How to Skim Coat Walls (DIY)

Author: Evelyn

Apr. 29, 2024

How to Skim Coat Walls (DIY)

Introduction

Smooth over rough or damaged walls with a skim-coat of mud, applied with a special squeegee knife. It's easy to do and delivers great results.

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How to Skim-Coat Walls

If you’re a skilled drywall taper or plasterer, you probably use a hawk and trowel to skim-coat walls. We don’t expect to change your mind if you use those tools as second hands. But if you’re a remodeler who does only occasional skim-coating to fix wrecked walls, you know it’s a tough skill to master. Plus, here’s how to choose the right joint compound for your project.

The method we show isn’t faster than traditional skim-coating — you have to do two or three coats and let each one dry in-between. But it’s idiot-proof, and the walls will end up flat and smooth. So if you’re a contractor who’s given up on skim-coating and you always call in a taper for the task, you can save on labor by tackling it yourself next time. It only takes a regular paint roller and a squeegee knife. The 14-in.-wide squeegee knife we used is called a Magic Trowel. Make sure you know about these tips before you paint plaster walls.

Before you start on this project, if you’re having some issues with your drywall check out this video:

How to Skim Coat Walls

Over time, walls can develop surface imperfections such as shallow gouges, ripped drywall paper, or chipped paint. If you think that you will need to replace the drywall, you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that there is an easy, alternative wall fix: skim coating your walls. Read on to learn how to skim coat drywall like a pro.

What Is Skim Coating?

A skim coat is a thin layer of drywall joint compound (also known as mud) that gives walls a glass-smooth finish. It's also called plastering a wall though you are using drywall joint compound, not plaster. The purpose of skim coating is to repair damaged walls and smooth down intentionally applied wall texture. You can also cover a popcorn ceiling using skim coating.

Some walls have a coating known as orange peel or knock-down texture. Homeowners may want smooth walls instead of textured walls. Skim coating is an easy, low-mess alternative to chipping away the texture material.

There are advantages and disadvantages to skimming walls. It costs less than alternatives like replacing drywall, removing texture, or adding paneling. But it's laborious and if you're a beginner, it helps to know that you need patience to get the skimming just right for that coveted seamless look.

Skim Coat Application Methods

Paint Roller

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Rolling drywall compound onto the surface with a paint roller cover and frame is a popular way to apply the product. The drywall compound goes on quickly, and clean-up is easy.

Drywall Knife

The drywall knife, which is always used to smooth down the drywall compound for skim coating, can also be used in earlier steps to apply the compound to the surface. This offers the advantage of keeping your tool purchases to a minimum. The downside is that the application is laborious and slow.

Texture Sprayer

The fastest and most effortless way to apply drywall compound to the wall is with a sprayer. You cannot use an ordinary paint sprayer—you will need to rent a texture sprayer. After spraying on the drywall compound, it is finished in the same way as roller or drywall knife application—follow steps 4 to 6 below.

Before You Begin

Preparation for skim coating is essential for a smooth result. That means you will need to prime the wall before skim coating. Priming will also seal any loose paper on the drywall that you're covering. Apply one to two thin coats of appropriate primer to the wall and wait until it is thoroughly dry to begin skimming.

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