Perfect walls made easy! Level 5 drywall finish (skim coating)

Getting perfect walls is easier than it seems and in this video i show you how we get it done in Delaware!
Using the right tools and the right process, you can get professional results wether you are getting started in the trade or you are a DYI home owner. Hope this video helps you and please feel free to give me suggestions about more content you would like to see next or how to make my videos better. THANKS FOR WATCHING :)
Products used:
-USG Green lid all purpose joint compound
-TAPETECH 18” skimming blade, you can order on amazon
-Loop rubber texture roller found at THE HOME DEPOT
#drywall #painter #drywallfinisher

[@maccybear8093]

I skimmed a wall last night. In my mind, I'm such a pro. In reality, I really need to knock that wall down, now. What a mess. Will give it a second professional coat tomorrow.

[@adrastos761]

seriously, I feel the same way. It is difficult to say the least, and not one of my funner home DIY projects

[@ct181]

Thats why its called skilled trades. If i tried that it would look like the surface of the moon, good job.

[@302drywall_painting]

🤣 hey some people may like that texture!

[@Carlos-fv2fm]

It's not a trade, but one of these telemarketing tools for DIY. You can buy it too and try if you have just one room to do

[@elo5971]

😂 great I just did this to my living room waiting for it to dry and now I’ll think of the moon when I see it

[@cw6136]

Actually, skim coating is the best approach for a non-professonal to achieve "professional-looking" results. I'm a second-generation drywall finisher. The "skilled trade" part is achieving the same results WITHOUT skimcoating.

[@tannerallen2882]

It's easy. You scrape it clean Everytime till the excess is gone. It's actually hard to fuck it up

[@zonney97]

Watching this video with headphones is like ASMR 🟠⚫

[@NoMadMediaProductions]

Excellent demostration in under 8 minutes. Thanks for taking the time to post this video.

[@AMM0beatz]

I really like the texture of that roller. Looks better than orange peel imo

[@hannahswann747]

Great video and so helpful to see right up close with the go-pro. Thanks a lot! 👍

[@desireewright4894]

Beautiful work! Thanks for sharing!

[@adamwest3266]

Don't let him fool you by making you think this is easy. It takes skill to skim like he's doing and a lot of practice.

[@302drywall_painting]

You’re right it takes some practice but i have shown complete newbies how to do it and they do an excellent job close to what i can do! This method using this tool is 75% easier than using trowel our spackle knife because it seems like the skimming blade smooths out on its own lol

[@craigandrews3477]

Amen

[@horaceprince3449]

This video is extremely helpful and motivating

[@erichvictor2727]

This is a great video! Short, and packed full of expert tips. Thanks!

[@JamesDean-jy7oh]

Homeboy does really good work

[@elliott44597]

That is Art my friend, great job.

[@mattypants]

Our painter does this. He sanded the high spots on our home then did this. The walls looked brand new. It was amazing. I wouldn't even think about trying this on my own lol.

[@VeryMaggs]

LOL, I am desperately trying (to do this on my own) ... and you are right! It is NOT easy!

[@foggymtnbreakdown]

I am a DIY guy and I just suck at skim coating. I tried different knives, but not the one you were using. In spite of me getting that new tool, I will still probably suck at it. You could probably do much better than me with just a piece of cardboard in your hands. You have a skill that I do not have. I will follow all of your tips. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

[@fonsecarichard]

Honesty and self recognition is a skill most don’t have, so you got lots of people beat!

[@jaydaytoday3548]

You can get good at anything just by practicing.

[@302drywall_painting]

remember that you are doing multiple coats! each coat covers the imperfections of the previous. What’s most important is that you do a rough sanding in between to knock down some high spots or lines. I’d say your first coat is your most important one but will never be perfect make sure you get decent build up maybe 3/16’’The second or third coat can be really tight only leaving a super fine coat, same with the final coat, dont try to build up the last coats too much or you will get waves and lines. Practice makes perfect, trust me it will just click and you’ll have great results!

