Home Improvement Update

The more closely I look at the walls in the master bedroom, the worse they appear.

The walls have been 'textured', a look I'm not crazy about in any event, and there are several places that have been previously patched. The patches are easy to spot because only a minimal effort was made to match the previously-applied texture.

I'm now wondering whether it's feasible to smooth the walls down with a belt sander before painting. That would take time and create a lot of dust, but I think these walls are always going to look ratty if I try to paint over what's there.

Ms. Home Rehab Person may have some insight into this.