# Painting over a drywall disaster



## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Hold a bright light near the wall you repaired, but some distance from the repair so that it shines it's light at a sharp angle on the repaired area and exagerates it's roughness. Such "critical" lighting will allow you to see where you need to add joint compound and where you need to remove it to make the repair smooth.

Once that area looks reasonably smooth under critical lighting, it'll look perfect under normal lighting.


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## sirwired (Jun 22, 2007)

What size knife are you using for the drywall work? I find I have real trouble with leveling out any large area unless I use my 10" one. A 5" knife is real hard to use unless you are a pro.

SirWired


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## Workaholic (Apr 1, 2007)

picsaro said:


> I had a closet that needed to be closed up, and I was new to drywall. I ended up using way too much compound, but was able to sand most of it so that it's smooth the touch and belnds pretty well with the rest of the walls. However, even after priming, you can still clearly see the 1 foot wide area that I put compound on. What can I do at this point to fix it before I pain the final coat? If I sand anymore, I think I'll be hitting the joint tape.


Are you saying you can see that you did not sand the joint well enough and can still see ridges? Or are you saying that you can see the spot through the primer?
What kind of primer are we talking about?


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

If you can see it after priming, this may be normal
(hard to say from here)
Primer isn't supposed to look like a new paint job
If you can feel it, then you'll need to smooth out the ridges with more compound, sand smooth, dust, and re-prime


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

I have a feeling you need to make your joint wider to "blend" it. You likely did not have the two surfaces "butting" evenly. Take a straight edge (say 3' long) and lay across the joint. You'll be able to see where the problem lies. You will need to build the joint out wider to eliminate the "bulge" you're probably seeing. The key to finishing joints or patches without a tapered edge is very thin coats of compound on the "high side" of the joint and heavier on the "low side". Even if you sand "to the joint tape" on the high side, it's still a paintable surface......... Normally when closing a doorway, I pull the joints at least 20" wide (double with a 10" knife).


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

You likely didn't feather out the compound far enough. Don't be afraid of 6-10" of feathering.


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## SNC (Dec 5, 2008)

I have simaler problems the sheetrock nails work loose (i now screw and glue) but the repair always seem to show thru the paint. They are smooth, its the texture of the mud compared to the texture of the shetrock. Kind of like having spots of makeup on your face filling all the pours but only in spots.
Is my paint to thin ? Using Behr.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

I'm not a painter by trade, but the from what I've garnered here from those who are, is that Behr is an inferior product (I'll keep it clean). Are you using a paint with a "sheen" to it or flat?? Any type of gloss paint requires a level 5 finish to blend the inconsistency of the finishing compound and the actual drywall paper. Basically for a DIY'er this means you need to glaze coat the entire surface with mud and sand. Flat latex is your friend......use at least a medium nap roller to give a little bit of texture. Don't try to "stretch" your paint. Keep the roller full.


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## SNC (Dec 5, 2008)

bjbatlanta said:


> I'm not a painter by trade, but the from what I've garnered here from those who are, is that Behr is an inferior product (I'll keep it clean). Are you using a paint with a "sheen" to it or flat?? Any type of gloss paint requires a level 5 finish to blend the inconsistency of the finishing compound and the actual drywall paper. Basically for a DIY'er this means you need to glaze coat the entire surface with mud and sand. Flat latex is your friend......use at least a medium nap roller to give a little bit of texture. Don't try to "stretch" your paint. Keep the roller full.


By texture I ment that of the paper on the sheetrock. There is no texture (as a finnisher would do) on the wall. as for paint it would be a 'egg shell'

wonder what is wrong with Behr ?


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

wonder what is wrong with Behr ?


A better question might be What is right with Behr?:whistling2:


"better to leave the walls bare than put Behr on the walls"


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## SNC (Dec 5, 2008)

chrisn said:


> wonder what is wrong with Behr ?
> 
> 
> A better question might be What is right with Behr?:whistling2:
> ...


OK what is a good latex paint


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Egg shell is a "gloss" paint and would require a much smoother surface so as to not "telegraph" the inconsistencies between the finished joint compound and the drywall paper. When I suggested a longer nap roller to give the wall a bit of "texture" I was merely talking about the "natural" texture from the roller pad, not a specific texture such as "orange peel". I'll have to refer back to the professional painters as to specific paints. Now that you have the gloss on the wall, there is a process to go back to flat. Or re-prime, glaze coat, and sand to accept eggshell..........sorry I can't be more helpful.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

OK what is a good latex paint

Just about ANY top of the line brand form a "real" paint store would qualify. Most anything from a big box store would not.

Ben Moore, Duron , Pisttsburgh paint, SW , Devoe, Murlo , etc. etc.


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## Tsu Dho Nimh (Jan 7, 2009)

SNC said:


> I have simaler problems the sheetrock nails work loose (i now screw and glue) but the repair always seem to show thru the paint. They are smooth, its the texture of the mud compared to the texture of the shetrock. Kind of like having spots of makeup on your face filling all the pours but only in spots.
> Is my paint to thin ? Using Behr.


Take a damp sponge, smear on a small amount of diluted drywall mud, and pat the surface of the patch and the surrounding several inches of wall to give it a faint stippled texture. Not orange peel bumps, just a not-smooth effect. Then paint. 

You can sometimes hide a patch by pouncing the area with a brush tip: tapping just the tips of the bristles at right angles to the wall. The tiny bumps of paint blend with the texture of the drywall paper. Works best if the paint is thick, like the last bits of paint in a roller pan.


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## Bubbagump (Apr 10, 2008)

I have never had a problem hiding a patch (assuming it is level with the surrounding wall) by simply priming and painting. A good high hide primer does wonders.


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