Sanding discs for plaster

[cdbe]

I'm doing my own skimming. Finish, especially on the ceilings is "average" so will need some filling and sanding, probably easifill.

I have a vitrex pole sander and am wondering what grit for the discs? Although what I really want to know is would these do the job? I suspect a bit fine, but hoping I'll be sanding more of the soft easifill than the plaster. I have a very large area and they're practically free!

Also, would you mist coat first to show up the bad areas or sort the obvious bits first and then mist coat to pick up the finer stuff?

Thanks.

 

[Wayners]

120 grade I used most of the time.
Just start and stop sander on surface.
I built a cyclone cheap to catch most of dust to save vacuum.
180 grade don't do much to surface. Good enough for a lighter sanding.
You can use 80 grade for rough spots or high spots. Really takes it off though..

Don't mist coat first. Sand bare plaster

 

[cdbe]

I built a cyclone cheap

That sounds interesting. Seen your picture on the plasterers forum. Found the cyclone on eBay, is the box just a collector? You mentioned using an old Dyson (which I have) - does that mean you'd strip the cyclone out to be driven by another Hoover (eg my Henry) or use as is?

 

[opps]

I would go for 80 grit to flatten the ridges in the plaster and then 180 for the Easifill.

To be honest, I would not recommend Easifill in the first place though. More expensive, but I would go with regular Toupret interior. I am currently working at my mum's. She had a leak a few months ago. I cut holes in the double skinned plasterboard ceiling to try and find the source. I cut, for example, a 12inch square hole and a smaller hole in the upper layer of plasterboard. When screwing the 12" plasterboard back, I used Easifill to make good.

3 months later there was a leak from another source.

The paint on the Easifill blew. I had to scrape it back. Given that the filler is so soft, I had to use more of it. Had I not, I would have had to remove all of the Easifill and start from scratch.

Had I used a decent filler in the first place, the remedial work would have been limited to applying the stain blocker, and nothing else.

Easifill has no "cement" in it, it gets wet, it turns to mush, the paint delaminates. Toupret would have allowed the water to pass through and the water stains would have been visible, but no extra filling would have been required.

I regret having used easifill and in future, will pay more for a better product.

Easifill is very cheap- 5kg for about £20, but it is, often, a false economy. A decent filler will be about £20(ish) for 2kg.

I understand why "some" people use it, you could sand cured easifill with a wet sponge if you wanted to.

 

[opps]

120 grade I used most of the time.
Just start and stop sander on surface.
I built a cyclone cheap to catch most of dust to save vacuum.
180 grade don't do much to surface. Good enough for a lighter sanding.
You can use 80 grade for rough spots or high spots. Really takes it off though..

Don't mist coat first. Sand bare plaster

During the lockdown(s), I purchased a cyclonic cylinder (DIY jobbie) . I found that it would only divert heavy particles into the other bag. All the fine dust, which i was trying to deal with, went straight in to my dust extractor bag. Admittedly, my cyclone was only about about 10 inches tall.

Can you provide links/hints/tips?

My understanding is that cyclones let fine dust spin through and only divert heavier items.

I was tempted to divert from the cyclone to a water trap, and then the pubs opened again, and I lost interest...

 

[Wayners]

I made my own from a bread box I bought from car boot sale £2.
Reinforced the bottom with ply.
Draft excluder and 2 sash window clamps hold lid on.
Made some pipe connectors.

Catches fine powder dust. Will also catch paper and bigger stuff..

If you prefer a barrel for water then

It's a must for dust filtering. Vacuum bags clog up too quickly otherwise especially plaster

 

[opps]

Cheers @Wayners Perhaps it is something I should revisit at some point.