# how thick can I "skim coat"?



## raz (Oct 15, 2008)

I want to repair some drywall work done by previous home owners. While the seam is sound, the appearance is pretty crappy and was poorly feathered. 

In order to smooth this work out, I would need to build up mud on the wall surface in some areas up to approx 3/8" thick - do you think this amount of mud (built up using thinner layers) will successfully adhere to the roughed up drywall surface? 

Also, if this thickness of mud will adhere, any advice as to using setting-type or ready-mixed mud? Thanx!


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## beerdog (Dec 10, 2008)

3/8"...WOW. That is thick. It might be worth while posting a picture of your problem area. I think you can buy 3/8" drywall. A skim coat is usually just that. Spread it on and then skim 99% of it off. I would think if you just had some areas that were feathered poorly you could just skim the boundry area and refeathe rit yourself. NAturally, you would have to sand and/or primer the area first to ensure good adhesion.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Any kind of build up as you're describing would be best with a coat or two of setting type compound then skim with regular mud. You can put a fairly heavy first coat on as the setting compound doesn't shrink much. Thinner coats for the skim(s). Can you sand (grind) any of the high spots down to minimize how much buildup you need?? Pics might help, as Beerdog mentioned........


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## sirwired (Jun 22, 2007)

Keep in mind that a wall does not have to be made straight with the joint compound, it just needs to be smooth. I cannot imagine any drywall mudding so sloppy it would require 3/8" of compound. Maybe you need to just chisel off what they did if it is that bad...

SirWired


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## raz (Oct 15, 2008)

Thanx to all for the quick replies. I've recalibrated my eyeball (actually measured the depth of the area I need to fill) - at its worst, it's btwn 3/16" and 1/4" and nowhere near 3/8".

Judging from the responses, it seems that I'll be able to fill this area successfully; might try both setting and ready-mix (as the final coat(s)) just to experiment with the setting type compound.

thanx again for the help!


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## Baron (Jan 6, 2009)

Most drywall seams can be feathered wide and thin but if you need a deep valley filled or need to blend and build a seam use 25 bl bag of Durabond 45 or 30.
The number denotes the approximate dry time and Durabond is a dry mixable joint compound especially designed for filling and bonding to unusual surfaces.


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## raz (Oct 15, 2008)

good tip - thanx so much!


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