It’s been a few years since I wrote this post, so I highly recommend reading this update with even more advice on preventing bubbles in the drywall paper, good sealing products, tools that cut down dust, and finding the right primer before painting. Thank you so much! This post was exactly what I needed!! Apply your joint compound to fill in the damaged areas and lightly sand to feather in the edges. Thank you for excellent advice, delightfully presented. And what is the purpose of this blog, if not to pass on the knowledge I’ve picked up? Here’s to Ugly Duckling houses ever’where! I concluded that prepping the surface with Zinsser Gardz, followed by skim coating with USG (green) joint compound, sanding, cleaning, and then priming for paint is the way to go. Under paint you write “Even the nicest paints will have trouble sticking to new mud. As we cannot strip it back fully (back to bare plasterboard), would it be wise to put a coat of Zinsser Gardz over all the walls, so we may achieve a good 'key' for a plaster skim. zinsser's gardz and skim coating. Thank you for TOTALLY MAKING MY DAY with your comment :). We have a pretty good sized hole in our living room wall and “no one knows where it came from.” I don’t really know a lot about doing the repair myself so I might leave this one to the professionals. We got a quote from a local painter to skim coat and the quote came in at $600! No sanding! My question is: after I use Gardz on the damaged/brown paper drywall, does it need a couple skim coats before primer/paint or can I prime/paint right over the Gardz? This post may contain affiliate links. Next, turn on your radio or set up some kind of music (like my playlist), because this is going to take a while. Also in my humble opinion there are places primer should be used, painting metal or wood for example. Hi there again! To do it right, you’ll want joint compound, a mud pan, a wet rag, and a much wider knife called a joint knife or taping knife – I chose the 10-incher simply because I’m small, in a small space, and wielding anything larger felt like using a snow shovel – but there are wider versions available at your local Blue or Orange. First I applied a Gardz problem surface sealer and then skim coated two rounds. As for the taping knife and mud pan, I would hose it off in the front yard near my ivy (so it wouldn’t impact the grass as much) and get in the little grooves with a wet paper towel so it wasn’t washing down the drain (I agree with you, best to avoid the drains and plumbing!). The walls were still tacky but smooth. I'm in my 20s and just started learning how to do home improvements, so thank you so much for documenting this stuff. UPDATE:  I tried experimenting with paint and primer combo products, and to be honest, I hate most of them. So you suggest to use an oil based primer over water based primer. You rock. Treat a skim-coated wall like new drywall, with a coat of primer paint first. I have read TONS of posts and watched videos on skim coating but no one except you mentioned clean up. How to apply a skim coat video series. Looking at the data sheet: 'Gardz is … Then, I spackle, sand, and repeat as necessary until the wall is perfectly smooth. Thank you so much for your tips!!! Still have questions? How to earnings up to  $500 within 30days? You give such good lessons. You’ll want to continue doing this across the wall, but since the mud is impressionable until it cures, be careful not to overlap the edges of your various passes across the same wall or else find yourself working to fix a patch of wall you were already done with. I always put it on very thin and smooth so that it needs no sanding. Will be pure entertainment for family, friends and the neighbors, but I refuse to be whipped by drywall! - used a razor to clean up the drywall tears and remove excess paper - rolled 2 coats of GARDZ over the wall (stuff is AMAZING!) Vinyl wallpaper top layer peeled off ok and DIF took the paper backing down to the glue layer (finally found that good product). My walls in my bathroom look a lot like yours after removing the old wallpaper, but I believe mine was skim coated. Sand and remove residual dust before sealing. Good tip! I have used setting-type compound to repair the water-damaged plaster (not drywall). Thanks! The easiest solution is the keep some touch up paint on hand. Did you have to work around windows? Unless otherwise stated, all images owned by Sarah Fogle & the Ugly Duckling House. I haven’t yet tested out whether or not it prevents flashing as well as it says but I’ll try it eventually, I’m sure. It penetrates and deals damaged facing paper, restoring it to a sound surface for repairs, making it suitable for painting or wallcovering. So here I found your site & I am so happy because I am running to the store with my list. great tutorial. Wow! Well, since