Just realized how much drywall dust builds up in ceiling corners when you skip the masking

I was at a job site in Portland last week, and we were taping a bedroom ceiling. The homeowner asked why we didn't mask the light fixtures. I told him we usually do, but we ran out of plastic sheeting. Then I looked up and saw a thick layer of dust sitting right in the corner joints. That stuff gets everywhere if you don't seal it off. Has anyone else had to scrape out corner dust after a few hours of sanding?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucasw821mo agoMost Upvoted

First time we skipped masking a whole room down here in Salem, I spent two hours picking dust out of ceiling corners with a putty knife. That stuff settles into every tiny gap and it's a nightmare to clean up once it dries hard. Did you have any luck getting it out or did you just have to sand over it again?

kelly_craig1mo ago

I mean, two hours with a putty knife sounds like you were being pretty particular about it. Is a little dust in the corners really that noticeable once you paint over it?

alice_hart1mo ago

My buddy Jake tried skipping tape once, and his ceiling corners looked like a dust bunny convention after he painted.