Wallpaper or plaster? Which is better in new construction?

how do I get the fine dust off the wall after sanding before I can start sticking the fleece or directly start painting?

Feel free to show me a new building without any settlement cracks.

First of all, we need to distinguish between visible and non-visible settlements as well as cracks caused by different material pairings. I do not dispute non-visible settlements or cracks due to material pairings – as already mentioned before – but the thread is about visible cracks in continuously built masonry walls caused by settlements, and here I clearly say: that is not normal.

Please do not take the following statement as an attack, but just because it is beyond your imagination/experience, it is not impossible to build without visible settlements/cracks.

I just had to inquire with three acquaintances. I am happy to show you the new-build houses in the postal code 85 that had no visible settlements/cracks whatsoever and to achieve this they were not surface laminated using fleece etc. either. Built in the last 4 years with professional planning and constructed by specialized companies under construction supervision.

If the contractor follows the recommendations in the soil report in a respectful manner and practices their craft properly, the issue of settlement cracks can be limited to a non-visible extent, and if these do become visible, it is merely the result of insufficient planning, improper installation/use/processing of materials, or in short “human error.” Anyone who does not know the substrate on which they build their future cannot expect any contractor to apply appropriate measures to prevent cracks. The result is then the popular opinion: “Settlement cracks are completely normal.” An estimated 55-65% do not even commission a soil report, and among those who do, too often there is someone on the other side who files the document away under “we have always done it this way” or does not understand it at all and yet builds without consideration. The result is then the widespread disease of buildings.

But in my opinion, it is almost tragic how the thread starter here is being taught the normality of visible settlement cracks – because they are not normal.

You are probably right that the probability of settlement cracks is always present, but in my opinion only as a result of insufficient care during the planning phase/construction period.

An example from practice for crack prevention:
On the ground floor there is a large span of the concrete filigree ceiling. To carry the load, a support beam is needed. For aesthetic reasons, an overlay is chosen. On the upper floor, right at this point there is a wall. That means a concrete pillar would protrude about 30 cm above the concrete floor, and only then would the hollow bricks for the wall be installed. This spot, when plastered, is very likely to crack due to the material pairing (details here would be too extensive). To avoid that, the necessary reinforcement in the concrete ceiling structure was calculated and ultimately installed there as well, so that a floor-level overlay was achieved. Thus no cracks above the screed level later visible and no “how do I cover this up?” drama.

*Edit:
A fourth colleague just joined (also an architect) and said “no visible settlement cracks since construction 5 years ago, because I thoughtfully considered all working steps beforehand.”

Well... I advised against fleece. Not just because of money, effort, indoor climate, mold... but also because I would like to see how my house behaves in the first years. If something cracks, I want to see and be able to assess it, even if the crack is harmless.

That the heavy painter's fleece automatically tears when the crack becomes structurally critical... I don't really believe in that.

Of course, you are free to doubt my statements. But as I said, I did it.
It’s less about skill and purely about the fact that there are movement sequences involved that the average office worker simply doesn’t do. It’s about muscular endurance. I sanded our entire OG once with the drywall sander. That’s about 250m², afterwards I was exhausted. And the result was such that I would have had to go over it at least two more times and there were dents and dents everywhere that weren’t there before.
The same with the (still eccentric) one took longer (but not much, because it’s battery operated), but with a much more satisfactory result. One pass was enough there without any additional damage.

As a layman, you will never get painter’s fleece “perfect”.
Especially not if you have to cut somewhere or around corners, preferably outside corners.

It’s not about perfection, but about a result at least as good as the same layman would get with filling and sanding, but with much less effort.
Why do you set perfection as a requirement for painter’s fleece, but not for filling and sanding? I claim that a complete layman will get a better result with painter’s fleece than without.

And especially the painter’s fleece, which ultimately creates a Q4 surface, doesn’t forgive anything? You see every little mistake even more.

That’s not true. It’s often said, but I suspect that sanding wasn’t done or only light painter’s fleece was used. We have 150g/m² and sanded out all bumps and lumps. Even then, there were still dents and dimples, but the heavy painter’s fleece bridges that (just like settlement cracks).

How do I get the fine dust off the wall after sanding before I can start gluing fleece or painting directly?

Vacuum and wipe damp. Then you’re supposed to prime anyway, which will also remove some more.

At least I have always talked about material pairings and claim that they are almost unavoidable. These don't even have to be settlement cracks. Differences in thermal expansion coefficients alone cause cracks in the surface. That's why I also recommend painter's fleece. From visible cracks it makes invisible ones.

I don't really believe in that.

You are allowed to, after all, there is freedom of religion!