Skimming walls

[koenbro]

So we have just bought a 3600 square foot house in which the walls have a texture and the wife wants them skim coated. I was wondering if a Planex could be used to sand the texture down to the drywall and then just apply one coat instead of the usual two coats of mud/compound. In other words, I suppose my question is about the role of a Planex in smoothing down texture to achieve the skim look. Any advice or opinion are greatly appreciated.

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[peter halle]

Do you have an air compressor?  My advice would be based on that answer.

Peter

 

[koenbro]

Yes I do, a California Air Tools 10020 unit: 2HP with a 10 gal tank, that delivers 5.3 CFPM at 90PSI.

 

[peter halle]

Then as someone who both removes and also adds textures I might suggest a compromise that you would need to evaluate based on your texture depth.

If I were you I would consider getting a texture gun

 

[koenbro]

If I were you I would consider getting a texture gun

 

[tjbnwi]

Thin mud to slightly less than mayonnaise consistency, roll on wall, 1/2-3/4" nap roller, Tape Tech finishing knife to lay it down.
http://www.tapetech.com/products/Premium-Finishing-Knives
http://www.all-wall.com/TapeTech-Smoothing-Blade-BX24TT.html

The Planex works very well also.

Tom

 

[peter halle]

Home Depot - drywall area.  You will find both.  Generic.  Generic drywall mud.  Wish I could impress you with specifics but there aren't any.

Peter

 

[peter halle]

Tom beat me to it.  Thanks Tom!

Peter

 

[tjbnwi]

Tom beat me to it.  Thanks Tom!

Peter

Not sure what It did but---You're welcome.

Tom

 

[Pnw painter]

How much time do you have to take on this project? For a house of your size, I'd recommend hiring a drywall contractor to skim everything for you.

The planex may help knock down the texture, but sometimes sanding walls quickly loads sand paper depending on the paint on your walls.

Don't forget that you'll also have to prime everything and apply 2 coats paint.

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[tomp]

Here's an article from Family Handyman which cover the basics https://www.familyhandyman.com/drywall/how-to-skim-coat-walls/view-all/  Also, look for a video by Myron Ferguson which shows his procedure for rolling thinned compound on the wall with a paint roller and then smoothing it out with the knock-down knife, There was also an article in Fine Homebuilding a while back by Myron showing the process.

 

[koenbro]

How much time do you have to take on this project? For a house of your size, I'd recommend hiring a drywall contractor to skim everything for you. [...] Don't forget that you'll also have to prime everything and apply 2 coats paint.

The more I learn, the more tempting it is to pay someone to do it.

 

[jyarbrou]

Our first house was a little over 1900 square feet and had popcorn ceilings. I scraped and mudded them room by room while we lived there, the mess and the dust was a disaster and the wife hated it. The planex certainly would have made that much better

I also skimmed the walls, not for texture but because they were in bad shape. I tried a bunch of different methods and tools (including Myron Ferguson's paint roller) and found the thing that worked best with my skill was an 8" knife and fairly thinned lightweight mud.

The one thing I found with the walls,  even after a scuff sand the skim coat didn't want to hold on to the old wall paint well. I learned this after priming and painting a couple of rooms and the paint started blistering. I switched to using Kilz or an oil based primer after that and it never had another issue.

Hindsight at the end of the project it was one time I wish I would have paid someone to do it for me. I was able to achieve an excellent finish, but it was a lot of work and a lot of mess.