Help - tore up my walls removing wallpaper today

[jctx]

Originally Posted by GloryB

At least not over sheet rock.

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Once you are done removing the paper, you can easily repair the walls with ready mix drywall joint compound found at any local home improvement store. Once you've applied it, let it dry properly and then sand it down to where it is even with your existing walls. After that, you can paint it or put new wall paper on it or whatever you are planning to do.

I can't remember how much the stuff costs, but it isn't very expensive. After raising a few teens, I've fixed plenty of walls. If I can do it, anyone can.

I wouldnt dread it so much if it were just a few nail holes or something, but it appears that we'll need to skim-coat ALL the walls. I'm procrastinating it a bit. We were advised to take an extra step since the drywall surface was damaged, and put a coat of Kilz sealant/primer over the drywall before mudding. This is supposed to prevent the moisture being sucked out of the mud, and causing it to crack later on. When that happens it is evidently impossible to properly fix without taking it back down to bare drywall, sealing the wall, re-mudding, and re-painting...so we've nipped that in the bud.

Now, for the skim-coating...

[jctx]

Originally Posted by B4U

Please remember - prepping is 90% of the job.
After you spackle (joint compound and sand), PRIME it. And in a bathroom I would either use an oil based primer (like KILZ), or B.I.N. primer- which is a pigmented shellac. They both seal and will help top, latex paint bond better. But the B.I.N. will seal any moister stains.
Buy yourself a couple of "junk", throw-away brushes so you don't have to clean them, as well as a
"junk" roller. Both primers dry quickly, so don't let either base scare you about working with them.

(I prefer the B.I.N. as it's a clean smell, as apposed to KILZ. And if you have a gas stove (I know you're not doing a kitchen, but) somehow the oil -based KILZ picks up/draws the gas fumes from the stove and gives me a headache.)

Both primers need to be stirred while working with them as they seperate fairly quickly. And both will be a good base for your roller tray to prevent rusting, as long as you wipe out as much residue from the pan so it dries quick before you put in the latex.

Both primers are available in the 'Big Box' stores as well as many smaller paint stores.

Top of the line oil-based primer is called X.I.M. and it's expensive and sometimes hard to find.
But it is the best sealing/bonding primer.

If you don't prime, where you spackle and sand will show through your top coat, as it absorbs the paint differently than the drywall.

Good luck, ventilate (I didn't know you didn't have good ventilation initially) and keep us posted.

Don't forget to pat yourself on the back and keep us posted.

Excellent information/advice, thank you. We went a step further and did a coat of Kilz prior to all of the skim-coating of the walls b/c we were told that if we didnt do that, moisture would be absorbed from the damaged walls (its like cardboard or something) from the compound, and it may crack later on (??) so we covered any exposed drywall with a layer of the Kilz, now we're ready to skim the walls with mud and I'm DREADING this job...

[B4U]

If you're skim-coating you're just putting a very fine layer on, NO CRACKing will occur. And you can use "LIGHT-WEIGHT" joint compound, rather than the regular "mud". Light weight has less liquid and dries fast, and weighs a hell of alot less. Which is great if you have to hold your mud pan or hawk for long periods.
As far as KILZing 1st...I've never done that, but guess it can't hurt. But you are going to kilz on top afterword, right?
Again, good luck, and thanks for following up. (I had forgotten about the thread.)

[B4U]

Oops, I must have been typing when you were submitting. LOL!