I taught myself to drywall via books, KZread videos, and a ton of practice, mistakes, and swearing. Done many walls and ceilings over the years for various home projects. I’m quite good at it to be honest and the final result always passes my OCD final inspection. The topic you covered in this video has always frustrated me. Beautiful skim coat ruined by touch up ridges remediated by additional skim coats until perfection. Over the years, I have asked this question via many forums and nobody understood the problem correctly. Watched this video and it was like finding the answer to one of the last and most frustrating questions I have related to DIY drywall. Can’t wait to experiment for myself when another project pops up. Thank you so much. A simple concept, perhaps obvious in hindsight…but solves one of my last drywall frustrations.

@bumpsfarnorthnz6257

2 жыл бұрын

Swearing and tears and ocassional trowel through the wall and lots of youtube was me learning, i go months between drywall jobs on our home renos, now its like riding a bike. Just comes naturally after you "get it". One the most frustrating skills I've learned

@michaelmike9424

2 жыл бұрын

Hi where can I buy plaster book

@The_Real_Chris

Жыл бұрын

@Philip The book I started out with was simply called “Drywall” by Myron Ferguson. He keeps updating this book every few years so look for the latest version. I’m no expert reviewing drywall books, but I found it to be quite good. No book will ever compare to watching videos of a pro explaining the techniques. If I was starting out now, KZread would be the way to go.

@davidzucker9111

Жыл бұрын

well said! same here!

@kidjetrecon7153

Жыл бұрын

You can always add mud if you hate skimming, you can read all the books, doing it making mistakes teaches things you’ll never learn in a book. Prefilling l cracks with durabond is technically the best method, easy sand works but it fails in the longevity test. Biggest issue with dura bond it can’t be left higher than ending fill point. Drywall Doctor has the best advice most drywall companies need to hear , you don’t do it you’re way you do it how directions tell you, I’ve watched thousands of drywall crews who can’t or want leave tapping mud set before coating 48 hrs with 40% humidity and 70 deg is the best. My OCD looks at work from finish to some jobs I’ve done 30 years later 😂 it’s the 2 year mark nothing showing is the industry standard, reading your comment I wish I could hire crews with this attitude but it’s not possible, I usually look for crews that pre fill every it’s the best way it’s actually the only way in the midwestern areas temp changes with humidity change everything.

“I’m actually having a hard time screwing this up”. I can help you with that if you like. I can do that really really easily.

Youve saved me thousands over the past years and though I rarely do any drywall work any more I still find myself watching your channel. Love the great instruction and sense of humor!

The good old side-light trick... I have a lithium flashlight which has numerous single-cell batteries which are in constant use-recharge rotation when drywalling and painting. Yes, painting! The flash light illuminates paint roller edge lines perfectly for correction.

Hey Ben I’m 38 years old and been taping since I was 15 honestly I’ve seen it all but since I found your channel 3 months ago you definitely dined tuned my skills just by watching yours thanks bud love the content

@vancouvercarpenter

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Michael!

Cant tell you how long it took me as a handyman to figure this out but spot on. These days ill get things to "pretty close" status and then seal in my progress with primer. Makes it easier to spot areas that need touch ups and prevents the endless sanding and recoating battle.

Another great one, Ben. This problem can be absolutely maddening and demoralizing when it pops up and your nearly completed masterpiece. I’ve actually had it happen just between my tape coats too. Thanks for the advice!!

Thank you for that excellent tip on the touchup of the divot. Always great to learn something new ! I also realize I get too focused on compressing when I'm in a hurry. I need to change that and save myself some aggravation and time. All the best! Thanks to all who post here ! There are some very experienced drywallers that post helpful tips and tricks.

Thanks a million for these videos. I’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with you guys but never actually touched the stuff. You’re a good teacher and doubt I could do my walls without your help!

The very problem I just had on a huge living room ceiling! Plumber patches, large holes, unsteady trusses on 2' centers. Many cracks in all townhouses. I need to watch even more of your videos! So much to know!

Your the best drywall teacher I've ever seen. Thanks dude.

I'm so grateful for your sharing of knowledge! This information that you just shared (a year ago) is something that has bugged me for a few years now. I tried to research the issue but never found the answer. I have watched and learned a lot from you, and I greatly appreciate your time!!