[@esexavo]

I am a concrete guy, guess what i use to skim coat lol

[@coolhluke8089]

I would suggest slowing down and just get each coat as flat as possible. You can always add more

[@angelmorris8624]

Thanks I'm doing this and your video was by far the most helpful and up close view

[@samnewman5129]

Thank you you gave me the answer to my puzzle as fixing my ceiling my wife stepped through and need to get that finish to match. Cheers mate

[@CVenza]

It looked good both ways with the smooth skimming and left rolled on gave it a texture.

[@jl9678]

This is amazing. Thanks for this tutorial

[@302drywall_painting]

Glad you liked it!

[@Taffey_Lewis]

whoa never even thought of trying this

[@No_914]

Those skimming blades are a must. Game changer for sure. Nice work

[@craigandrews3477]

Hell, yeah I have a 30 inch skimming blade and it is amazing

[@annespellberg7173]

I'm betting you make this look much, much easier than it actually is, but I'm going to try it anyway. I've got one wall in my apartment that can't simply be repaired and painted. A couple good skim coats and I think I'll be happy with it. I'm sure I'll need to sand it, I won't get glass like you did. But this is the easiest application I've seen so far. Thank you for the video, it's really great and very helpful!

[@mygelbergstresser7729]

Thanks for posting this

[@euroasiabtlimited3208]

Excellent

[@jessabeldavies3812]

Beautiful

[@26alexther]

Quedo super liso. Si q tomare en cuenta los tips.. ahora a poner al hubby a trabajar😊

[@Olivas.Robert]

Great Vid, brother! I'm new to all this but trying to learn. Nice work!

[@Ryan-Fkrepublicnz]

the texture roller is genius.

[@joeoliver9223]

GREAT thanks

[@sameeralwaelie2396]

Great job

[@fire67bird]

Perfect! Thx brother.

[@CHIBA280CRV]

Fantastic will give it a try 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@302drywall_painting]

Good luck!

[@user-uo6ds6vz1t]

In the UK they use a tool called, "ox speedskim". There are many other manufacturers. Also, to eliminate the dust from dry sanding, use a wet sponge to touch up.

[@Miss.Shanny]

I’m in the process of trying to “attempt” this. Hate textured walls 🤮 lol. You did amazing btw!!! ❤

[@jong4939]

thank you!

[@oliverhowitt4188]

Good video and even better replies to the comments... thanks for sharing

[@302drywall_painting]

I try to keep up with comments! But between running business, family and also work sometimes I get behind on it 🤣

[@easypainterslondon]

cool vid nice insight

[@janetjennings7324]

Thanks so much

[@rachelcohen4441]

Nice

[@charlesviner1565]

Thanks for the video, just subscribed 👍

[@apeman1300]

Very nice

[@Monica1joy]

Extremely hard to find professional crew that really knows how to do a level 5 smooth finish. Most say they can but very few do a great job. That’s been our experience anyway.

[@andrewfreeman88]

All the best guys are working for Big developers and Million dollar homes.

[@SDWYS14]

You need to find crews that use hawks and trowels. Most finishers start with pans and knifes. However this roll on technique works well for guys that don’t use a traditional hawk/trowel set up. Which is most sadly.

[@bananas1318]

@@andrewfreeman88 Thats not true. The issue is people look for the "best price" which usually ends up being people that dont take their time and want to get out fast in order to actually profit. People arn't willing to pay the higher prices for professional jobs. Im in the industry and ive worked on houses where they hired someone that did a garbage job thenw e have to fix it up, and all because they didnt want to pay for the professional job.

[@elizabethb342]

Cool

[@ekcoupe5059]

ocd on them working on top of each other. and the guy rolling the bottom should keep the bucket to his right so buddy doesn't keep reaching over

[@alibabbas-mq4ii]

Nice 👍❤

[@SuperishMario]

Sweet video man keep at it!! I have a house I'm remodeling and I will be skim coating alot so lots of practice haha

[@302drywall_painting]

Good luck!

[@AB-xq1kn]

wow. Thank you for this. I'm planning on getting a Festool planex 2 to sand the wall once to ensure adhesion, and then use it for the finish sanding of course. Do you think the initial sand on painted orange peel is a good idea? Any idea on grit?

