Patching and Plastering - Question regarding drwall retexturizing

I was wondering what the difference is between "skimming" a wall and simply going over it with joint compound?

I have a room with crows feet texture, and would like to retexture those walls. Could I simply sand this down a little and go back over with J/C using a skip trowel method?

Any suggestions would be great, keep in mind, I am probably below novice on DIY...

Going over a surface with joint compound to make it a smooth finish is "skimming".

If you have crows feet (typically ceiling, not walls), then sanding and skimming prior to re-shooting texture (what texture are you looking for?) is easily done (easy being a relative term here). Texturing surfaces hides numerous defects while providing an interesting and modern surface. I, for one, prefer a knockdown finish (A southern regional favorite), that is easy to apply and hides boucoup problems with your initial surface.

Thanks!

Actually, the crows feet (or at least what I'm calling crows feet/chicken feet) are all over the walls. I think it's a very dated look and am hoping to update.

The texture may or may not sand well. If it resists sanding, you can scrape off the high points of the texture. The more of the texture you can remove, the less you will need to skim coat.

You can apply new texture over old but the old texture will alter how the new texture looks.

Going over a surface with joint compound to make it a smooth finish is "skimming".

If you have crows feet (typically ceiling, not walls), then sanding and skimming prior to re-shooting texture (what texture are you looking for?) is easily done (easy being a relative term here). Texturing surfaces hides numerous defects while providing an interesting and modern surface. I, for one, prefer a knockdown finish (A southern regional favorite), that is easy to apply and hides boucoup problems with your initial surface.

What is a knockdown finish?? How is it applied ??

A knock down texture is a splatter coat [usually sprayed with a hopper gun] and then all the bumps [splatters] are knocked down with a wide drywall knife before they completely dry.

Knockdown:

http://orangecountypropertyservices.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/knockdown.307203039_std.gif