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Help needed with skimming/patching

14 years ago

I finally removed the popcorn finish from the ceiling in my first floor bathroom, but need help on exactly what to do next. All the posts I've read say to "patch" any nicks in the drywall, and to apply a skim coat to even out the ceiling. This is the first time I've ever done this, so please bear with me: What material do I use to patch any of the small nick marks I made in the tape, and what do you buy to mix a skim coat? Also, am I just filling in the parts where the popcorn coating was completely removed from the drywall (over the tape/seam lines there is still some white compound left)? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

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Comments (6)

ron6519
14 years ago
You use joint compound. In your case I would get the "dust reduced" product. There is a tendency for novices to put on too much compound and then you need to sand it off.
If the ceiling is flat with just some nicks, you can just touch up the nicks. There's no reason to skim coat over undamage drywall. You don't skim coat it when you put up new walls and ceilings. This is a value judgement based on the ceilings condition. How visable the repairs are when finished will depend on the lighting you have. Recessed lighting will hide alot. To check for levelness, light it from below.
Ron
sierraeast
14 years ago
You've done the hard part, if you are going for a smooth finish, you might consider having it done by a pro. To get a decent , smooth celing/walls takes some practice w/ ceiling work being a tad more difficult being overhead. Here's a few links if you choose to diy, there's more out there, just search engine drywall finishing or drywall:

http://www.tape-finish-texture-drywall.org/drywall-mudding-tips.html

http://www.askthebuilder.com/450_Drywall_Finishing_Requires_Skill_and_Finesse.shtml

http://www.askthebuilder.com/B387_Drywall_Finishing_Techniques.shtml

http://www.rd.com/18264/article.html
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deedee-2008
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks alot for the advice. The reason I've chosen such a project was because we are having the adjacent kitchen remodeled (by a pro), and want the bathroom "freshened up", too. Unfortunately, the kitchen remodel is sucking our wallets dry, pushing us to DIY the bathroom. I really appreciate your help.
buzzoo7
14 years ago
If you have a pro still doing mudding in the kitchen he probably won't charge you much to do a skim coat on a small bathroom ceiling since he's already there. Just a thought....
If the ceiling needs a complete skim coat it will fill any nicks by being skimmed.
deedee-2008
Original Author
14 years ago
I wish I could "off-load" this job to the GC, but he's putting in a new tile floor in the bathroom first (before the kitchen), so we have a workable sink on the first floor while the kitchen is demo'd. I think I can handle it....keeping my fingers crossed!
saskatchewan_girl
14 years ago
I was told by the drywall guys doing our kitchen NOT to use the dust controlled drywall mud/compound since it's harder to sand smoothly. He gave us a lot of hints and ideas when we started : )
We did the same as you (DIY popcorn removal) but ended up hiring the drywall guy in the end to finish off. He said it was cheaper for him to come in and finish after we did the crappy removal so he was OK with doing it, he is very busy and wanted us to tackle the job. The cost was minimal (1/3) of what it would've cost to remove and re-do and he did a great job.........I'm sure WAY better than we could've done and quicker too. It won't hurt to ask what the cost would be, maybe even 'after hours' price would be better too.
Good luck with your projects : )

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