Skim coating and what to use/do
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
This is my first skim coat, and I want to make sure I'm using the right stuff! :)
Hi guys. I'm going to be skim coating a wall (ack! my first time!), and I picked up some "Sheetrock 20" Fast Drying Easy Sanding Repair Compound. Is this ok to use, or should I use something else? I've also got some primer/sealer that I'm going to be using first. Here's my situation: I have some wallpaper that REFUSED to come off (used DIF, steamed, etc etc). I ended up really ripping the heck out of the drywall, so parts of the cardboardy stuff are showing through, etc... And the wallpaper is still there, bugging the heck outta me. So tell me if I'm going to do this right, and have the right "ingredients", please!! This is for a bathroom.
Ingredients:
Skim Coat Stuff: Sheetrock 20 Fast Drying Easy Sanding Repair Compound (Powder)
Primer/Sealant: Pittsburgh Paints "Seal Grip" Acrylic Latex Stain Blocking Primer
Paint: Semi-Gloss Latex
1. I'm going to first sand the walls as smooth as I can.
2. I'm going to seal the walls with the primer/sealant
3. I'll then mix the repair compound (thinned with a little extra water?)
4. Roll it on with a roller (what size roller should I use? like how "fluffy"? )
5. Smooth it out with a big ol' taping blade (I think that's what it's called)
6. Wait for it to dry.
7. Prime it again with the primer.
8. Paint it and enjoy.
Is that correct?
Ingredients:
Skim Coat Stuff: Sheetrock 20 Fast Drying Easy Sanding Repair Compound (Powder)
Primer/Sealant: Pittsburgh Paints "Seal Grip" Acrylic Latex Stain Blocking Primer
Paint: Semi-Gloss Latex
1. I'm going to first sand the walls as smooth as I can.
2. I'm going to seal the walls with the primer/sealant
3. I'll then mix the repair compound (thinned with a little extra water?)
4. Roll it on with a roller (what size roller should I use? like how "fluffy"? )
5. Smooth it out with a big ol' taping blade (I think that's what it's called)
6. Wait for it to dry.
7. Prime it again with the primer.
8. Paint it and enjoy.
Is that correct?
Last edited by Vermithrax; 12-16-04 at 07:24 PM. Reason: Change of title
#2
Your plan of action is basically ok, but you're going to need to make another trip to the home center for some different materials. First thing, after sanding the wall as smooth as possible, apply a coat of Gardz instead of regular PVA primer, it made by Zinnser and is available from paint stores, home centers, etc. Second thing, return that 20 min quick set, it'll be hardening long before you get a quarter of the wall skimmed. For the skim coat get a box or bucket of light joint compound, this is thinned with water, so that it can be applied with a roller. Use something like a 1/2" nap roller to apply it and skim it off with the widest drywall knife you can handle. Then sand lightly to smooth things out and use PVA drywall primer over that. Now you're ready to paint & enjoy!
#5
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Thanks again! Now, you said:
No problem, I have everything you mentioned now, including the light joint compound... Do I still have to thin it with water, or is it "pre-thinned"?
Originally Posted by awesomedell
For the skim coat get a box or bucket of light joint compound, this is thinned with water, so that it can be applied with a roller.
Last edited by Vermithrax; 12-17-04 at 01:56 PM. Reason: Just adding stuff
#6
yeah it needs to be thinned down and mixed very well before it's ready to use for skim coating. Any large or deep gouges need to be prefilled and allowed to dry before you start with the skim coat. Also if any of the joint tape has come loose, it's best to rip it off and retape the seem/joint. For the initial phase where you are filling holes and such the mud needs to be a bit thicker than soft serve ice cream, now when you're ready to do the skimming, it will have to be thinned down, to something a syrup consistency. A real important thing is to mix the mud extremely well, if you don't you'll get alot of pocking. (small pinholes in the skimmed out mud) I use a 1/2" drill and a large mixer paddle to mix it up. If you just doing small batches you can get by with a smaller mixer and lighter drill. You can also mix it up with a large tater masher mixer, they have them in lumber yards, home centers & the like. Sorry I should have let you know that in my earlier post I guess, probably would have saved you a trip.
#9
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
*phew* I did it, and finished about a week ago. That Gardz stuff is something else to work with, and I quickly figured out to keep a cloth on me to catch the drips, because if you DON'T... WATCH OUT!
