At the last minute I decided not to have the drywaller do the skip trowel texture in the kitchen on the advice of the painter who said it would be difficult to clean. So the drywaller patched the holes from ripping the lights out but I would like to try and make the ceiling "smoother" especially since the electrician just finished and I can see a lot of bumps, etc.

I have a bucket of joint compound and was going to thin it and roll it on. Then I thought maybe I am just supposed to smooth it on with the 6 inch knife not thinnned. I don't know what to do but the drywaller said he would "float" it out and he didn't do anything other than patch the holes! What does float mean and what can I do now on my own without having him come back again? Can you give me step by step instructions? Thanks in advance.

 

I'm not sure if the finisher meant he would float or skim coat the whole ceiling or just feather the patch out so it would blend. sounds like the latter.

The bumps you are seeing - are they little knicks or places that need to be sanded off? Is there any texture on the original parts of the ceiling? Do the repairs match the rest of the ceiling? Sometimes a wall/ceiling will look bad to the untrained eye and be fine once primed and painted.

 

Thanks for your reply! Since we are getting the floors put in, everything has to be moved and my computer was down for days-ugh. I did finally figure it out and am doing just that, thin joint compound and roll it on. The dings and patches needed to be disguised especially since the electrician also made a few more holes. It is looking pretty good but what is this called? Skim coating? It has a texture but is much more smooth compared to the skip trowel. Looks more like little bumps from the roller so it does hide the uneven parts. Just wanted to say thanks!

 

Mudding can be tedious, but it's pretty forgiving if you're patient. Apply the mud and then sand it down. Then, if you're like me, do it again a few more times. Eventually, it looks good.

 

Well my back is breaking but it turned out nice! I do wish I could have done another coat but the painters are here now and they approved. Said it will look really good when the paint is on so I guess all the work was worth it. They were not so thrilled with my "wood putty" work on one of the door frames though! They had to scrape it out and start over. Oh well, can't win them all!

 

Glad it turned out and thanks for posting back to tell us.