Thanks, Bill... How about the rest of the non-wet-area walls.. can I just thinset/tile right over all that new, raw sheetrock & mud - or should I prime it first?

Thanks. I think I'm going to put on the first coat of paint and then fill any remaining areas with a light skim that I can wipe the excess off. Every time I try to fix little imperfections, it ends up with too much resanding that can cause other problems with what was already nice and smooth. I'm using the green top premixed right out of the container. I'm not sure if I do too thick or not but maybe not slow enough. I'll try working the mud on a palette first with the knife before applying. I think I've seen the pros do that ; ) Maybe the air is in there already and that's how they get it out before hitting the wall. So, mixing it up a bit first. This closet I must move on from! P.S. Looks like I asked this before. I am finding them where the drywall man installed also. Looks like this is the easiest way to go. "Pinholes in mud never fill with paint. Use spackle after priming, then spot prime, let dry fully, and paint. Casey" This post was edited by snookums2 on Sun, May 19, 13 at 8:50

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!!! Well, let me tell you... That sucked... I went for just filling in the space, and tiling later. Well, I made a complete mess. Thinset everywhere, sticking to the trowels, glops all over. I did not have a screed big enough to try and get everything perfect. I ended up switching to a drywall knife and bucket because i can not use a float. I had thinset all over me, not to mention all over my feet! Good thing I put down paper (The only time it did me any good) Thinset sliding down the wall, I am flailing, and then... I stepped on the edge (no Shoes on) of the drywall bin and sliced the side of my heal open! Blood everywhere! I tear off two pieces of paper floor covering and use them as "shoes" to get to the shower to wash my bloody thinset feet. I shuffled, cleaned up, and sitting on the floor of the bathroom, trying to get a bandaid on... The wife comes home. There are some minor "bumps" I have no idea how people can get this stuff smooth. It "Sticks" to everything. I misted water on the surface to help work it, but drywall compound is SOOOO much easier. I might try a smooth it out a little more in a bit. Well, here is the still wet mess.

Best practice is to knock the sheen off of the areas that you are hoping mud will adhere to. This wouldn't be needed for a flat paint, another option is to prime the area before putting on joint compound (but no one would choose that over 30 seconds with a sanding sponge.) Having said that, I haven't seen joint compound come off a semi-gloss surface all that easily either. So I would say that I would prefer it sanded but in the interest of picking my battles I wouldn't raise a big stink if it were not sanded, especially over latex paint. Hope this helps.