This is a problem that has vexed me for so many years on so many projects. Thank you for the comprehensive video and the excellent descriptions.

If I could mud as well as Ben when he's deliberately doing it wrong, I would be thrilled.

Ben, thanks for the honest zen self assessment! Great job and great knowledge you dropped on us.

Commenting after you read his email. I've definitely encountered that issue when I first started drywalling. Through trial and error, I came up with the best solution that works for me and my limited skill. If I need to fill in a small divot, hole, or thin line I typically just put the mud on without trying to level it. This prevents any risk of really compressing the mud and forming those different layers. Once it dries, I just sand it lightly without pressure, letting the sanding sponge do the work. That's been working for me

Called mud manufacturers and a few contractors with this problem and they never understood what I was talking about. I had many suspicions about what caused it but I think you are right about compressing the mud being the cause. Thanks.

I agree! adding chalk to your mud (even the same batch used to skiim) makes the mud that much thicker thus more ridging. This is top notch drywall content. thank you. This is info I had to learn over a couple years of experience and headaches on the job!

Great video. I am general contractor and self taught at drywall. Couple years ago struggled on a job with soft and hard joint compounds when sanding. Used hot mud first coat then a different compound on top. Top sanded easy leaving a hard coat with ridge’s all over, a bloody nightmare, Never again On a recent job installed 70 sheets of drywall, used the same compound first and second coat and here and there the odd contour. Same compound yet hard to sand down the contours. And the contours have a slightly different color. After much analyzing, dilution. I don’t thin the mud much at all, yet the next day may add a little water to remix a previously mixed bucket. Thanks Ben now I am also aware of mud compression.

I'm going to test this later today. I've been busy touching up my house for days now and just keep going to the same spots. I was definitely pushing the mud too hard when scraping it away. This is the clearest and best video i've seen about touching up a wall properly. I hope it works and can't thank you enough. You made my day! I wish you the best in life.

Just wanted to say thank you. Your videos r really helpful. I'm a concrete finisher of 30 years. I can do a lot things but drywall is not my thing. I'm doing 100% better now. I got this I just needed to be taught the tricks of the trade. Thank you again very helpful.

“The further back you are the less there is to see” lol. So many of my patches used to be 10 foot patches- looks good 10 feet away but getting close looks like crap. Thanks for the videos. Keep up the great work!

Yep. Do touch-ups after a nice coat of primer (which solidifies the surface). Works like a charm

I really appreciate these postings as it this channel has been the most helpful for me on my recent drywall related projects. I have been creating my own sanding tools using large flat wood boards (like 24" x12") that I add a couple wood scrap handles and attach 120 grit with contact cement. The larger coverage area helps the overall smoothing and ensures consistency.

Really like that you go into detail on some of these topics. There are a ton of "good enough" drywall videos out there, but limited examples of how to take things that next step up in quality of finish.

@cconnon1912

4 ай бұрын

You are a drywall craftsman. 😅 great videos!

This video was the best information to date by anyone regarding touchups and regarding compressing too hard. Im so grateful I watched this before I started my final coats I'm doing today. I was actually looking for information regarding how to deal with large difference in adjacent wall planes. I find all your videos very informative, thank you very much. PS -if your in Nakusp, BC in the next couple days maybe you could come by for a coffee and help me get the last coat just right 🤣

After watching countless of yours and other videos , this one finally explained what I did wrong on my touch ups!! First comment I've ever made on KZread....thank you

Dude, I really like your channel! Growing up I had a friend in jr high, his father had a drywall biz. He actually finished my parent’s house in the mountains. Never remember seeing any lines, and back then everybody didn’t just shoot knock down on the ceilings. Long story short…… I’ve re-piped my sister’s condo and well, it turns out, drywall is hard to do……..

Excellent educational video, thank you! Very helpful for this DIYer. I am working on my ceiling now and just learned a lot from watching this. I guess I should resign myself to having to sand. And once you 'see', you never look at walls the same again. I used to be so blissfully unaware of poor workmanship.

Thanks man. I have been going through the same thing. I search for how to touch up skim coat and your video popped up. I’ve seen your videos before I enjoy them so I was glad you had one. Thanks again.

