They do carry some dangers. You risk damaging the drywall permanently if you apply too much pressure or leave the sander in one place for too long.

This is why hand sanding is preferable if you don’t have much expertise with an orbital sander.
You can use your orbital drywall sander to finish your drywall faster if you’re comfortable using it.
Use medium-grit sandpaper and light, even pressure to do this. For a smooth finish, proceed by hand sanding with 220 grit paper.