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How to Apply a Smooth Coat to Drywall

Applying smooth coat, or skim coating, is the final step in your preparation before priming and painting your walls and ceiling. It requires a careful eye, but with a little practice you can give surfaces that professional look.

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    Difficulty:
    Challenging

    Instructions

    Things You'll Need

    • Drywall Compound
    • Drywall Trowel And Knives
    • Sanding Blocks
    1. Finish Coat on Walls

      • 1

        Sand all joints smooth.

      • 2

        Check joints for uneven spots (depressions, humps, ridges and waves). Hold the edge of a mud knife across a joint and try to rock the knife back and forth. If you get a rocking motion, you'll need to feather the joint out farther.

      • 3

        Feather the joint out if necessary. ("Feathering" refers to the process of spreading the drywall compound out to a wider and wider, ever-thinning edge. It's a trick used to keep the eye from noticing the slightly higher center of the joint.)

      • 4

        Sand the joint if one side is too high, or feather more drywall compound (a.k.a. "mud") on any low spots.

      • 5

        Let dry and check again, repeating steps until smooth.

      Finish Coat on Ceiling

      • 1

        Sand all joints smooth.

      • 2

        Apply a thin layer of mud over entire ceiling. Use a 12-inch-wide trowel and, with even pressure, smooth mud over ceiling.

      • 3

        Go back over area with trowel until smooth. You'll remove most of the mud, leaving only a very thin layer.

      • 4

        Allow this coat to dry.

      • 5

        Sand the entire ceiling to remove any rough spots.

      • 6

        Turn a light on and step back at an angle and look for any uneven areas on the ceiling.

      • 7

        Sand the area or apply more mud if you have uneven areas.

    Tips & Warnings

    • If your mud is too thick to spread evenly, you can thin it with water. Do not make mud so runny that it doesn't stay on your knife, and remember: thin mud is weak mud.

    • Applying a smooth coat of mud to the ceiling is a very challenging job. It may require several coats.

    • Wear safety glasses and dust mask when sanding joints. The dust can be harmful to eyes and lungs.

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    Comments

    • mcphe Feb 06, 2010
      I am having a hard time smoothing out a 13" ceiling (box to allow for plumbing) I ended up covering almost the whole area. I had to remove and replace all drywall, the pipe leaked and when I opened it up I noticed poor insulation and no vapor barrier. I have to stucco. So, how much mudding needs to be done for stucco and why so much mud to cover a small area. I hope you understand my problem. Pat
    • funkmarsh Jun 17, 2009
      I know when you board a ceiling you go 90 degrees to the joices. Im doing patching for this renovation company and I was patching a ceiling, less than half of the ceiling and I didnt board parallel to joices because It worked out to be less board and less joints. This jerk was ripping a strip of me for it. Is he right to do that? After all this is patching (almost 4 sheets, less than half of the ceiling) Also whoever boarded the ceiling originally boarded this way aswell
    • jophy Jan 07, 2009
      always! always! prime sheetrock and mud, mud repairs,...primer is cheap,....
    • jcjrcrew Oct 11, 2008
      I was repairing a large area of my ceiling. I mudded and sanded 3 times and felt it looked smooth. When I applied 2 coats of paint I can see the entire patch. I didn't use primer. I persume that was a mistake but now do I sand over the painted repair or what? Would appreciate your help. Thanks
    • jcjrcrew Oct 11, 2008
      I was repairing a large area of my ceiling. I mudded and sanded 3 times and felt it looked smooth. When I applied 2 coats of paint I can see the entire patch. I didn't use primer. I persume that was a mistake but now do I sand over the painted repair or what? Would appreciate your help. Thanks

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