Easiest Way Of Skim Coating A Painted Textured Wall
Skim coating is one of the best processes when it comes to re-texturing a wall with a smooth finish. Skim coating usually means applying several thin layers of drywall mud (joint compound) in order to protect drywall tape or previous texture and create a smooth wall texture. Some of the walls will have a coating usually known as orange peel or knock-down texture. Some homeowners may be looking for smooth walls rather than textured walls. Skim coating is considered an easy alternative when it comes to chipping away the texture material. To skim coat a textured wall, go through the below-mentioned step by step process carefully:
Tools & Materials Needed
- 12-Inch Drywall Knife
- Drywall Mud Pan
- 9-Inch Paint Roller Cover
- Paint Roller Frame
- Paint Roller Extension Pole, 4- To 8-Foot Range
- Fine-Grit Drywall Sanding Screen
- 5-Gallon Bucket & Paint Rolling Screen
- Lightweight All-Purpose Drywall Compound
- Clean Water & Painter’s Tape
Step 1: Prepare The Work Area
First of all, you need to protect the areas that will not be skim-coated. Switch off electrical circuits to outlets as well as light switches. Remove faceplates before covering the outlets or light switches using painter’s tape. Lay down drop cloths as well as tape them up to the wall baseboard.
Step 2: Mix The Drywall Compound
Now, it is time to use a light-body drywall compound, due to the fact that the compound serves almost no structural purpose, therefore, a heavy body compound is not necessary. Also, lightweight mud is extremely easy to sand smooth. Mix the drywall compound in accordance with the mix ratio on the product instructions. Usually, it is better to short the water, to a small degree, in order to produce a heavier, stickier product. This, in turn, will help the skim coat greater strength, & also it is cleaner to apply. Mix it to a stiff, yogurt-like consistency.
Step 3: Roll Out The Drywall Compound
Next, spread out a section nearly 2 feet wide by 8 feet high. Press the roller smoothly into the wall in order to force out bubbles. Working time is entirely dependent on the amount of drywall compound deposited on the wall, room temperature, as well as airflow. It is always better to maintain smaller working zones in order to make sure that the drywall compound does not dry up on you. It is important to keep the drywall compound consistent through the surface. In spite of the fact that the drywall compound does get scraped off, inconsistent compound dries at contradictory rates, therefore, the process will be extremely easy if you do a consistent application.
Step 4: Skim The First Section
Now, it is time to skim out the drywall compound with the help of a 12-inch knife. Scrape either upward or downward in columns, making sure to apply marginally more pressure to the left side of the knife as compared to the right. This, in turn, will help ease out imperfections on the left side, however, it will leave a low ridge on the right side.
Step 5: Skim The Rest Of The Sections
Make a second pass next to or adjoining to the first column. Again, apply marginally more pressure on the left side. This will help get rid of the ridge on the left. Overlapping will make sure that the majority of the ridges are taken care of by the drywall knife. This will leave less drywall sanding for later.
Step 6: Sand The Dried Skim Coat
Finally, allow the skim coat to dry completely, & it will hardly take an hour or two to dry fully. Finish with a light sanding using fine-grit drywall sandpaper.