I thought it would be helpful to share some visuals and tips for achieving that super smooth finish with a quick skim coating tutorial. Click through for some helpful tips.
Mix joint compound wiht water
Setup Your Workspace
I eyeball (rather than measure) the mix, but it should resemble a thick cake batter consistency. Use your mixer attachment on the power drill until it’s smooth and well combined.
Paint onto the wall
Using the roller with the 3/4″ nap, roll a section of the wall (I work a 32″ wide section about half the wall height at a time to prevent my mud from drying out too quickly).
Sweep skim coating blade
Setup Your Workspace
Grab your skim coating blade and sweep it across the roller texture. Think of this as smoothing rather than building up a material.
Hold blade at sharp angle
Setup Your Workspace
Hold the blade at a sharp angle and work quickly, as the mud dries out quickly. The goal is to work in long even sweeps with the blade, without lifting it from the wall.
Apply additional coats
Setup Your Workspace
Once the walls are totally dry, you can begin to apply additional coats. Give the final coat a full day to dry, then you’ll sand the drywall for that ultra smooth finish.
I hope those tips and insight proves to be helpful for your next big project!