Thanks for all your help, it turned out great! But MAN, I didn't expect all that dust! That's the most dust I've ever had to deal with! EVER! Heheheh! Thanks again!
Thanks for all your help, it turned out great! But MAN, I didn't expect all that dust! That's the most dust I've ever had to deal with! EVER! Heheheh! Thanks again!
#10
Me Too
I'm going through the exact same thing with the wallpaper in my bathroom. My drywall really took a beating. Thanks to this thread, I'm trudging on with the repairs. Last night I sanded down the walls which helped tremendously.
I have spent the better part of the moring calling places to find the Zinsser primer/sealer that you mentioned using called Gardz. I can't seem to find anyone in my area who carries it and I have called all the big chain stores. Did you buy it from an independent paint retailer? I need that before I can move forward unless there is an acceptable substitute. Please help!
Thanks,
Tina
I have spent the better part of the moring calling places to find the Zinsser primer/sealer that you mentioned using called Gardz. I can't seem to find anyone in my area who carries it and I have called all the big chain stores. Did you buy it from an independent paint retailer? I need that before I can move forward unless there is an acceptable substitute. Please help!
Thanks,
Tina
#11
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
It was HARD to find! What I ended up doing is actually calling Zinsser (I live in Canada, so it was the only way I could get ahold of them) and asked them where I could pick it up locally... They ended up giving me their customer service number, and after being passed through a few hands, I finally got to someone who could give me the information that I needed. Only ONE store in town carried it! Here is the contact information page, I hope it helps!
http://www.zinsser.com/contact.asp
http://www.zinsser.com/contact.asp
#13
Thanks!
I really appreciate that contact info. I will try that. I have already called nearly 20 places around Nashville, TN and no one carries it. Maybe now I can find a place. You mentioned something about applying the product in one of your posts. Do you have any words of wisdom for me?
Also did you put a skim coat on the entire walls or did you only patch up the places that looked rough?
Tina
Also did you put a skim coat on the entire walls or did you only patch up the places that looked rough?
Tina
#14
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Let's see... I think the best thing to do is to apply the Gardz with one of those foam brushes... I wouldn't even bother pouring the Gardz into a paint tray, I just used it directly out of the can. (Your choice, though!) I'd also recommend that you have a rag in one hand to catch spills, because YOU WILL SPILL, and the foam brush in the other hand... When you're painting on the Gardz, it's REALLY runny, so just have the rag under the brush, otherwise, it'll get all over the place, and it's a pain to get off the floor (though the floor, of course, should be covered in a drop cloth or something!)
For the skim coating, I pretty much patched only the places that needed it, which was the top 2 feet of wall, but I brought the skim coat down about 3 feet, because it didn't really hurt to do so, and I really wanted it blended in well... It REALLY looked a mess, and nothing at all like what I thought it would look like... I thought it would be a nice smooth finish, but NOOOOO. That only came after the sanding. When you sand, make SURE you close the door, and put towels on the crack under the door, or you'll get dust EVERYWHERE! Also stuff towels in your heater vents, etc etc... Trust me, without doing that, you'll have a big mess on your hands! Make sure you wear not only goggles, but buy a VERY GOOD respirator/dust mask... Don't go for the cheap little paper things, because you'll end up inhaling the dust... I made that mistake at first, and BLEH! NOT GOOD! Definitely buy a good respirator... I'd even recommend one of the ones with a couple of cartridge filters, though they're a bit pricier.
Any more questions, I'll be happy to answer!
For the skim coating, I pretty much patched only the places that needed it, which was the top 2 feet of wall, but I brought the skim coat down about 3 feet, because it didn't really hurt to do so, and I really wanted it blended in well... It REALLY looked a mess, and nothing at all like what I thought it would look like... I thought it would be a nice smooth finish, but NOOOOO. That only came after the sanding. When you sand, make SURE you close the door, and put towels on the crack under the door, or you'll get dust EVERYWHERE! Also stuff towels in your heater vents, etc etc... Trust me, without doing that, you'll have a big mess on your hands! Make sure you wear not only goggles, but buy a VERY GOOD respirator/dust mask... Don't go for the cheap little paper things, because you'll end up inhaling the dust... I made that mistake at first, and BLEH! NOT GOOD! Definitely buy a good respirator... I'd even recommend one of the ones with a couple of cartridge filters, though they're a bit pricier.
