If you’re building an entire home from scratch or doing heavy renovations on your current home, you’ll likely encounter drywall at some point. Drywall, also known as wallboard, is the material that covers structural beams on the ceiling and walls and creates a smooth and finished look.
Many people believe that all you have to do is measure and hang it, and then you’re done. But that’s not the case—once you hang it, you need to sand and finish it. But why is drywall sanding such a critical step? Here are three reasons why sanding drywall is important if you want your home to look clean and uniform.
Patch Holes
When hanging drywall, professional drywallers use nails, screws, and angles to ensure a smooth installation and perfect fit. But using these tools creates scratches, dings, and holes on the surface of the drywall. Fortunately, a good sanding will patch up these imperfections and leave behind a smooth and even surface.
Create an Even Surface for Painting
The joint compound (or mud) used to hang drywall doesn’t dry smoothly. When dry, mud is hard and uneven. This creates a rough surface that’s almost impossible to paint on. If you want to paint your home, you’ll need to sand the drywall down to create an even and untextured surface.
Make the Entire Home Uniform
Installers use different nails, screws, and angles and spread mud differently in different rooms. If you don’t sand drywall after hanging, every room in your home will have walls that look completely different. Sanding creates a uniform look, so your home feels cohesive rather than disjointed.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons why sanding drywall is important! Sanding ensures smooth, damage-free ceilings and walls that are consistent from room to room. Learning that there’s an extra step to follow when hanging drywall might not be the news you wanted to hear, but sanding drywall is a DIY-friendly process. Just remember to use the proper techniques. Of course, if you don’t want to go through the extra effort, you can always rely on a trustworthy contractor to get the job done right.