By far one of your most informative videos ever. Thank you sir

Today turned out to be an unplanned 2hrs of binge watching some of your drywalling and mud techniques. Excited about this one! Didn't feather some edges very well and really noticeable after final sanding. Was ready to do touch ups this weekend. Didn't know about priming then tough up, then prime again. You saved me from hours of frustration.

@terilachonce280

8 ай бұрын

lol, me too.

I am 82 and learning to do drywall skim coating and some repair on an 70 year old house. lived in it 40 years and remodeled parts of it 3 times. Lovely home and time to do some updates in drywall repair and painting. You are as compulsive as my wife and I have learned the value of taking my time. I am happy with the first repair of drywall in a lath/plaster wall.(Old wall furnace with bottom intake/top outlet that was turned into a hallway closet. Furniture covered the intake which was never removed. It is now.) Interesting experience. After what you said about your garage wall distracting you, I can understand having done your best. Your wall looks great. Trust mine will too. Let you know when finished.

@kimfelton4690

2 ай бұрын

Just goes to show that we never stop learning, no matter how old we get! I'm also working on a 70 year old house :)

@Mikeyar777

6 күн бұрын

My reno is about 75 years old too. It's my grandma's old (2nd) house. (She bought it years ago because the property is attached to my dad's property/home office. So, "your children's children" and all that, I guess.) It was empty for a couple years, and my son has allergies. There was mold sitting on everything. (Florida) So we've been diy making a lot of improvements. I'm working on the bathroom now, which has been a nightmare. (There's no exhaust fan, and what used to be a window has been covered up for an addition.) Don't worry, I'm wearing all my PPE, air purifier, etc. :) I've made a lot of repairs, and I think I'm gonna skim the ceiling before I Kilz Mold & Mildew and then paint with Mold/Mildew additive. (Pray for me.)

Great video! I've learned so much from watching your videos but touch ups with those ridges are one of the things that is holding me back. I was talking to a union drywall finisher the other day and even he said he loved watching your videos!

Just found this video. Its really helped me to understand how to fix flaws without making them worse. Thanks!

as a long time mud guy all i do to prevent this problem is....any place you want to touch up just wet the spot down with a damp sponge greater an area than you fresh mud and it will all blend when sanded in with a smoth transition no ridges

@unicornofthought

2 ай бұрын

Never done this, but seems legit. The moisture helps bond the fresh mud to the existing portion. Good idea :)

@susanmarshall817

29 күн бұрын

That's exactly how I do it.

I had no idea why this problem was happening to me until I seen this video today. Even using a hard block sander I couldn't get these ridges out. I remember compressing the mud into my touch-ups thinking that I was doing such a good job and having no idea the problems I was causing

men .... I restoring my bedroom and I also paint cars , so I have tools and experience how to apply and sand but .... ...I was compressing and feder the hell out of the eventual touch ups.... this is the best tip and now makes a lot of sense. (I use to sand by hand first coat and flat all out using big automotive tools , it help a lot. but this is not a trade for me , just doing my home.) thank you a lot , best regards

Wow This explains why I have such a problem with working on patches. Thank YOU!

God I just got through going through this exact thing. Great info here. BTW, Drywall Doctor just gave you a great shout out on his latest video. You two guys are my go to for drywall. Only the best.

Thanks you all videos you make and putting on youtube. This help me alot by watching it about when to touch up. I make alot mistakes in past touching after sand causing mud has alot bubbles and dents. I have watching your videos and learned alot.

appreciating the tip on not compressing your touch ups , definately going to trial that on next house this week. I'd battled the same issues for my whole career but found if I do all the touch ups (except peak summer where you can touch up and sand immediately) and then do a full scrape/sweep/clean down load the van etc , I can go around the outsides of touch ups and feather them off even if they are a bit green. And then full sand them when I call back .. havnt had an issue so far 🤞

This is a TOP NOTCH VIDEO! Thank you so much for this! This is EXACTLY what I needed for this exact problem I was having with my drywall! Thank you so so much!!!❤🎉🎉🎉🎉😊

Best pole sander I've found is: circle brand express sander and using the foam backed sandpaper. What a dream compared to the old mesh sanding that scratched the hell out of the wall. This pole sander doesn't and has never ever flipped over when sanding in any direction. Leave it to the Canadians to make a great product. Compressing the mud was a great tip for me. Keep up the great videos.

