# Dustless drywall sander for popcorn ceiling



## Pierson Painting (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm thinking of trying dustless drywall sander for removing popcorn ceiling instead of traditional spray and scrape. Don't want to spend much sense it wouldn't be used much. Has anyone tried the WEN 6369 or any equivalent sanders in the $150 and under?


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## MikeCalifornia (Aug 26, 2012)

Yea, that's not a sander for popcorn ceilings, its for regular mudded drywall. There is no alternative to wet and scrape.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

MikeCalifornia said:


> Yea, that's not a sander for popcorn ceilings, its for regular mudded drywall. There is no alternative to wet and scrape.


Doesn't Festool make a sander to remove them....very expensive though.

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## Pierson Painting (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm seeing lots of youtube vids of sanders being used to remove popcorn ceiling textures, so they must work?


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## ThreeSistersPainting (Jan 7, 2017)

You get what you pay for. The Wen sander at less than $200 will yield low results compared to a Porter Cable drywall sander for just under $500


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

I’ve done them with a Porter Cable 7800, but IDK how well the cheaper sander would work. 
Looking at the reviews for the Wen, one complaint people had was the dust collection. Couple people said the extraction holes were too small, and prone to clog up. That issue would certainly be exacerbated when sanding popcorn. 

As cheap as the sander is though, probably worth a try. 

Something to keep in mind is sanding doesn’t always work. If the popcorn has been painted, it doesn’t work well at all. Also if it’s older popcorn (pre 78 for sure but even into the 80’s in some cases) it’s likely asbestos so making dust is not a good idea. 

When it does work though, sanding can be a big time saver over wet removal. 


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> Doesn't Festool make a sander to remove them....very expensive though.
> 
> Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk




Last year we upgraded from the PC to a Planex, the Festool you’re referring to I assume. There certainly are some improvements in design that make it better for popcorn removal. Most notably improved dust extraction, modular design, and better head articulation. The Planex also has a harness that can be used as an anchor to make sanding ceilings easier. 

But in the end it’s the same basic tool as the PC and the Wen. A large, rotating sander head with dust extraction. 




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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Here’s a short vid I made years ago doing popcorn with the PC. I think this was the first time I tried sanding instead of wet removal. 






When it works, it works great. No water mess, no water staining, and way less repair work needed afterwords. 

Like I said though, doesn’t always work. Depends on the condition of the popcorn itself and what’s under it. The job in that little vid clip went awesome. Most rooms in the house required no primer and very little drywall work before painting. 


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

I’ve heard dynamite works well for removing popcorn texture from ceilings (with only some minor collateral issues).


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## MikeCalifornia (Aug 26, 2012)

Wow, I had no idea you could dry sand acoustic, I stand corrected. Still looks like a pita to me though.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

MikeCalifornia said:


> Wow, I had no idea you could dry sand acoustic, I stand corrected. Still looks like a pita to me though.




It is. Just a different kind of PITA than wet removal. Advantageous in certain situations 


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## Pierson Painting (Mar 25, 2011)

Bit the bullet and purchased the PC 7800 sander from Menards. Last day of their 11% off and it was on sale, saved over a $100. We'll see how it works.


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## illusionsgame (Aug 1, 2010)

Jmayspaint video is great. I would have been doing all that by hand. Really impressed, thanks


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