Any more questions, I'll be happy to answer!
#15
I'm glad you mentioned stuffing a towel in the vent. I hadn't thought of all the dust that will get down in there! I know skim coating is going to be a must in my bathroom, but I had hoped that Gardz would be somewhat thick so that it would fill in some of the tiny imperfections that remained after the initial sanding. Oh, well, such is life.
What do you think of applying something like Kilz 2 after a coat of Gardz so maybe that would fill in some of the minor imperfections and then skim coating and sanding?
Tina
What do you think of applying something like Kilz 2 after a coat of Gardz so maybe that would fill in some of the minor imperfections and then skim coating and sanding?
Tina
#16
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
No need to put the coat of Kilz on there... The skim coating will fill alllllll the imperfections, large or small. You can, if you want, but... Definitely not necessary!
#17
Since I have never done any skim coating, I was trying to avoid having to skim coating the walls top to bottom in there. It sounds like a painstaking process. I thought the Kilz 2 would fill in some of the minor imperfections and then I could just skim coat the worst spots that show through even with Kilz.
My damage isn't confined to the top portion of the walls like yours was. I had damage high and low, here and there. Last night's sanding helped that A LOT, but some areas are still a little uneven from the paper tearing on the face of the drywall.
At this point I may be choosing from the options of: 6 of one, half dozen of the other. On a 1-10 scale how hard would you say skim coating is?
Tina
My damage isn't confined to the top portion of the walls like yours was. I had damage high and low, here and there. Last night's sanding helped that A LOT, but some areas are still a little uneven from the paper tearing on the face of the drywall.
At this point I may be choosing from the options of: 6 of one, half dozen of the other. On a 1-10 scale how hard would you say skim coating is?
Tina
#18
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Hm... It's not HARD, it's just time consuming. Basically, my skim-coating went like this (and I'm NO expert hahah):
Put the skimcoat on, curse, drip some on the floor (yes, I learned to cover it quick!), and didn't worry about leveling it TOO much... I figured that the sanding would take care of it, and I was right.
You can try to put it only where you need it, but make sure you put about a foot of overlap around it so that when you sand it, it'll blend in... The reason I did SO much was because I didn't want to just have raised "patches" (even though they'd only be slightly raised) where I'd skim-coated... It's really your call, though. You know the condition of your walls, and really, even though you may think you want/need an expert, once you have the basics down, it's really easy to do, so I'd go with YOUR instinct on it!
Put the skimcoat on, curse, drip some on the floor (yes, I learned to cover it quick!), and didn't worry about leveling it TOO much... I figured that the sanding would take care of it, and I was right.
You can try to put it only where you need it, but make sure you put about a foot of overlap around it so that when you sand it, it'll blend in... The reason I did SO much was because I didn't want to just have raised "patches" (even though they'd only be slightly raised) where I'd skim-coated... It's really your call, though. You know the condition of your walls, and really, even though you may think you want/need an expert, once you have the basics down, it's really easy to do, so I'd go with YOUR instinct on it!
#19
I finally found a store on my own 40 miles away that carries Gardz, but, as luck would have it, they are out of stock at the moment. The guy said it will be Monday before they get any back in stock.
Maybe I will get a call from Zinsser customer service with another location (possibly nearer than that) since I was hoping to get working on this project before Monday or Tuesday of NEXT week.
I guess until then I'll continue musing about my skim coating technique. LOL.
I really do appreciate all your help, tips, and encouragement!
Tina
Maybe I will get a call from Zinsser customer service with another location (possibly nearer than that) since I was hoping to get working on this project before Monday or Tuesday of NEXT week.
I guess until then I'll continue musing about my skim coating technique. LOL.
I really do appreciate all your help, tips, and encouragement!
Tina
#20
Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 15
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by awesomedell
Your plan of action is basically ok, but you're going to need to make another trip to the home center for some different materials. First thing, after sanding the wall as smooth as possible, apply a coat of Gardz instead of regular PVA primer, it made by Zinnser and is available from paint stores, home centers, etc. Second thing, return that 20 min quick set, it'll be hardening long before you get a quarter of the wall skimmed. For the skim coat get a box or bucket of light joint compound, this is thinned with water, so that it can be applied with a roller. Use something like a 1/2" nap roller to apply it and skim it off with the widest drywall knife you can handle. Then sand lightly to smooth things out and use PVA drywall primer over that. Now you're ready to paint & enjoy!