That is crazy cool to see how the small patched hole and scratches disappeared when done correctly! Thank you!

Great video 👍👍👍 I have 2000 Bf of skim coat to do today. Taking before and after photos. A tutoring school had at least 100 decals/stickers plastered all over the walls. When taking the decals off it took most of the top layer of paper so I have primed it with shellac to seal the paper. 10’ walls with a ton of lighting! Should be a “hoot” trying to get a nice finish. Wish me luck! (Btw. I haven’t skim coated a wall in 25 years! 🫣😂). Love your videos Ben! A fellow Canuck now living in Georgia USA.

So, I have the ripples, seen after shining a light up the wall. Deep doubt set in. Then, I took a large and wet and smooth, soft sponge and got the coat wet. I was able to almost get a glass-like finish by sanding it with a screen sanding block. I made large up and down strokes and smoothed it with lightly going over it with my sponge.

I love your videos,I have learned so much from you about finishing thank you so much,GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

Never given too much consideration to relative mud densities before. Cool video and a lot to digest.

Always great info. Covers way more about touch ups than I ever knew. BTW, the details show up really good with the camera/video! Damn near perfect, flawless work! Face it, you do such good work, seeing flaws in a wall gets annoying! I do the same thing! 👍👍

Man, that segment where you were (what I think was) priming....the music, and the paint, I could watch that all day. Lol love the videos as always Ben!

Another FANTASTIC video. This explains soooo much. Keep up the great work, the great videos, and enjoy the nicest walls I've ever seen in a garage. :)

Helpful video. I hired a drywaller years ago and they said it was good to go for painting. After I painted I found many such ridges. Now the ridges are under dried paint. And it's been 10 years this August and didn't think I could fix it. As I move to work on the guest bathroom I'll be doing my own drywalling (encouraged by your channel). And plan to rent the fancy wall sander ($63/day) at my local tool renter. Thanks for encouragement and tips.

@briancantale2674

9 ай бұрын

Just skim over any imperfections until they’re filled it. It’s pretty easy, straight forward.

Your energy is inspiring. Thank you.

Solid advice man. You do nice work! I'm also from Victoria. Under skylights 4 coats 2 vertical 2 horizontal alternating. No pinholes

@NewWestEd

2 жыл бұрын

Basket weaving we call it.

Oh man, I wish wish wish this was posted a couple years ago when I skimned my entire house (thanks to your channel). I have so many random ridges from touching up. Never knew there were eays to avoid them. Thanks for sharing the secret sauce!

I have just started watching your videos and I've learned something new in just about every one I have watched!

I'm a weekend warrior, jack of all trades deal, looked on KZread for a drywall question and found your videos - struck GOLD! Instant subscriber and am binge watching all your videos more than Netflix during COVID! Seriously, you are an excellent teacher and your videos are truly a wealth of practical information! Was wondering in this video what that guitar/banjo soundtrack is from, beautiful piece of music! - is that something you can share with me?

great job! I do the same, I used to make those mistakes )thank you for the tips. hello from Russia.after your vids i bought planex 2 , i was the best buy ever)

Wow! You are a true master of your craft. I forgot during the video that it is YOUR GARAGE! About to drywall an entire rent-house and will review every one of your videos before I begin. Thank you for making other lives easier. Take care.

@AbbieandJeffGomez

2 ай бұрын

How long have you been drywall finishing

I literally just touched up my ceiling tonight....(Scotland) and then watched this. Thankfully I think I resisted the temptation at the time to press too hard. Problem is I painted first and only then spotted that I needed to touch up. Is that a problem? I don't know. But Ben, if you read this, I'm doing a full renovation myself and the quality of the stuff I've done is pretty good and I have to thank you for your videos as otherwise I'd need to call the very professionals I'm trying not to use in to fix it. Great work, genuinely enjoyable and informative.

You are so detailed oriented, just like me! Love it!

I think a single led Flashlight will help you see the imperfections really well especially for the camera. It's helped me when trying to see the errors I'm my work. That's for the great tips!.

