Skim coating walls

If you’re not familiar with skim coating walls, then GOOD! That is why we are writing this. We do not doing skim coating work, but it is needed as part of being a paint contractor.

What is Skim Coating Walls?

You can see in these two videos we have done recently, we have had to do some skim coating walls that had wallpaper removed, the other is skim coating over a rough texture plaster.

The wallpaper that we removed took the drywall off with it, so it is a mess!

The other one we are working on is a Faux Finish- texture plaster that was applied to the walls about 9 years ago. Faux finishes can be awesome…until it it time to get rid of them. In this case we are power sanding walls, to get to some type of smooth, then we will have to skim coat the walls to fill in all of the uneven surfaces.

How to skim coat

There are a few methods to skim coat a wall.

The first is calling a drywall company. It is staggering how fast they are!

Skim Coating Tools

If you are doing it yourself, then we have several tools you need:

• drywall mud pan
• 45 min Durabond
• pre mix 4 gallon bucket of Durabond
• drywall knives
• pole sander
• vacuum
• respirator
• fan
• drop cloths

When we are skim coating we typically use a pre-mix bucket. The areas are large so it just makes it easier vs. mixing up 2-3 cups at a time. The powder form is great for small areas.

We start with covering areas/floors. Then, we hang plastic so no dust gets to the rest of the house. Pole sand the walls to remove any burrs etc. from the wall. Next, just start grabbing some mud in the pan and use a drywall knife to apply it to the wall. Smaller, thinner applications work best. The more you can “scrape” the wall at a 40 degree angle to better as it will leave smaller amounts, which dry faster and sand smoother.

After the first coat, allow it to dry, then sand smooth. Apply as many coats as you need to get the wall smooth and ready for paint!

Other things to know regarding Skimming your walls

Drywall work is messy!! The dust gets everywhere. We use Festool sanders to make sure that the dust is contained as much as possible.

Make sure that the drywall mud is as dry as possible before sanding!!

You will have to prime the repairs before painting. Do NOT just use ceiling paint to prime these areas. Use a drywall sealer- that will make sure that the primer will penetrate the surface, creating a uniform, harder surface to allow sanding, to make sure that if at some point a piece of tape is applied that the tape wont pull away the paint! (SO frustrating!!)