[@davem145mxr]

Great video no BS

[@302drywall_painting]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@loan6489]

Wow tip top !!

[@jesusacosta6862]

Great video, how much water do you add to the bucket of joint compound to achieve that cream-like consistency?

[@ej7417]

Nice job! I need one of those tools.

[@302drywall_painting]

Makes life easy and comes out glass 🦾

[@EminezArtus]

PFK18TT

[@sergiocc17]

Ya despues retocas las esquinas o si lo dejas..? Saludos buen trabajo..👍

[@MandrewP]

Peace up over and out.

[@mcanultymichelle]

Can this be done over a textured wall to smooth the textured wall out??

[@azmalu]

Looks it was new drywall that you were applying a skim coat to. Once this dries are you going to apply texture or is the plan just to paint over it? would use foam roller if you were doing a skim coat over walls that had wallpaper removed?

[@MuahMan]

OMG, that texture roller makes all the difference!!! I did this with a regular paint roller and it wouldn't roll, just slide, and it wouldn't hold much.

[@garrettp.5018]

What’s a texture roller? It’s just a large nap roller.

[@kaymack5304]

Does the compound come with that texture or do you need to add water to thin it out? Beautiful job!

[@User-gfys-0icu81]

Well done brother! 👍👏🏻

[@veeisher]

You make it look soooo easy… but I’m going to try it. I have two questions 1. Do I have to add water to the compound (I got the same kind you have in this video, I just need a couple of days to… to do this… plus I ordered the skimming blade it doesn’t get to my house until 2 days from now) 2. Can I rinse off this loop roller for the next day? (In case, I can’t complete it on day 1) thank you for sharing, thank you for this smooth tip and thank you for making it look so natural to the point I’m going to actually do this 😮😉👍🏽😂😂🫡 My bahd: I have a 3rd question. Do I or is it better to, add a coat of sealer/primer after the walls dry and before I paint the walls the final color? Or is primer/sealer supposed to be the very first step???

[@mattlamonica3959]

Nice! Would love to see video of the finished product painted…

[@DaruDhillon]

With any level 5 finish the proof is seen after primer. That’s essential.

[@302drywall_painting]

Correct! Well, after primer and with critical lighting 👍🏼 critical lighting is crucial more than anything to check your work but even then sometimes primer lies to you and you won't see some things until after the first coat of paint.

[@Nico-rw1uo]

Hello 👋 is it skimcoat or gypsum cement, thnks. Very good job 👏

[@magnet8170]

Do you think the same roll-technique can be apply with stucco?

[@coryr6359]

whats your thoughs on a 32" or larger skimming blade. Im doing my own basement, and i expect a learning curve.. just wondering what tools are best for the job

[@randomrazr]

do you need to prime the popcorn or anything prior to skim coat?

[@vboutique2188]

Why do you use a texture roller over a thick nap roller? Does it work better? Do the pock marks eventually go away by coat 3? How do I know if I'm using too much? All the calculators say two 5 gallon buckets should do a 12x12 room. I don't see me getting done with that little mud.

[@BennyBetsDFS]

Will you sand before primer/paint?

[@photogss]

Hi, great vid! Can you do this over a painted wall or do you need to prep it somehow?

[@302drywall_painting]

Sorry I'm so late! This can be done on a painted surface depending on what sheen (gloss, semi-gloss, flat, etc) I scuff surface with 80 or 120 grit using my powered drywall sander first to promote bond. Make sure you use green lid since it contains more adhesive properties. There's also a product called plaster weld you can apply over the surface to ensure the spackle does not detach from painted surface once dry which can happen sometimes if you go over certain paints without prepping specially glossy paints but as I mentioned above, a good scuff and a tight skim coat after initial coat will ensure you don't have any issues. The problem with heavy coats after bascoat is that the base coat will be over saturated with moisture causing it to soften and detach. Tighter skim coats dry faster and don't release as much moisture into the bascoat.

[@elkabong2897]

does the skim blade fix bubbles or does a second coat?