#21
I can only venture a guess (since I've never done it before) that the reason they're able to put the mud on with a roller in this instance is because you're skim coating the walls which means you're only putting on a fairly thin layer of mud to cover imperfections. With the mud thinned out, it's easier to apply with a roller since it might be hard to keep the thinned mud on a knife...as opposed to when you're taping and mudding joints the mud is thicker and easier to apply with a knife.
Just a guess on my part. Maybe one of the pros will have a better answer.
Tina
Just a guess on my part. Maybe one of the pros will have a better answer.
Tina
#22
Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 15
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Well I am in the middle of a big skim coating job over textured plaster and was just curious. In my case I can't roll it on. I need it to be thick. I need it to cover dents and bumps. The plaster is just so bumpy, I don't think rolling it on in my case would help.
#24
skim coat
The Gaurdz product can be easily found at any Home Depot. As far as having alot of sand dust, try and make the coats as smooth as possible like that you wont have to sand much. You shouldnt have tons of dust after ur skim job. The Kilz 2 product is not gonna fill any holes in its just a sealer/coater/primer. A pretty good one at that.
#25
Sounds like everyone's project in this thread is progressing well, although a bit harder than some of you had expected. We roll the mud on for speed purposes, time is money when you do this sort of thing for a living. Any surface with a texture surface should be sanded down to basically smooth before appling a skim coat. And like was posted before. getting the skim coat as smooth as possible with your knife or trowel will limit the amount of sanding needed and the associated dust. So anybody up to doing this as a full time job, I'm running a help wanted ad in the local paper this weekend, got to gear up for a few large projects on the horizon.
#27
It's finally over
My bathroom project is over at last! I called all the Home Depots and Lowe's stores in our area or within a 60 mile radius, I should say, and not one of them stocked Gardz. We finally did find a store in Nashville that did carry it, so we did that step. It was important to me to search high and low until we found it so that it would seal the torn face paper and eliminate any chance of the paper bubbling up. Why didn't anyone mentioned how BAD Gardz smells! What's up with that? LOL
DH did the skim coating. He did a pretty thin skim, so we didn't have a tremendous amount of dust. I finished painting last Friday and DH put the baseboards up last night. The change is tremendous from that hideous flowery wallpaper to what it is now. I'm glad we did it, but I made a vow never to put up another strip of wallpaper as long as I live. (Or buy a house with wallpaper on the walls. LOL)
I really do appreciate all the great advice and tips from everyone. The whole time I was cussing that bathroom I kept thinking of Awesomedell's quote, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right." Words to live by.
Thanks, Everybody!
Tina
DH did the skim coating. He did a pretty thin skim, so we didn't have a tremendous amount of dust. I finished painting last Friday and DH put the baseboards up last night. The change is tremendous from that hideous flowery wallpaper to what it is now. I'm glad we did it, but I made a vow never to put up another strip of wallpaper as long as I live. (Or buy a house with wallpaper on the walls. LOL)
I really do appreciate all the great advice and tips from everyone. The whole time I was cussing that bathroom I kept thinking of Awesomedell's quote, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right." Words to live by.
Thanks, Everybody!
Tina
#28
Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: NJ
Posts: 66
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Skim Coating
I am also tackling a large skim coat job...my question is what should the consistency of the compound be after mixxing with water. I want to roll it on because I have a large area to deal with. Any other advice on skim coating would be greatly appreciated.
#31
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Haw! My sense of adventure? Seriously, with the job I did, you wouldn't WANT me to do it full-time! It turned out good, but the time taken was... Well... Much too long.
#32
I am about to undertake the same project. I stripped wallpaper in a bathroom and was able to remove it all but removed a lot of the top layer of the sheetrock as well. I have a few questions. Since I was able to remove all of the wallpaper, is it necessary for me to use the Gardz before applying the skim coat? How is this different from Kilz? Also, I have a palm sander. Can I use this to sand the walls, and, if so, what grit sand paper should I use? Finally, after sanding the walls, is it necessary or helpful to apply a primer to the walls before painting?
Thanks!
Thanks!