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Welcome back to the DIY Challenge, if you follow me you know the first Wednesday of each month I host the DIY Challenge.  This month is a home improvement DIY, 3 DIYers are joining me as we share a space we are giving an improvement to.   At the bottom of my page, I will link the other blogger’s post so you can go see what they are improving in their homes.

In my latest One Room at a Time blog post, I shared our half bathroom and the plans I want to improve for the room.  First up, removing the texture on the walls.  I say removing but what I really mean is covering up the texture to create a smooth surface so I can apply wallpaper to the walls.

Supplies I used:

• pre-mixed wallboard joint compound
• trowel or large putty knife
• sander
• 120 or 220 grit sandpaper
• eye and mouth coverings

Our bathroom is on the small size, I am using the ready-to-use joint compound instead of the dry compound.  If you have a large space, you might want to consider dry compound, it cost less and will give you 4 times the coverage.

How to skim coat with joint compound

• Applying the joint compound

Apply a good amount of joint compound to the wall, working in 12″ x 12″ sections at a time.

With a trowel spread the compound evenly, smoothing out the lines or clumps.

If the compound goes onto areas you don’t want it to be, wipe off with a clean damp cloth before it dries.

Let the first coat dry for 24 hours.

• Sanding the walls

Sand the walls with 120 or 220 grit sandpaper until smooth.  Protect both your eyes and lungs by using eye protection and a face mask.

• Clean up

I won’t lie, giving the walls a skim coat was not fun and it’s very messy, however, it’s a simpler way to remove the texture from your walls than the other alternatives.

To get all the dust from the area, I used a shop vac vacuuming as much as I could from the walls, vanity and floor.

After vacuuming, I used water and a cloth to wipe down everything until clean.

The first coat fills the voids around the raised surfaces, adding more layers and sanding will create a smooth and beautiful surface.

For my walls, I am only applying one skim coat since it is smooth enough for the wallpaper to lay flat on the wall.

To show you the difference between the first layer skim coat and the texture wall before see the photo below.

• Paint

I gave the wall one coat of paint; the wall will need to cure for about 4 weeks before applying the wallpaper.  While waiting I will work on the bottom part of the wall next.

This process was so much easier than scraping all of the texture off of the wall.  I am impressed with the outcome.  Since I have to wait 4 weeks before I can wallpaper, I will start working on the bottom portion of the wall now.  Come back here on Friday when I share the first progress report.

Let’s go see what home improvement project Tammy, Teresa and Shae have for us.

Terrie Decorate and More with Tip

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Tammy Patina and Paint

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Teresa Through the Vintage Door

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Shae Sweet Southern Grace

 

 

 

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