Walls and Ceilings - Easy Skimming?

Hi all,

I just finished removing the popcorn ceiling texture from my family room... wow, it was both easier AND harder than I thought it would be :D

Anyway, now that I'm down to the drywall I'm wondering if there is a way to skim coat the ceiling without standing on a stepladder all day?

I've read in other places you can thin the compound with water and roll it on. Is this effective or will I create more issues for myself later on?

We plan on priming and spraying orange peel texture on the ceiling before painting.

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.

Trish

Welcome to the forums Trish

You could roll on some thinned down j/c but you would still need to wipe it down with a knife to get the slick finish. I suppose you could let it dry and sand smooth - Lot of dust!! :eek:

Pro finishers use stilts but I suppose you could set up some type of walk boards or scaffolding.

Two builder/remodelers who redid the entire rental ceiling in new sheetrock and mudded it... own/made their own giant long sawhorse looking stools (one for each of them),..or 'walkboards', at just the right height. I stood on one the other day when they weren't there and pretended I was doing the work like hanging, screwing and finishing. One of the partners is over 60.

For an 8' ceiling you could attach 3 sheetrock mud buckets (MT) inverted to a 2x10x8, and use it as a movable walkboard. Or, don't laugh because I have seen it done, attach strapping to the bottom of two buckets, invert them, and use them for stilts. Just slide your foot in the strapping. (take the handle off first)