[@Elena-mk6bf]

Can this all-purpose premixed joint compound be applied to semi-gloss paint?

[@Aywill_]

How much water do you add to your premixed green top mud?

[@MultilevelSydney]

Do you prime the walls first before applying the skim coat

[@PrestigeProPainters]

Do you sand the final skim coat

[@seriejohnson698]

Love it

[@ProfessionalPainterDecorator]

very good my man.. subscribed to help you to the 1000. what camera you using? the skim coat... did you use it straight out the tub, or did you add something to it?

[@302drywall_painting]

I’m using the GoPro Hero 9 to record. You can get pre-mix buckets at hardware store but right out of the bucket its a little hard to work with so you have to add a small amount of water to thin it down and make it easier to work with 👍🏼

[@robertomatsuhita2791]

Aonde acha essa desempenadeira?

[@elmaromero8585]

Hey would a 10” one be useful in uneven walls ?

[@badchips10]

What is the nap size on thar texture roller? On the HD site i5 only saw 3/8" which seems small. Nice job!

[@302drywall_painting]

That's the one! If you dip it in the bucket of mud it'll grab a decent amount of material as you can see in the video. As long as it's rubber so you can was it easily

[@jobr641]

@@302drywall_painting Isn't this textured roller made for paint? How is this compared to regular napped roller? After the job is done, can you easily clean this textured roller? Late question. Can I use 90 min hot mud to skim coat or is it not recommended?

[@302drywall_painting]

@@jobr641 this roller is used to create texture using plaster or joint compound. It's made out of rubber and it's super easy to clean. We can do quite a few jobs before the rubber starts breaking down. As for using hot mud to skim coat if you read the label it says not recommended for skim coating, although I have used it but on rare occasion you get detaching issues especially if you are skimming over paint but on rare occasion like I mentioned. I usually sand the area with 80 grit or 120 using my dustless sander to get better adhesión if I'm doing that. Overall unless you're very experienced using hot mud I would stay away, too difficult to work including sanding. I use that when I'm in a time crunch and I know I can do 2 or 3 coats same day but it's hard work having to mix and then it starts setting up then cleaning your tray etc etc

[@DjLundbladh]

Is it possible to ise normal mud? Not one made for roller

[@user-to4qi8hz2r]

What nap thickness do you use for this?

[@treystills]

Nice work! What are your thoughts about just applying mud and tape then going straight to this method? Is it possible to get the same outcome by skipping 2 or 3 coats of mud application steps? Thanks again for sharing

[@302drywall_painting]

I feel like it would make it a little harder to get a flat surface. I wouldn't skip the first coat at least, you can skip the second or third. Either way you'd need at least two skim coats or 1 really great skim coat, sand and a touch up after primer. Lots of way to go about it but if you're skimming level 5 then you want a good job anyways so you shouldn't be skipping steps. Sometimes I have taped and did first coat with 20 or 45 minute fast setting then as oon as it sets I'll skim coat everything with all purpose. Let it dry overnight and a final tight skim coat next day. Really depends on what you are trying to achieve and how delicate the job is.

[@treystills]

@302drywall_painting thanks for the insight and the time it took to reply. Much appreciated

[@302drywall_painting]

@@treystills no problem! 👊🏼

[@auronedgevicks7739]

you can pull it off on the 2nd coat. First coat is just too raw but once it's smoothed out and sanded enough you can jump right to this at the 3rd coat with a little thicker mud

[@1painter4hire]

​@@302drywall_painting That was a Great Answer !! Great Job on the video also

[@steventhury8366]

Looks good! I'm remodeling a house with an ugly prickly texture on the walls. I was thinking of something like this. What's your experience with doing this technique over old texture? Also, would the blue lid JC work, since it sands easier? Thanks for the video. It helped!

[@CMCKAY]

Great question. I want to do the same. Just purchased a house with textured walls. Can we start adding this compound and how many coats do you think you need to cover a textured wall?