I can't respond directly to Anonymous messages, I'll do my best to answer for everyone who may have had this question. However getting final skim coating smooth with setting compound is difficult or impossible. In the future you should try a blue top finishing mud, the green top shown in your pic is for taping and is way harder to sand. I would highly recommend checking out my follow up post with additional tips for skim coating and the materials to use under/over it. Gardz is more of a sealer, with glue like consistency. Drywallers use this technique to hide an imperfect taping job, to give the wall a plaster-like appearance and in situations when only the smoothest surface will do, for instance after … Luckily, my kids love me, so they don't complain about their drywall bathroom :). Skim coating is the only way to achieve a level 5 drywall finish, which a number of trade associations recommend for areas of bright or critical lighting. Tag me on Instagram @uglyducklingDIY or use the hashtag #uglyducklinghouse to show off your projects! Fill in major dents/dings with a thicker version of the joint compound, let dry, then do your decorative texturizing! Great advice! I too have an old bungalow style home that I am proud to call my OWN, and am working on sheetrocking over old walls as well as ripping out old thin paneling and replacing it with new sheetrock. I have a question... from what I've been reading, one should remove wall paper, clean, etc, and then apply Gardz, then spackle, and then... what? I'm so overwhelmed! Thanks so much for your blog!!!! I am going to go without the primer and see how that works. I call several contractors (whose prices were out of this world). Join compound gets wet again pretty fast. #diy #drywall #skimcoat … because the previous owners put wallpaper up in most-every room, including our 80-100% humid bathrooms! I love hearing when people are using my tutorials to fix their homes! So, the first lesson here is this:  You need to skim coat drywall if you want a smooth finish. Grab your oil-based primer and use it to seal your walls once more, then paint it with whatever you want. We are thinking about putting up paint-able wall paper with a subtle pattern to keep our original design & colors. You’re so knowledgeable hahaha. GARDZ prevents bubbles that form when damaged drywall is skim coated with spackling or joint compound. I actually hadn’t thought about getting taping knives of different sizes. • New Drywall/Joint Compound and Spackling – GARDZ penetrates and uniformly seals, creating a moisture-resistant film that protects drywall from … If the paper was put up soundly and smoothly, and taking it off will ruin the wall underneath (this can happen with crumbly plaster as well as drywall), it’s easy to simply tape the seams with fiberglass mesh and 2 coats of redi-mix (hot mud for the first coat, if you like), sand and paint it. Want even more tips on how to skim coat damaged drywall? I can't get a straight answer from anyone. I have just started sharing my DIY passion with the world and I glad to meet a kindred soul. Hey there! share. … I’ve been thinking about just smashing the wall down and starting over because no matter what I did, it never looked smooth like the pros! I would post the pic however i am ashamed lol. Replies. If it’s smoother looking than before you began your work, you’re on the right track! There’s also a corner tool that you may find easier to use that looks like this. Topcoating/Wallpapering – When dry, GARDZ may be topcoated with any standard architectural water-base or oil-base primer or topcoat paint. Tomorrow I tackle the next stage of bathroom redo. Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and seek professional advice if you don’t know how to do something! And so glad to have you following! Primer to use AFTER skim coating..GARDZ or Bullseye 1-2-3? Then there’s the “Easy Sand” dry mix series that you add water to 100 points to, I eventually got the hang of timing my evening right so that I wouldn’t have leftover mud, but if you wind up with some. :) Thanks for linking up at the Sassy Sites Free For All party! First of all, we should start by clearing up a myth:  most drywall by itself is not smooth. As much as I would like there to be, there is no easy button for this. Also, in some areas, you can still get veneer plaster (which is supposed to be much more ding resistant) done, but to make it stick to an existing wall you’ll need a special bonding paint first. As for the sealer-primer, there’s another post about that where I recommend one that isn’t oil-based. On a modern wall, just assume you're going to use Gardz to seal, then skim, the price will be in the right ballpark. I hired someone to strip the wallpaper of a bathroom. A contractor might give you a free quote if you would like to get