# Finishing Densarmor Plus Drywall



## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

No, primer is not meant to hide anything, but to seal. Also, if you want a good finish that will last it is more economical to use a quality paint and to stay away from Behr paints altogether.


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

Hi dave. Densarmour requires nothing special. Have you finished drywall before? I ask only because it sounds like your mud isn't feathered enough and built up too high perhaps. I'm guessing the remedy you seek is some more sanding and maybe a bit more feathering. A good technique is take a flashlight or work light at different angles to your mud- known as a trouble light- this will show all defects, pits, hard edges and even give you a better idea of how visible the overall seem might be when you prime and paint.

Edit: Bob was quicker on the trigger than I but also addressed something I meant to. So, I will now echo his sentiments. Ditch the behr. I can't begin to explain to you how inferior these products are to sherwin and ben Moore. You can save money with a $40 gallon of sherwin duration paint because of coverage!


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## pmoe (Dec 7, 2008)

daveyd said:


> The taped joins and the screw holes are obviously smoother than the fiberglass drywall.


True. I just put this stuff up in a bathroom and had the finisher skim all the walls so the texture was uniform. He likes Durabond 20 for this, YMMV.

Another tip - he said you couldn't roll on the skim coat and get it to adhere well to the Densarmor, so he skimmed everything by hand. 

HTH.


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## daveyd (Jan 16, 2009)

I did buy some Glidden Gripper and it did a much better job than the Behr. The Gripper covered all the sanded joint seams and screw holes except for 1 wall. I still can see the edges of the sanded seams.

Should I apply a light skim coat of joint compound to both the top and bottom edges of the seam the length of the wall and resand/reprime? 

If I run my hand over the seam, if feels completely smooth. I guess that isnt the case since I can see the seam through the Gripper primer/sealer. At least I have 3 of the 4 walls that came out great :wink:


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## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

yes, touch-ups after priming are common and almost always done. The primer helps see some of these areas. Just compound and sand again, remember to always prime again or the paint will flash and you will see these areas after final coat. I like to circle these patches with a pencil so I know where to prime again.


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## daveyd (Jan 16, 2009)

Any idea why the sanded seam would show through the primer in the first place? Does it mean the entire length of the seam is thicker than other areas of the wall? 

Like I said, if I run my hand up and down over the seam, it is completely smooth and I cannot feel a diference in height


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## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

Again, primers are not meant to cover but to seal. A primer is less expensive. It uses a less expensive pigment so it does not cover. It uses PVA resins, which do not hide will but seal drywall well. Your paint will cover and hide. Hold a 10" knife along the seam and wall, if no light is visible under the knife you are good to go.


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## Mop in Hand (Feb 5, 2009)

Dens Armour Plus is not as smooth on the face as regular sheetrock. If you are looking for a level 5 smoothwall finish on that product you will have to skim coat the entire surface.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Mop in Hand is correct. The joints ARE actually smoother than the face of the drywall. Run your hand over the surface(s) and you can feel it. This is true of regular board, but does not show as badly unless there is intense light or gloss paint. Level 5 finish ....


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## daveyd (Jan 16, 2009)

bjbatlanta said:


> Mop in Hand is correct. The joints ARE actually smoother than the face of the drywall. Run your hand over the surface(s) and you can feel it. This is true of regular board, but does not show as badly unless there is intense light or gloss paint. Level 5 finish ....


I used the Glidden Gripper primer/sealer as well as 2 coats of Flat Enamel paint on all 4 walls. 3 of the 4 walls came out pretty darn smooth with no seams showing. The 4th wall is the one that is being a pain.

Its just the outside egdes of the horizontal seam that show. If the seam itself is a lot thicker that the edges, would that cast a shadow on the edges? There is a ceiling light directly above that wall


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

The light is the likely culprit as stated previously. If it was a matter of the joint being bulged out in the middle, it might shadow out the BOTTOM edge of the joint but not likely the top. The edges of the joint are where the transition from super-smooth, sanded drywall mud and "rougher" surface of the drywall is. Not much you can do about it other than glaze the whole wall. At least that's my take on it sight-unseen.


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