[@christianguzman92]

From watching tons of videos and doing research. If your walls are painted you'll need to apply primer beforehand. For a beginner, follow this method exactly, and if you're not comfortable getting a good look at this angle, thats okay. Face the blade parallel to the wall at a 90 degree angle and remove as much as possible. It'll be a thin coat, it'll be ugly on the first and second coats . But after the 3rd and 4th you'll see it's getting perfect. Just lightly sand the imperfections after every pass. It takes as many coats as needed. You should get away with two coats per day with standard mud.

[@h2s142]

Sand and prime the walls or add glue to your mix

[@steventhury8366]

​@@h2s142Glue? Tightbond or Elmers?

[@h2s142]

@@steventhury8366look up Vancouver carpenter talk about when to add glue to your mud

[@SinghSingh-ci5yc]

Does the cold air mess with skimming. We bought a house and the joints were not mud correctly causing me to have to go heavy with tape. Lots of torn paper as well, so pro999. Looking to skim next week or so, but it's in the teens.

[@302drywall_painting]

It is recommended that drywall/plaster be acclimated to prevent hairline cracks and tape failure. This is why garages and other spaces not air conditioned tend to have drywall failures including corners and seams. Good drywall installation and prep will drastically slow down failures, sometimes completely eliminating them. Proper installation of drywall consists of every panel properly screwed to stud and also ensuring every drywall end lands center of stud and is not floating. If drywall ends do not have proper solid backing it will sooner or later create cracks. More importantly, drywall joints must be V grooved and pre-filled with durabond or similar fast setting joint compounds.

[@daysiv9739]

Wonder what's the skimming blade brand ? 🤔

[@whiteface5055]

Nice work. Sometimes when I skim over a painted surface, I will get blisters in my paint. It only happens on the second coat of paint. This is after two coats of primer. It it an issue with the original paint or am I doing something wrong.

[@fiddlefolk]

I had a job that did this. It's been awhile back but I think we either sealed the wall with bull's-eye or we used block filler/

[@302drywall_painting]

Those blisters are a pain sometimes! What kind of filler are you using? sometimes we get bisters when using fast setting joint compound like 20 minute or the the softer blue lid compounds which dont have the strongest bonding capabilities to paint. Another thing would be painting in high humidity spaces and and not waiting for each coat to cure completely and keep saturating or over saturating the wall with paint back to back at that point the spackle absorbs all the moisture and detaches. I have a theory that also off gasssing from the previous fresh coats curing will also cause it to blister.

[@pearlperlitavenegas2023]

Is it new drywall?What happened to the top where you didn't apply mud?

[@changeyourenergy708]

Ok...that wall is already smooth. Just once id like to see someone do a wall or ceiling thats in rougher shape

[@aycabbas]

Which kind of roller you using?

[@JSLEnterprises]

For the finish coat, you using machine mud or hot (setting) mud?

[@302drywall_painting]

For skim coats I use all purpose premixed mud for all coats.

[@ricardocarrillo1985]

How many coats do you do

[@chrystals.3232]

So I have textured walls and want to remove the texture. THIS is what I have to do if I want them smooth ???

[@dustinthomlinson3859]

That or sand the walls flat 😂

[@user00616]

you said that you already did a coat on the section ... so what you're showing is the second coat? what did you do for the first coat? thank you!

[@302drywall_painting]

I use the all purpose joint compound or the midweight joint compound because because it has more adhesive additives so it sticks better to any surface. It's also harder to sand and since we sand using electric sanders, it's more forgiving when it comes to the sander taking too much compound off since it's harder to sand.

[@KefirTView]

Question for you: I've got an acoustic (popcorn) ceiling that is nearly impossible to scrape off; Perhaps its been painted 1 or 2 times. What's the best solution in making my ceiling smooth? Can I use joint compound and just keep building a thicker & thicker layer until it's all completely "submerged" and finish it off with a final coat? Or perhaps just throw up 1/4" drywall? - Thanks!

[@302drywall_painting]

Drywall on top for sure, saves you from disturbing possible lead and also saves you demolition and disposal of the old drywall. Sometimes what I do is get a big floor scraper and just quickly scrape some of the high spots so the 1/4" drywall doesn't break when screwing it. Sort of making the popcorn texture a little flatter but only if it needs it, if the popcorn is not too crazy I'd go right on top no scraping just make sure you find the studs and install drywall like normal always landing the ends center of studs and stagger the joints.

