How to Remove Textured Paint From Walls With a Belt Sander

Textured paint adds dimension to walls, but some homeowners find the texture unwelcome. If you don’t like the textured paint in your home and would prefer smooth walls, you can remove the texture before adding new paint. Using a belt sander is one of the easiest ways to remove the textured paint. A rough, 60-grit sandpaper will help you remove the texture, leaving behind smooth, even walls.

Drop cloth
Face mask
60-grit sandpaper
Belt sander
Ladder
Wire brush
Wallboard joint compound
Trowel
100-grit sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Cover the floor and furniture in the room with the drop cloth. Open all the windows in the vicinity. Place the face mask over your nose and mouth.
- 2
  Attach the 60-grit sandpaper to the belt sander and plug the sander into a power outlet.
- 3
  Hold the belt sander with two hands and turn it on. Move the belt sander over the wall in a circular motion to remove the textured paint. Use the ladder to reach high areas of the wall to avoid lifting the sander above your shoulders. Remove the largest bumps and ridges with the sander.
- 4
  Change the sandpaper when it gets clogged with paint. Run a wire brush over the belt sander to remove the paint clogs.
- 5
  Apply wallboard joint compound with a trowel in a thin layer to even out the wall. Allow the compound to dry.
- 6
  Sand the wall smooth with 100-grit sandpaper by hand.

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