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Dust free sanding should be the goal of any drywall repair and finishing job. What used to be impossible, has become a possibility with the advent of HEPA filters and some ingeniously designed vacuum attachments.
It is worth noting that while it is not absolutely, totally dust free it is very close to that.
Dust Free Sanding part 1
(Dustless Drywall Sanding Systems)
Long gone are the days when you had to cover everything in sight with plastic and put on a coverall and you let 'er rip with the pole sander. In the end there would be dust all over you, all over the floor and all over everything in sight.
The definition of a HEPA filter is one that is 99.97% efficient down to 0.3 microns (particle size), which is fine enough to trap even drywall dust
Collection bag
There is one "trick" to using the HEPA filter for this type of vacuuming, you have to "pre-filter" the bigger particles or you will end up with a clogged vacuum with no suction. Pre-filtering is done by using a collection bag upstream from the final HEPA filter. The collection bag traps the bigger particles and yet, still allows air to pass through it so that your vacuum isn't choked. The air that passes through the collection back is then filtered with the HEPA filter on its way out. Shop Vac makes a specific bag for drywall dust collection ("drywall collection filter bags"), they are yellow in color and come in 5-8, 10-14, and 16-22 gallon sizes.
The second key to this system is:
The vacuum sanding attachment. I have tried a couple of these and the best blend of cost and effectiveness is the hand sander made by Fiba Tape. The hand sander attachment connects to the vacuum without tools. There is no water bucket setup with this dry pick up system, it's just vacuum and attachment.
Fiba Tape also makes a pole sander which is a telescoping 3' - 6' fiberglass pole using the threaded collar locking system. This pole sander works pretty much like a standard pole sander with a vac hose attached to the end of it making it a bit more stiff than a standard pole but still workable.
With either the hand sander or the pole sander you will be using sanding screens not regular sand paper sheets. Sanding screens allow the dust to be drawn through them into the vacuum. You need to use a lighter touch when sanding with sanding screens, especially when used in conjunction with the vacuum suction of the dust free system. If you are a little heavy handed you will scratch the drywall mud you are trying to smooth out. Pull the sander attachment off from time to time and vacuum the sanding screen to avoid build up of particles on the screen wihich will cause scratching of the drywall compound.
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HEPA filters for Shop Vac
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Shop-Vac Drywall Dust Collection Bag, 2-Pack
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Now with the advent of HEPA filters you can properly filter your vacuum, using the right attachment and a simple dust mask -hardly have to cover up anything at all.
The first key to this system is:
Vacuum Sanding Demonstrated
Fiba Tape sanding attachment for vacuum sanding
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