[@gmjent5671]

Skim a first coat with structo lite second regular mud

[@shawnstroh5601]

If you're keen on removing the popcorn. Get a metal scraper, before you knock it down you have to wet it. Spray it with water from a weed sprayer for example. Gonna have to cover floors though.

[@whirlwind8825]

Whirl Wind 0 seconds ago Pro tip... Scrape off high spots that come off with a sharp floor scraper .. Then you want to seal the ceiling with "Gripper primer" ... then let cure for a day ... Then use regular compound or... fast setting compound 45 or 90 .. ( I use 90) and apply and many as 4 coats to get a perfectly smooth ceiling .. The secret is .. Sealing and priming the old ceiling before mudwork

[@jakerossgil3048]

I used a wen 9inch vacuum drywall sander with 80 grit and then skim it. It helps with the painted ceilings

[@kt98creations65]

How much water would you say to add

[@BenBen-jl2ft]

Can you paint right over that? And what do you mean by "you already did a coat and pre sanded" the wall? I'm learning how to do this to smooth out textured wall and skim coat over old wallpaper. Great video btw 👌

[@adamwest3266]

You have to tape and mud your joints first...obviously. Then you go back and sand those joints. However, even after you've done a "good" job with your mudding, sanding and blending of those joints, you can still sometimes see where those joints are and especially if you look down the wall. So, what he's doing is a final step that gives the entire wall a thin layered "skim coat" that fills in those areas between the joints. Acting as a leveler on the wall. Giving the wall a more even appearance. This is still very time consuming and double the labor. A drywaller will certainly charge you extra for this. I'm a builder and I do not offer this usually. If a client insists, then I will hire someone.

[@302drywall_painting]

Yes you can paint over it but once you sealed the drywall using primer, i use PVA primer works great and good quality finish paint. In the video when i said i had already done a coat i meant i had done the first coat the day before and let dry then came back the next day and pre-sanded, which means just a quick rough sanding to prep surface for second coat. This is just going over the first coat and sanding any high spots, trowel marks etc to give the second coat a smoother base. You dont have to completely sand everything doing for the “pre-sanding”

[@lukehelpmetakethisdangmaskoff]

@@302drywall_painting Do you do a final 220 or 360 sand? Wet sand?

[@302drywall_painting]

@@lukehelpmetakethisdangmaskoff I have dustless drywall sanders and use 240 grit sand paper. 320 is the max I will go for fine finish

[@lukehelpmetakethisdangmaskoff]

@@302drywall_painting handheld with shop vac or the powered 9" orbiting type? If its the 9", does that leave ridges like 5" orbiting sander?

[@MrShanenicholls]

Hi, The filler always seems to drag when I skim coat. Should I ease the filler down more?

[@302drywall_painting]

What filler are you using? Using o remixed joint compounds you can decrease drag by adding more water and mixing properly. Only add a little but at a time and mix until you have desired consistency

[@ziggyc4474]

Is this also called smooth set ?

[@ranadobedny1937]

roll the corners of the trowel up a bit...it won't make lines.....can it be dissolved this plaster with water while it is already dry on the wall?

[@johnnichols2710]

Looks good. Is that plus 3?

[@302drywall_painting]

All purpose green lid

[@swifteagleworks]

Can you this over painted wall? I hate the orange peel on those walls?

[@pedromarin2470]

What grit sanding paper did you use?

[@302drywall_painting]

For this I used 240 grit. You can also use 180 grit but you have to move a little faster and be more careful with your sanding pattern

[@JakeEllison94]

For a orange peel textured wall that’s painted. Would you use the same process if you want it level 5?

[@302drywall_painting]

Yes! Unless you have expensive sanders and great sanding discs skim coating is the way to go. Depending on how much area you need to cover I have also sanded walls down with 120 grit using my mirka sander and smoothed walls down in one day with only sanding.