Drywall Sanding

[jmo100]

I've benefited from the expertise on this forum for the last year as I've been finishing my basement. After framing, insulating, installing plumbing and electrical, and then drywall, I'm thwarted by a really dumb problem that I haven't seen addressed anywhere and I hope more experienced people can help. I've just finished taping and mudding drywall and am starting to sand but after about 10 minutes of work with a pole sander, a dust mask, and goggles, my goggles steam up and I can't see anything.

Do you guys actually wear eye protection when sanding? The dust irritates my eyes when it gets in them, but maybe that's the price I have to pay to see what I'm doing. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Frenchie]

I wear a full-face respirator.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[sneezye]

I wear a respirator and goggles. The respirator directs exhaled air forward (away from the goggles). The only thing dust masks are good for is getting in your way. I guess they make cool hats too.

 

[Dgold]

I tend wear safety glasses -- but not necessarily when sanding mud. Never had to sand a ceiling though.

Glasses tend to fog up a lot less than goggles in my experience, but dust tends to stick to the plastic lenses anyway.

You could also try a face "shield" like this one. It's what I used one time when I had to apply acid to bricks. It's very comfortable and you can tilt it up a little to keep plenty of fresh air on the back side of the lens.

Good luck to you!

 

[jmo100]

Thanks to all for your advice! I work in a lab and was able to borrow a full face respirator which worked extremely well. I'll keep the other suggestions in mind for the future. And, thanks to Sneezye's suggestion I have four new hats!

 

[Ian Gills]

Can anyone recommend a full face respirator that is suitable for this work and not overkill?

 

[Nate R]

Can anyone recommend a full face respirator that is suitable for this work and not overkill?

Ian,

I've used both the half-face and full face respirators.

The half face ones from McMaster are about $25-45 with cartridges. I've used them for spraying paint in a booth, sanding, cutting, etc.

I've used the full face ones in enclosed areas, and they work fairly well. Anti-Fog spray used for motorcycle visors (Or the good ol' spitwash) is sometimes still necessary. But it's great to be around compressed air blowing dust in an enclosed space, and not get it in your eyes or breathe it in.

McMaster has full faced ones at $80-200. Welll worth it, as they last a long time. I like to use these with clear tear-off stickers over the facemask, as then it doesn't get scratched. Those are about $1.50 ea, and well worth it.

It may seem steep. But once you have them and use them, you find they're well worth the cost. (FWIW: I've only used 3M branded ones, don't know if the budget ones are just as good or not.)

Go to McMaster.com and search for 1801. This will take you to the catalog page with these.

 

[sneezye]

I've used MSA brand and they are good - although expensive. I think I paid 40 for my half mask. I use a compressor to blow the drywall dust out of my filters after each use. They work great at filtering out smells too. I keep telling my wife that my farts don't smell. Maybe she should get a respirator too.

 

[Nate R]

I've used MSA brand and they are good - although expensive. I think I paid 40 for my half mask. I use a compressor to blow the drywall dust out of my filters after each use. They work great at filtering out smells too. I keep telling my wife that my farts don't smell. Maybe she should get a respirator too.

They work VERY well for filtering out smells. In a paint room, or in a room full of acetone, I don't smell much of the solvents if at all.

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Glasses fogging up.

The glasses fog up mainly because we are out of shape and breathing hard after working up a sweat. I have found that spitting on my glasses and wiping them clean like the scuba divers do helps a little and that if I tip them so the arms of the glasses are up in your hair and not locked around your ear you can get much more time in before wiping.

The full face mask is great but it's bulky.

 

[Frenchie]

Can anyone recommend a full face respirator that is suitable for this work and not overkill?

The auction site that shall remain nameless (the forum software would block it), is a good place to get a full-face without paying an arm & a leg.