# Did I just do a really bad skim coat job?



## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Look like something other than flat paint. For that to turn out well it need to be as smooth as a baby's butt.

You may need to go over it again with some thinned mud.

Sorry!


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## CORJ (Jan 22, 2016)

Oh the humanity :surprise:!!!!! Guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow morning. 

Would a "lite" drywall compound have made a difference - I used an all-purpose?


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## WhatRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

for your final coat of spackle, thin it down to like mayonnaise consistency, trowel it on , let it dry and then instead of sand paper, use a big grout sponge to smooth it out...


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Spackle is never used to skim coat!!!
It's only used for filling small nail holes.
A sponge is just going to leave deep tracks on the wall, stick with the sanding sponge.
Should be using a light weight drywall compound.


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## chemman (Apr 2, 2012)

air bubbles in the mud. I hate when that happens.:vs_mad:


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## WhatRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

joecaption said:


> Spackle is never used to skim coat!!!
> It's only used for filling small nail holes.
> A sponge is just going to leave deep tracks on the wall, stick with the sanding sponge.
> Should be using a light weight drywall compound.


same difference, sponge if you know how, will leave a silky smooth finish


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

Trowel out spackle or mud and fill the suckers up. Sand smooth, then prime and paint. Can skip the prime if you do 2 coats of paint


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

I agree with Chemman. The bubbles in your mud are most likely caused by your mixing the mud when it was too thick. You have to remember that premixed muds are awfully thick because no one wants to be paying to transport water. Don't be scared to thin your mud with water to make it easier to work with. If you'd thinned your mud with water, it would have been easier to spread, and those bubbles would have come out when you were spreading it. As it is, your joint compound was too thick for those air bubbles to break through to the surface of the mud, so the joint compound dried with the bubbles inside it. Those bubbles only came to your attention when you sanded the joint compound down; thereby revealing those bubbles.

Whenever you're doing any plastering work, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have a bright light shining at a sharp angle to the wall to exagerate the roughness of your work. If you'd had a light shining on that spot when you were troweling your joint compound on, you'd probably have spotted bulges in the joint compound where the bubbles were, and you would have fixed the problem before you primed.

If it were me, I would just mix up some more mud and apply a coat directly over those bubbles, probably apply a second coat to fill in the shrinkage (if necessary), sand smooth, prime and paint. You should be OK then.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

the mud consistency should be about half way between regular mud and paint.


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## daveblt (Nov 7, 2011)

For an extra smooth finish you can even thin out the mud and use a roller to apply the last coat . Roll it on and trowel it off. Little if any sanding required.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

ddawg16 said:


> the mud consistency should be about half way between regular mud and paint.



The mayo consistency was pretty accurate.


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## CORJ (Jan 22, 2016)

I was SO FRUSTRATED with this because I really took care and researched it from bloggers/Youtube. I had thinned my mud considerably and applied it with a 1/2" roller, followed by troweling with "the Magic Trowel" from Sherwin Williams. I baby stepped this big time. 

BUT I think that because the mud was regular & not lite (like I'd asked my husband to buy *cough*), it was too thick even with the thinning-down. Also by day 3 of the project I thought I could just fill the small craters with primer + paint.

So I spent Saturday morning with a hand-held light and very thin mud. There was some expletives. I learned something though! 

Thank you all!


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## WhatRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

lite or regular has nothing todo with the finish, just the weight of it in a spackle bucket..they didnt have light weight spackle years back and there were plenty of smooth walls...its an art to be a good finish spackler....thats why I have sand paper..lol


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

I think we just identified the problem:



> applied it with a 1/2" roller, followed by troweling with "the Magic Trowel" from Sherwin Williams. I baby stepped this big time.


Learn to use a drywall trowel before your next project. You woul;d not use a roller and towel to butter your toast, would you?


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## WhatRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

colbyt said:


> i think we just identified the problem:
> 
> Learn to use a drywall trowel before your next project. You woul;d not use a roller and towel to butter your toast, would you?


x2 ............


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## CORJ (Jan 22, 2016)

Another thing I did wrong was putting my mud on too thin. I just spent a good hour experimenting, trying to understand why I got these results, and I think the combination of laying the mud on too thinly with the roller + low humidity in the house = drag and craters. 

I went back with my "Magic Trowel" over thicker mud and it did a nice job. I find the process of learning these skills that are deservedly reserved to the pros really interesting.


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