their input on what you should do. We tried to primer it. Lock down porous and crumbling surfaces with Rust-Oleum® Zinsser® GARDZ® Problem Surface Sealer. Finally I’ve found something which helped me. realized it’s new to me. The bubbling usually happens during the skim coat … I'm think of buying and cutting drywall for practice. Skim coat damaged drywall tips - how to repair walls after removing wallpaper. The purpose of wiping down a wall is to get it clean so that the paint can stick to it, because dust and/or dirt will create a bad bond between the paint and wall. We bought a 1950’s house and – thankfully – there is only one room that really needs a full skim coat. The mud smooths out the wall, primer will coat the entire wall, and then the paint will stick to the primer. It’s made me feel sane :). Yeah, the most expensive part is the labor! I didn’t know I had to prime the walls. It looks like your walls had a skim coat applied before the wallpaper glue went on. I tried skim coating it on my own and stopped halfway through. It made me smile. I have 1/2 gallon of GARDZ left and I just bought Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3. from one single gal to another, I like your realness and ability to tackle the job! They told me you can't skim over Zinnser Gardz. LESS. What did you do about the walls behind toilet and the sink? Even the nicest paints will have trouble sticking to new mud. I can’t thank you enough! All textured thick wallpaper, gouges, and compound stuck here and there. Which brings me to my next tip:  The right tools for this job are key. I’m so glad you found this post helpful, Cheryl! Create your smooth finish, and everything after it is easier. I have done a few smaller ones in the past but this one might be too big for me. My walls were not primed, skim coated, or had any sizing applied before the glue/wallpaper – UGH! Try to fill in spots as smooth as possible to avoid having to re-sand later (though I did just for good measure). Because there is glue in it! After that seal the walls with Gardz then spray on Sherwin williams Prep rite Primer/surfacer then paint. I bought a fixer in Dallas and it’s coming along slowly. GARDZ penetrates and uniformly seals, creating a moisture-resistant film that … I've been reading up on the benefits of Zinsser's Gardz on sealing/priming the walls after wall paper removal. $1 dollar store. Asked by: Jay. I did the … Yes, on fresh board, the sponge method works great, and I would still recommend it as a last step in drywall repair or if filling in a single hole on drywall. I used to shiver with intimidation when I went into a hardware store, but no longer :). I have sometimes experienced that re-wetting the surface causes bubbles if the drywall paper was weak from wallpaper removal. Skim coating is a texturing technique used to make a wall smooth. We have wallpaper behind the fixtures. I was just going to call a professional . They’re listed here, including the primer I like best! If the situation is intolerable, an oil based primer or PVA will toughen it up, but if you use PVA, you’ll have to find some paint that will stick to it. I use a different primer between sanding and painting. This will be a first for me and I know no matter what comes of this project, it can’t be a bad as it is now!! Anyhow I put a link on my blog to this page. But there are times when smoothing and painting an existing layer of wallpaper is the most expedient rout. Think of primer as a precursor to paint. As it turns out I won't have to skim the whole area (thank goodness), just where the scraper dug in and exposed the rock. I’ve been there. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy & effectiveness of the information displayed on this website, the Ugly Duckling House is for entertainment purposes only. I bought Zinsser oil based AllPrime to coat the gluey walls. What started as a routine wallpaper removal ended up as a drywall paper removal also. You only need to apply it on the edges of the damaged paper. I had been trying to remove the paint with paint thinner however there are 5 different shades of pink that are on the wall apparently. I guess that using a oi-based primer over a water based primer over the final skim coat would give some measure of moisture protection, but I am not sure that it would. This tutorial is amazing!! I think a paintable wallpaper would be a good solution, but there other options too that you might be open to (such as horizontal wood planks, or beadboard, or using spray texture to create a knockdown textured effect, which might make dents and dings less noticeable). I wanted to know what helpful tips that you have for clean up? Bit off more than I can chew sort of thing. By the way, I am not sure how to comment using those profiles so I have to use the anonyamous name. I've done tons of this