A painter told me to stop sanding drywall so smooth, I thought he was crazy

Met this older painter at a job site last week while picking up supplies. He saw me sanding a patch for the third time and just shook his head. Said I was wasting my time, that the mud needs some tooth for the next coat to grab. I always figured smoother was better, that's what every YouTube video says. He showed me his finish after one coat and it looked flawless. Now I'm rethinking my whole approach to patching. Has anyone else found that less sanding actually gives a better result? I spent 6 hours on a closet wall last month and it still had dips.

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fionafoster2mo ago

That "needs some tooth" bit hit me hard, I wasted so many weekends chasing perfect smoothness too.

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mason_reed472mo ago

Man, @fionafoster, same here. I spent like three straight weekends sanding and resanding a table top until my arms were sore, trying to get it glass smooth, and then a buddy just runs his hand over it and says "needs some tooth." I felt so dumb. Turns out he was right, the finish I finally got with a bit of grit left in it actually looks way better and holds up to daily use.

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