Awesome video I have been guilty of making my touch ups to tight. This makes so much sense

I'm experiencing this and it's very annoying. Here's my fix, first use a spray primer to seal the surrounding mud, so you can focus on the patch without removing any more mud. After that, use a 40 grit sand paper to pretty much dig a channel along the ridge and fill that with mud after. Sand again once dry and that issue should go away.

😁That's perfect! I could work forever trying to get a level 5 finish! It's going to be a nice knockdown texture for me!

I've struggled with compressed mud on touch ups. Love this video

@als4817

Жыл бұрын

Same, thanks for posting.

Thank you for this video. I knew I was having a problem with my skim coating, but could not figure it out. It was touch-ups after sanding, oops! Won't do that again. Thanks to you, I am actually hanging drywall, taping, and plastering, my first room. Now have the rest of the house to go. Edit; I found my grandfathers trowel and wooden (homemade) hawk and I love using the trowel. better for my wrist.

Thank you. This is just what I was looking for. Unfortunately, I’m in the boat now of having spot patched (wrongly) after skim coating. Some small spots don’t feel ridged and I used thinned out mud; others though I feel that clear subtle ridge. And, of course, I used a sanding block 😢 My gut told me to prime before I patched anything and I thought I could just go ahead with it- now I know that was a mistake. Won’t ever make that error again - thanks again for your guidance!

This. Is. Why! I thought I was suddenly incapable of finishing a patch properly. Lost my mojo. Struggled through multiple retries. Finally achieved an acceptable result, but not before several days laced with profanities. Thanks VanCarp, it won't happen again

I'm watching this literally 1 hour after sanding my final coat and doing a few touchups. I didn't know I could ruin my work by doing that! Thankfully I used the same mud and I didn't apply too much pressure on the touchups because I wanted to leave something to sand. If I didn't watch this video, I would have used a sanding sponge the next day but now I'll definitely be using a pole sander. I hope it turns out ok!

@thehound1359

6 ай бұрын

I’m sure it came out fine after you primed and painted.

Nice video 😀 My trick for patching is... I always use a bit lighter mud for the patch and gently sanding with long, flat and stiff tool. Greetings from Ireland 🙂

Ben, this was really an interesting video because I just applied a skim coat today to a couple of walls and never realized that you would not recommend applying touch-up mud to sanded areas. Maybe it hasn't affected my projects in the past because I have always used the same mud for touch-ups and I tried not to apply them with too much pressure.

I always learn so much watching you! Thx

I should have binged all your videos last month. 😅 I've been a follower for years, but it hasnt sunk in, I guess. Welp, back to skimming tomorrow! Haha. Thanks for everything! You are not only an artist in your craft but an excellent teacher.

Interesting. I had that issue on my last skim job and I attributed it to using different types of mud. Blue lid over Green lid as I recall.

I've definitely had that! I thought it was just due to the way adding mud to other sanded mud made it get harder. Didn't think about the compressing part! I definitely have better results with a nice hard sanding block and new sharp paper.

Another better than great video. Have you considered having a school or giving hands on workshops? You are a great teacher and just so many things can not be taught via a video. I rarely ever need to be as perfect as your work but would love to have the knowledge in my body of experience.

i have this same problem. thank you man. i love your videos.

Thanks for all the technical info. I’m a big fan of Synco pre-coat, my walls look really sharp. You call mud liquid wall, I call Synco pre-coat liquid mud!

This is EXACTLY what I needed today!

This explains what must have happened to one of my bedroom walls that was skim coated. I put a light strip along the headboard and immediately noticed several ripples. When I run my hand on the wall, it feels perfectly flat.

I just bought a NELA Black Edition today. Best Trowell I've used to date!!

In addition, I've found that if I need a third skim coat, it is better to prime the wall first, otherwise the previous two coats pull too much moisture out of the third coat as you are applying it (you can sorta see it around 12:45) , causing chatter and other tool marks to occur. I add a little paint to the primer, so that the primed wall is a little darker than the skim coats, making it easier to spot areas you might have missed (priming or skimming). Also, that coat of primer makes mistakes pop-out that you might have missed otherwise. If I need small touchups, I prime first, as the primer is a lot hard to sand than the touch-up (as Ben pointed out).

Yet another very informative video...thanks again VC!

Thanks for the vids. You’ve helped out a lot.

