How should I topcoat new sheetrock?

I hired someone to put up sheetrock on the ceiling of my basement and the bathroom I framed in except for the shower walls which will be tile, and they applied the first coat of mud along with taping. We had a falling out because he did a ****ty job hanging, all the outlets were crap, and the sink faucets were so amateur it was ridiculous and then he wanted more money. Anyway, he thinned slightly with water Hamilton Red Dot joint compound.

I'm trying to figure out what to use for the 2nd and possible 3rd coat in some areas. I imagine I should use Hamilton Green Dot topping compound, but should I slightly thin it like he did? And is the thinning just so it's more pliable and easier to work with?

TIA

 

Red dot is primarily for taping only, and it is hard to sand so you want to use green dot for the remaining coats. You typically thin when taping, but you don't thin when filling. Adding water does make it more workable but it increases shrinkage, so you want to keep thinning to a minimum. You can thin your final skim coat because it is thin anyway and on that final coat you are just trying to fill minor imperfections.

 

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.