Can You Sand Plaster? Yes—But You Might Not Want To

Whether you’re hoping to apply a fresh coat of paint or getting ready to gussy up a room with some wallpaper, sometimes, a plaster wall is just begging to be sanded. But DIYing the project can be a total pain in the neck. While it’s possible to sand plaster, doing so is a work-intensive task that can also come with health hazards. Here’s what you need to know.

Why Would You Want to Sand Plaster?

If you’re planning on painting, sanding the plaster is critical for ensuring the paint will properly adhere. Plaster walls often have glossy finishes that can cause paint to slide right off. You might also want to sand your plaster walls in order to line them with wallpaper, which, like paint, can fail to adhere to a glossy plaster finish. Additionally, older plaster walls can have visible imperfections such as unevenness.

In short, there are a variety of reasons you might want to sand plaster—or at least have your plaster walls sanded. Whether or not you want to do it yourself, however, is a different question.

Health Risks of Plaster

Although sanding plaster yourself is possible, it can be a major mess. Plaster is essentially lime and gypsum dust. That means that during the process, fine plaster dust is likely to coat everything in the room. Plus, if the plaster is a few decades old, there’s a not-insignificant chance that the plaster dust might contain asbestos.

You can easily inhale asbestos fibers during a plaster sanding project if you don’t have proper protective equipment. This can lead to asbestosis, which is a chronic lung disease that scars lung tissue and can cause shortness of breath, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

This is why it’s a safer and better choice to hire a plaster repair pro near you rather than DIYing it. They know how to mitigate the risks that come with sanding plaster, and they can ensure a perfect work surface for your paint or wallpaper project. 

If You Do Sand Your Own Plaster, Here’s What to Know

If you’re absolutely certain you want to sand your own plaster wall, you’ll want to prepare for the inevitable mess by lining your room with plastic and wearing a respirator mask that can filter fine particles from the air. (Even if it doesn’t contain asbestos, plaster dust is not something you want to breathe in large quantities.) You should also consider wearing full-body coveralls so that you don’t get plaster dust on your clothes and in your hair. 

Additionally, bear in mind that sanding plaster to prepare for painting or wallpapering is a multi-step process. You’ll want to start with coarse sandpaper before moving down to medium and then finer grains. If you’re only sanding a small portion of your wall, sandpapering by hand could be a feasible option, but for larger projects, a drywall sander can make your life a lot easier.