Question on skim coat on drywall.

13 years ago

our drywaller said he sands after the skim coat. i was alway told the slim coat was last and seals/smoothes out the areas ruffed up from the (over)sanding. i want a nice paint job. what the best way to achieve this?

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Comments (5)

sierraeast
13 years ago
Even the best level 5 finisher still has to sand, feather, and touch up areas to achieve a decent smooth finish. The less sanding, the better, but that has to do with the experience of the finisher.
brickeyee
13 years ago
A coat of primer make the paint absorb evenly.

By the time you have primer and two coats of paint it will look fine.

Now you know why plaster is such an art.

It cannot be effectively sanded.

The surface is to hard.
It needs to be smooth and correct from the trowel.
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Hi, First off, it's natural for the white coat of plaster to have spiderweb cracks all over the surface. These are only in the white coat and are very closely spaced and interconnected. By closely I mean 1/4" apart. _Those_ are nothing to fix or worry about. Cracks that extend into the base coat, and have movement that you can see by pressing, and seem "broken" are something to fix. I like to spray the cracks with bonding agent (garden sprayer) and sponge the stuff in (don't leave any drips of bonding agent; hard to skim over them). It seems to stop any movement for some time. Then add fiberglass mesh tape and the durabond routine, as you have read. The closet area, maybe sand the mess a little smoother to take off any high spots, the prime and then tape. We always use an oil primer around unknown/unforeseeable problem areas, because it really seals anything "bad" like wallpaper glue and prevents problems in the future, and durabond or regular mud sticks to the primer. Regular mud is not optimal for plaster repair in areas where is has to build up thickness; that's where you run into drying cracks (plus it takes lots of time for all the water to evaporate) and when/if it ever gets wet again it falls off lime plaster in sheets. It won't fall off if you oil prime first, and use it sparingly. Use brown coat plaster like Structolite (or Gypsolite), on top of a bonding agent like Link or Plasterweld if down to the lath, use durabond or easysand when the white coat is damaged or missing, use regular mud only for small imperfections and the final touchups, and you'll be fine. Casey
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"Skim coating with drywall knives is a nighmare." Yes, we learned this the hard way. A trowel would be easier, although it takes some time to get used to using it. "3. has anyone tried this "Dustless Drywall Hand Sanding System" (see link below) from Home Depot? It attaches to a shop vac and uses a 5 gal tank of water to trap the plastet dust." We rented this machine from HD. We were pleased with the results. It sanded large surfaces smooth with very little effort and kept dust to a minimum as long as the bag is not full and the hose attachments are properly connected. If we should tackle this project again in another room we will use the trowel method or perhaps slightly thinning the compound and rolling it on with a paint roller.
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We did veneer plaster for a couple of reasons. In our regional area, no one does it. We had to go to a specialty supplier and order it in. We found someone who trained in Maine to install it and the only reason it was a bit more expensive than drywall is because our original framing was uneven and we ordered 5/8" thick sheets. I had a pretty strong aversion to drywall after the adventures with mold. Veener plaster is freakin' gorgeous, perfectly smooth and we would do it again in a heartbeat. The feel of it perfectly matches the rest of the house - which is all 1920's plaster. Here, people call the supposedly water resistant drywall "blueboard", so I was surprised by what it looked like (gray, gray and more gray) and that it was made up of two slightly different layers and that it is much harder and denser than drywall. It works pretty well as a sound deadener too! @casey Wow, that is really nice!
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Thanks Casey, What is a good oil based primer. I will be using BM paints for the room. I could get their primer. I have only used Zinzer primers up to this point, in my kitchen, and now bathroom. My progress: Last night I went ahead and thinned down some green topped joint compound (drying type, I believe it is called, as opposed to setting type) and rolled it over the Gardz primed walls. After I knifed it off you could barely see the application, just a soft haze. My thought is that I will now apply another thin skim, then when dried, prime for painting. I just don't want these layers to delaminate in the bathroom. This isn't a steamy room because there is no shower and the tub is rarely used. But it is a bathroom none the less.
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sierraeast
13 years ago
Besides the awesome plaster jobs back in the day, the best I've seen is skimming over blue board on the east coast,(new england). A level 5 finish, ( skim coat over drywall), doesn't come close, imo.
brickeyee
13 years ago
"A level 5 finish, ( skim coat over drywall), doesn't come close, imo."

They still have not figured out how to use a plasterer's trowel.
brickton
13 years ago
The question you ought to be asking is "How can this guy get the best possible finish for my walls?" because I'm going to guess that he knows his work and technique the best. Anything that he hasn't done before or doesn't normally do to achieve the best finish is likely not the right choice for your walls. If you have already selected a drywall sub then tell them your concerns and let them know that you are willing for them to spend a little extra time to get the best possible result.

I'm not a drywall guy but I can't imagine a client explaining a technique other than what I use for x trade and me successfully accomplishing that on the first try to the level you seem to be looking for. It would be one thing if you were looking for a sub and asking them how they achieve the best finish, but once you select one then asking them to change their technique is not likely going to result in the best possible finish.

I hope that makes sense and is actually helpful.

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Question on skim coat on drywall.

Comments (5)

sierraeast

brickeyee

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