Another great video! Thanks Ben!

Yeesh. I think this video would have saved me time on my most recent room. I battled with touch-ups through 2 full skim-coats and gobs of sanding. Didn't know the priming-before trick at all. Also, since it was over an old painted wall I had a ton of bubbles to contend with. Now I know for the next room(s).

I'd asked many about the issue I was having. 3 years later, I have found your video.

On a vehicle working with metal fillers, we'd stain the area we're about to sand down (dip a rag into some paint & smear over the surface). As you sand now it's easy to see the low points where you may need to add more filler or continue sanding.

@aidens5511

2 жыл бұрын

Sometimes drywallers will add chalk to their mud so it's a bit more visible when they're touching up work

@NikNakGB

2 жыл бұрын

@@aidens5511 Yeah, I heard him say that too but I'm guessing this changes the color of the mud all the way through, I'm just talking about staining the surface which ultimately should end up being sanded off unless you have a low spot

This is two weeks too late. I hired a guy to flatten out my bathroom walls and he did a great job but I noticed a few problems. I’m not a total novice (have done a few rooms), so I thought no problem. I decided to use hot mud over his final topping coat. Obviously this was not a smart idea. And to make it worse I used a sanding sponge. I had a couple of serious islands that would not go away. Finally got them down after figuring out to put pressure only in the harder mud. Thought I was done and put a coat of primer. The shine from the primer and changing light highlighted that I just moved the problem. Repeated this a few times, each time with primer. Finally got it straightened out, inadvertently helped by the primer. Spent a lot of time, much of it zen time, so all good. This excellent little video here is a good lesson on how to work with this material, but also highlights another lesson that we don’t know what we don’t know. Glad muddling through happened to work out for me in this instance.

Love the “attention to detail”. I’m by no means a perfectionist, but it would bother me a ton if there were ridges, dips & bumps after a repair job. Like you, I like a flat solid wall. Do it right once. Learning a ton from you my man.

Thank you so much. I've made this mistake many times and had no idea what I was doing wrong. Really appreciate all your content. Thanks again!

Good video. Great tips even for us guys that finish a lot. I like diluted yellow food coloring for my touchups. Tx.

Thank you Clint. Loved your movies.

I'm a 28 yr old woman trying my best to mud my own bathroom. Your videos gave me the confidence to try! I've made a few mistakes along the way and it's taken hours of trial and error, but your videos have been so helpful to create a nice final product!

@ianshand6094

5 ай бұрын

Good for you Jessica, that's great to hear! To learn a new skill you just have to get in there and get your hands dirty. You WILL become good at it if you keep at it. A professional drywaller makes it look effortless, but it's typically taken them years of practice and they do it every day. I'm self taught and can do a professional job. However, it took me a while to learn and I'm still learning. The only way to master drywalling is to practice and watch videos of professionals like Ben for technique. IMO, the biggest mistakes you can make as a beginner are: (1) not using the right tools and technique, (2) not using the right mud (i.e., use Quickset for the base coats, which is a hard, durable plaster, and an air drying mud, which is a soft plaster for the topcoat finish sanding), and (3) not using a side light when sanding (as a beginner, there's NOTHING worse than painting over plaster that you've put a lot of sanding into and looks great head-on until you put the paint up and realise what a hash you've made of it, even though it looked totally fine before painting 😉). Be persistent, and patient with yourself as you learn, you WILL become a pro 😊. From a DIYer in New Zealand.

@coolhluke8089

3 ай бұрын

That would take a month to do a whole house like that

Oki doki, now I know why my walls look like mini mole hills in the light. Wow. Ben's the best.

Hey dude, i'm diggin the tips for sure! One small tip...when you paint with a roller, start in the middle of the stroke so you actually roll over where you start from a couple of times. When working on small, well lit walls, you'll see the spot where you planted the roller first because it's harder to "roll over" the start spot....does that make sense?

Why am i just now running across this video? I don't skim coat much because it is so labor intensive. I'm not the best at getting the skim coat flat so that leaves me with lots of sanding and that leads me to this video, touch ups. I have a big skimcoat job coming up soon and i know that this video is going to help. Thanks so much. Rick

Ties patching/touch up all together. Thanks for the video.