I've stripped the wallpaper and my walls are full of old paint. I thought about skimming them, but the plasterer suggested sanding instead since the plaster is in good shape. Now I'm wondering if I should hire a professional-grade sander or buy a more budget-friendly option. Is the quality difference significant enough for sanding off old paint?
3 Answers
For bigger spaces, I'd recommend renting a professional-grade sander—it’s worth it. But if you’re only working in a smaller room or just touching up a spot, a hand sander with a hose attachment can be pretty effective, especially if you have a dust collector. Harbor Freight has some affordable options too!
It really depends on how much time and effort you're willing to put in. Sanding can be a huge, messy job and is pretty tiring. You might want to consider hiring someone or just skim coating it yourself—it could save you a lot of hassle!
I just tackled a similar project and found that I didn't even need to take the wallpaper down. I scraped off the high spots, applied a coat of Gardz, and then did a light skim coat that worked wonders! If your walls are in decent shape, you might get away with just using Gardz. I suggest getting a good dust collector if you do sand, though!
Yeah, Harbor Freight can be hit or miss, but they’ve improved over the years and you can usually find good deals with coupons. Definitely a solid choice for smaller projects!