The guy in the hardware store who told me to sand drywall with a sponge

So I'm at Home Depot last Saturday grabbing some joint compound and this older guy in the paint aisle sees me and goes 'forget the sandpaper, get a damp sponge it'll save you hours'. I laughed and bought sandpaper anyway. After 45 minutes of dust choking me and caking everything in my garage, I went back got a $3 sponge and finished the whole room in 15 minutes flat. Has anyone else had that moment where you ignore someone's advice then eat crow an hour later?

3 comments

3 Comments

clark.alex1d ago

My buddy Mike spent 3 days sanding his basement with a pole sander before his dad came over, grabbed a sponge and finished one wall in like 10 minutes. He still brings it up every time we do any project together like it's some kind of trauma.

lunag301d ago

Gotta admit I did the same thing with my first drywall project. Spent a whole weekend coughing and sneezing in a cloud of dust before my neighbor came over and handed me a sponge. Felt so dumb for not listening sooner but at least we both learned the hard way right? That sponge trick is literally a life changer. The dust alone makes it worth it plus the finish comes out so much smoother. Now I keep a pack of those sponges in my garage at all times. I swear the old timers at the hardware store have seen it all. They probably got a good laugh watching us struggle with sandpaper while they knew the easy way all along.

wendy6281d ago

Used to be one of those "real tools get real results" types. Bought a high grit sponge for drywall last year just to try it. Never went back. That dust alone made it worth it.