Couple of spots in this project where the drywall mud/tape/sanding was sub-par and it looks horrendous. Obviously, it looks a lot worse in person than on camera. How can I fix it? I was thinking of sanding it down but I've never dealt with something like this so not sure if the best course would be to completely re-patch it.

Thanks

 

I can't tell is the tape popping out? I would put a skim coat with a 12 inch knife and than lightly sand it. If tape popping out let us know.

 

Nope, no tape popping out. It's more a hill of drywall mud so you see the ridges if you know what I mean.

 

It looks like the wall has already been painted. That makes things more difficult but skim coating with another layer of mud and sanding is about the only option I can think of. I'd first sand down obvious high spots. This will also help roughen the paint to let mud stick better. The problem I've had when doing this is the mud doesn't want to stick to the paint especially at the very edge where it's feathered out really thin. Bits of the mud can flake off during sanding. But if your patient and careful it can be done. Then painting with a thick nap roller to give the paint as much texture as possible to help conceal imperfections.

 

Can I strip the paint off the walls prior to remudding to make it adhere better?

 

You really can't strip paint off drywall. Rough up the areas which need work with sandpaper (keep in mind latex paint doesn't sand very well and tends to gum up the paper) then skim coat, prime and re-paint.

As you've probably noticed, paint often makes imperfections more noticeable, not less so.

 

Ya, rough up the paint with 80 grit sandpaper. That should allow the new j/c to adhere well. As mentioned latex paints [especially latex enamel] doesn't sand well but all you need to do is scar it up enough so the joint compound will adhere. It's easier to add more j/c [floating it out over wider area] on a painted wall than to try and sand it [paint covered mud] smooth.

Can you feel the spots in the bottom pic? It almost looks like a bad prime job. If you don't feel high/low or rough spots another coat of paint should fix it.

 

Use as wide a drywall knife as you can get to feather. Make sure the knife is flexible so you can bend it to create a feathered edge. Hold a light tight to the wall so that it shines across the areas you are working. It will so you where you need to add work. A flat paint will also help to hide imperfections.

Reminds me of my very first mud job many years ago.

 

Yea, light is your friend when trying to spot defects. Bright overall helps and a light at a shallow angle to the surface like crizzi mentioned so you can see the bright spots and shadows created by highs and lows in the surface.

When working always keep in mind that it will look worse when painted. So, if you see a defect in the mud... it will only look worse when painted.

 

I agree but don't get caught up in every little imperfection. You'll never get them all. Once the wall is painted the eye will blend everything together and all those small imperfections will disappear.

 

There is a product called plaster weld that acts as a primer to bond the plaster/drywall compound to the painted surface. You may want to consider using flat paint as well. Flat hides the defects but doesn't wash well. Satin is the happy medium that is washable. Semigloss shows everything. I don't use eggshell because it can show lap marks. Another option could be adding a finish texture. Texture hides defects very well and it can improve the look of the room. If you do texture, be sure to use PVA primer before you paint.

 

There is a very slight sheen difference between satin and eggshell ..... and there isn't an industry standard for the sheens. Eggshell should preform just as well as satin both in wear and application. I suspect the issue with the eggshell was because it was an inferior line compared to the satin that was used - or the wall wasn't sufficiently sealed.

 

Your intitled to your opinion as I am mine. I use Sherwin Williams paints. The wall was in an existing home that had been painted flat. I had used eggshell for a few months before that. I didn't like the performance. If it makes such a minor difference as you said, why did you feel the need to add your minor to cents? A rhetorical question of course no need to answer.

 

Marksr is the de-facto paint expert on this form (there are others) and as such he should be listened to whenever he says anything concerning paint. I'll take his 2 cents worth anytime.

 

bigredmist - which SWP latex enamels did you use? specifically which one worked and which one didn't. I've used a lot of SWP coatings and while they have lines that are great, they also have some that aren't fit to be poured out of the can.