DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

How do you get rid of construction dust?

2456 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  woodworkbykirk
I am a house flipper and am wondering what is the best way to remove dust? I've been looking at dust collectors but am wondering if those are more like vacuums or can you turn it on and just let it sit there to collect dust?
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
combination of things.. creating negative pressure by having a high velocity fan blowing out a single open window while the rest of the windows remain closed creating negative pressure.

shop vacs set up with hepa bags. along with a thorough cleaning
The trick is to keep the dust down as your working.
Open a window remove screen and have a cheap box fan blowing out, running a shop vac with a drywall bag over the filter near the tool your using.
Laying tarps on the floor, putting plastic up over the HVAC vents or shutting it off.
Putting plastic up over doorways.
To make an omlet you have to crack some eggs.
I've been working on homes most of my life and have never once seen anyone use an air filter.
Just going to have to get over the fact there's going to be some dust.
For a complete over haul we just wait until the end of the job to do the white glove treatment.
To make an omlet you have to crack some eggs.
I've been working on homes most of my life and have never once seen anyone use an air filter.
Just going to have to get over the fact there's going to be some dust.
For a complete over haul we just wait until the end of the job to do the white glove treatment.

I understand that, but i'm concerned for my health and my workers health, so i'm looking up solutions.
That's why they make dust mask.
That's why they make dust mask.
yes, we wear those, but still, there are times when we need to take them off. anyways. i think ive found solutions. there are renovation filters out there
You can buy small portable dust collectors that can be hooked up to you tools (if they have dust ports). I personally don't think they work great, but it's something.
A common and cheap woodworkers trick is to use a large box fan with a furnace filter against the intake side. That will pull out a good amount of airborne dust, but not all.
You are not going to eliminate dust without installing a serious dust collection system and obviously you can't do that in a house you plan to flip.

Go to a woodworkers forum and read some of the threads on dust collection. It's a much bigger task than it seems on the surface.
combination of things.. creating negative pressure by having a high velocity fan blowing out a single open window while the rest of the windows remain closed creating negative pressure.

shop vacs set up with hepa bags. along with a thorough cleaning
This advice is the standard of the industry---follow this and you will be in good shape.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
have vacs for conc prep tools ( circle saws, grinders, chipping guns ) that work well however they're north of $ 1,500 - deal breaker for most,,, cheaper models run on 15a, 110 v @ $ 1,500,,, 208 & 440v are in the $4K - $6K range,,, naturally all tools have dust shrouds,,, not much help for drywall & sawdust, tho
it will most likely be a room by room basis if drawing air out of one draw window. no need to set up a fan in one room and draw dust through the entire house to blow it out the one fan window. leave windows up and draw air from the room being worked in, when changing rooms change fan locations. if it is winter time hope you like the cold air...
forgot to mention this earlier - zipwall & zipdoor - we've used both & they work great ( no financial interest ),,, we also use 2 vacs in tandem occasionally,,, both w/o filters just to carry dust 30' or so out a window/door
  • Like
Reactions: 1
if its gonna be room by room. really conc is right. you have to seperate the rest of the house from the work.. mask off the doorway with plastic along with any or all warm air feeds or cold air returns
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top