and its the safest way. I've found conflicting opinions but puny hands can't stand much more of the glue battle. I've learn lots. Way to Go! really dig the reality and detail. Had to order the RX-35 since no one carries it around here, think it will be worth it based on your experiences. Gardz® takes the "problem" out of problem surfaces. I found it easy to apply with a roller. Then cut out any ripples or bubbles and cover the edges of the cutouts with fiberglass mesh, mud over those, sand and paint the patches. It looks like the dry wall was never taped or skim coated. It went over skim so surprisingly well I flipped. I really effed up my drywall by moving my baseboards down a smidge when I replaced the carpet with luxury vinyl plank :(. This advice was great! Going to see about that for the guest bath ASAP! I am not sure if it has been noted earlier, but on 6″ and larger blades, there is a slight angle factory set in the blade. Okay, so now that you’ve got the right tools for the job, it’s time to get to work. It might also be a technique issue, because you need to feather out the skim coat in really thin layers so that the thinnest part is near the widow edge so there’s less buildup. The premixes have different strengths, if you’ve repaired a large hole or taped a fresh seam then you should use Green top as the initial base coat as it is hard to sand because it is most solid, then “top coat” or skim w/ the Blue or Purple or Light Green (purple/ light green are ultralights that sand well, my favorites). Thin it out, and it’s even weaker. I’ve been there. Thanks. Please see our full disclosure here. Allow skim coat to dry. I am so glad i found this. Lots of luck and be sure to wear a good breathing mask! 82% Upvoted. You could call it primer failure, or you could call it weak joint compound. Wear a breathing mask and protective eyewear; and maybe a hat– dust will be everwhere. Ha! Thank you! I'm in the middle of mudding my bathroom walls after removing wallpaper. I was going to buy a drywall primer, but I like Zinsser products. Using a schllac based primer will seal the skim coat and the paint will cover better and have a more uniform appearance. As hard as I tried to get the wallpaper off evenly, and really I DID, and I think it would have been a LOT worse without the removal product I found, the hard truth is that I’m working with old drywall. t, I am still laughing over your quote at the top of your blog “I'm not going gray, that's just paint in my hair!” haha!! Gardz is a fantastic product! The right tools are the difference between getting half of a wall done in two nights versus three in one night. So if you want to keep your walls pristine after all of that hard work, don’t skimp on the last step! It provides a sealed surface for proper wallcovering application and prevents damage when removing wallcovering at a later date. You’ve reached the right compound-to-water ratio. You’re welcome! Thanks for the tutorial! Now that I’ve gotten up close and personal with my bathroom drywall, I’m learning that the above is definitely true in my case. The purpose of priming is to seal the wall so that the skim coat doesn’t bubble. It is the strongest of them all, but is hardest to sand and apply…however it dries from the outside in which means you can begin to sand some or apply another coat before completely dry…WARNING if it starts to turn more clayish in the pan you need to dump it and make a new batch- you WILL NEVER sand out the edges once it starts to dry and will have to add more coats around the edges later. Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. Sorry to hear about your guy not following through… sometimes you look at someone else’s work and you just know you could have done a better job on your own! damaged drywall is skim coated with spackling or joint compound. I do like the sponge enough for quick repairs! I’ve got some old plastered walls that need a skim coat, i got some optiva primer but scratching my head which way round to do it, shall I prime the walls first then skim or skim then prime, was also considering spplying gardz first then skimming then the optiva, just abit concerned about scratching the plaster filling without a mistcoat first. In addition to the right tools, you’ll also need the right lighting to do a proper sanding job. ): 1. It’s important to be systematic in your approach; any missed spots will be highlighted once you paint the wall. Relevant!! The build up on the corners is pretty awful looking but I’m hoping it will sand to a nice corner? I could have sworn I’ve visited your blog before but after looking at a few of the articles I Good luck on your fix! ********************************************. Step 4 – Use GARDZ to seal in skim coat … Cheers again for your inspiration. 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