Question about sanding drywall mud by hand vs a pole sander, and which one didn't wreck my shoulders
I finally patched the ceiling in my upstairs hallway last month, about a 3 by 4 foot hole from an old leak. I tried sanding that joint compound by hand with a little sponge block first and my arms were dead after 20 minutes, plus the dust was everywhere. Then I borrowed a pole sander from my neighbor Dave and knocked the whole thing out in 15 minutes with way less mess on the floor. My last patch still has a ridge you can see at an angle, so maybe the pole is too aggressive for the final pass? What grit are you guys using for that last smooth over?
Did Dave also lend you his shoulders, or just the pole? For that last pass, try 220 grit and go light, the pole is fine if you don't lean into it like you're starting a lawnmower.