How to Get Compound Mud Lines Out of the Ceiling Once It's Painted

Ensure your room is well lit so that you easily see all the line discrepancies on the ceiling. Remove ceiling light shades to provide maximum lighting and to protect the shade from damage during the remedial repair work.

Cover all fixed furniture with dust cloths or thin plastic sheeting. Remove freestanding items from the room. Place plastic sheeting over the floor to protect the carpet or floor covering.

Start at the beginning of the first compound mud line nearest to a wall. Set up stepladders underneath your chosen starting point.

Attach medium-grit sandpaper to a sanding block or manual drywall sander. Using a sanding block type tool ensures the flat rubbing action that you need to remove the line evenly.

Center the sanding block over the painted compound mud line. Rub along the line with the sanding block in a forward and backward motion to remove the paint and the excess compound.

Work along each line completely and then across the room from line to line so that you use a methodical approach to avoid missing any mud line faults.

Brush the sanded lines with a soft-bristled hand brush to remove paint and compound dust. Sweep up fallen dust with a push broom from the plastic sheeting on the floor. Allow any airborne dust to settle before repainting the ceiling.

Paint the exposed drywall with the same paint primer product that is on the rest of the ceiling. Allow the paint to dry. Sand the primer coat to smooth out any unevenness.

Paint coats of the same finish paint as the rest of the ceiling on the repair lines until the paint depth is level with the surrounding paint finish. Use your finger to rub across the repair joints to detect any unevenness. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next one.

Paint a final coat on the whole ceiling to ensure the same level of color brightness. Allow the paint to dry. Remove the dust cloths, plastic sheeting and redress your room as before.