how to eliminate dry wall dust

[Jonathon]

Has anyone done/planning on doing any home renovations before baby arrives? Specifically drywall? We are planning on tearing down 2 walls, the living room and master bedroom to put up new drywall. I'm only concerned about breathing in the drywall dust and then having left over drywall dust everywhere. Should I be less worried? Does anyone have any advice on how to keep the drywall dust contained? or should i handover this to any cleaning services.

[calmloki]

Painter's plastic draped/taped on the doorways, fan blowing out a window in the worked on room. Shop vac.

[scrinch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki Painter's plastic draped/taped on the doorways, fan blowing out a window in the worked on room. Shop vac.

+1, then damp mop the floor and wipe any furniture in the room with a damp cloth. Luckily gypsum dust is not particularly dangerous to breathe, unless you've got asthma or something like that.

[king smoothie]

Don't open all the windows in the house. I know someone who did that and although the work was just in the kitchen, the dust went everywhere, even upstairs and in closets.

[Sarah in SC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki Painter's plastic draped/taped on the doorways, fan blowing out a window in the worked on room. Shop vac.

This is probably best. We used a shop vac with a long "pool hose" on it to vacuum the dust, with the canister outside and the hose running into the house. It helped, because the dust is really, really fine.

[folivier]

I did the same as Sarah but put the long hose on the exhaust running outside. Worked pretty well.
But you will still have to wipe everything down with a damp sponge after. Definitely seal up the doorways going to other parts of the house.

[Dash man]

Turn off your A/C and cover all vents with plastic to keep the dust from circulating through the house.


Enjoying life!

[travelover]

I have not used one, but there are kits available that pull the drywall dust through a bucket with water in it to separate out the dust in conjunction with a wet vacuum.

http://www.sandkleen.com/products.htm

[Bamaman]

Cleaning service? Just use a shop vac and suck the powder up. Cleanup is part of any construction job, and sheet rock dust is easily dealt with. I use the vacuum often to stay on top of the job-before it gets to be a burden. That way, it stays out of the rest of the house.

[2017ish]

Also, only wet sand/sponge the joint compound.

[easysurfer]

Would also help having one or more air purifiers running. I just a purifier near a cat litter box that has dust kicking up. Makes a big difference.

[Koogie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2017ish Also, only wet sand/sponge the joint compound.

This. Makes a big difference. Results in a superior finish too.

[ls99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2017ish Also, only wet sand/sponge the joint compound.

+2

The few times I had to mess with drywall, this was my method. Still get some dust, but is minimal.

[wyecrabber1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2017ish Also, only wet sand/sponge the joint compound.

Are you doing the drywall yourself or contracting in out? Usually after three coats of spackling, the joints/screw heads -- should be almost finished. Use wet sandpaper or a finishing sponge for the final coat. Very little dust.

[target2019]

There are two phases. The demolition, if you are taking out old drywall, and then installation and mud.

The demo produces a lot of dust, allergens, and unknowns when you expose inner and outer walls. So the recommendations to use plastic to seal the area, turn off HVAC, etc. are all good.

When dust settles, clean up what you can with broom. Put shop vac outside if possible. They are not really designed to suck up fine dust. Maybe some are.

After installation, you can wet sand to keep the dust down. If the person doing the joint compound is good, you don't need to sand much.

Use a damp towel to wipe down all. Paint it.

[Palmtree]

To pick up the airborne dust, just put a 20" x 20" x 1" furnace filter on a cheap 20" box fan and POOF! Instant cleaner air for not a lot of money. Spend a bit more and buy a decent paper filter, not the super cheap spun blue ones.

[Jerry1]

I know this thread is a little old, but wanted to share something about shop vacs. As was mentioned, they're not really for drywall dust, however, they do sell filters and bags that are meant for drywall dust. I have a ShopVac (16 gal). They sell a HEPA filter which would be good enough to use with the shop vac. They also sell a vacuum bag for fine particles that could be used as well. I used them both together and was very happy with the results. The bag kept the filter from getting clogged and the filter kept the exhaust clean enough that I did not notice any residual dust coming from the vacuum.

[FIREmenow]

I see this is old also. Just finished some ceiling repair myself. Didn't touch a piece of sandpaper. Didn't have a speck of dust.

Noticed over the years of houses that the "professionals" lay on the mud such that there is little or no sanding needed. This is the key. It is not easy to do, but practicing is worth the effort. I also watched A LOT of (lame) youtube videos.


Some tips:

1. Find some old sheetrock, or location and practice applying the mud. Practice a LOT.
   
2. Thin, THIN coats. If you need to build up thickness for any reason, many layers of THIN coats.
   
3. CLEAN trowel/spreader edge while smoothing. Not every third smoothing stroke - EVERY SINGLE stroke. CLEAN it - EVERY time.
   
4. In between coats, scrape the surface lightly with a putty knife to knock off any bumps or pieces from the previous coat.
   
5. Once you are getting to the final 2 or so skim coats, make sure the mud is quite thin (add tiny amounts of water) - just enough for it to stay stuck to the surface.
   
6. Once the final coat is on, wait for it to get almost dry (till you can just feel dampness with your hand), then use a moderately wet/damp sponge to smooth out the surface imperfections as well as the outermost feathered edge.

That's it! No sandpaper, no dust. It works!

[Sarah in SC]

FMN, those are great tips! DH is getting ready to do a ton of drywall repairs, thanks to a new support beam we put under the house. The subsequent jacking has done a number on the drywall in a few rooms, and he's got to fix a lot of it. Any particular tips for corners?

[FIREmenow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC FMN, those are great tips! DH is getting ready to do a ton of drywall repairs, thanks to a new support beam we put under the house. The subsequent jacking has done a number on the drywall in a few rooms, and he's got to fix a lot of it. Any particular tips for corners?

Nothing in particular, SIS, - a lot of the above apply there as well. Remember, the thinner the coat, the less re-work when you screw up (ask my how I know....).

Yes, it may take you 5 days-worth of coating, but they'll be EASY days with no dust.