How To Mud Drywall Over Paint With Mesh Tape

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Oh no! You've just painted your wall and now that information technology's dry, you can see the drywall tape showing through it. Chances are, if you can see the tape, mistakes were made when the paint was originally practical. Fortunately, information technology's not the stop of the earth. If you've got a smooth wall and you used paper drywall record, you lot tin can actually cover and paint over it and then information technology'southward no longer visible. And it'due south non as difficult as you might think. With the right supplies and approach, you can hands knock information technology out and end with a pristine and shine wall.

1
Add together water to thin out some joint chemical compound. Choose a fix-mixed joint compound and pour some into a container or a paint tray. Add a lilliputian bit of water at a time and mix it together until the compound is thin, but not so thin that it'due south runny. Aim for the consistency of pancake batter.^[ane]
- Yous desire the compound thin and so it creates a light blanket over the drywall record.
- If you add as well much water and it gets too runny, just add a fiddling bit more chemical compound to thicken it support.
ii
Spread a sparse layer of the compound over the tape. Employ a putty knife that's at to the lowest degree 6 inches (15 cm) wide so you can more easily spread a thin layer. Scoop out some of the compound and apply it straight to the drywall record.^[2]
- A putty knife is flexible and bendy enough to apply a sparse layer without damaging your wall.
- Employ a wide putty knife so yous can more easily spread the compound.
- Make certain that you're applying the joint compound in an fifty-fifty layer.^[three]
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three
Remove the excess compound by skimming it with your putty knife. As shortly as you lot apply compound to the drywall record, take the border of the putty knife and scrape it over the surface to remove the excess. Run the border of the putty pocketknife over the seam created past the drywall record so it's covered with as thin of a layer as possible.^[4]
- A thin layer volition muffle the edges of the tape without making the wall expect raised or bumpy.
4
Allow the compound to fully dry. Check the packaging of the joint compound for specific drying times. Expect for the recommended time to laissez passer and then carefully touch the compound just to be sure it'south fully dry.^[5]
- It may have upward to a full day for the compound to completely dry.
- It'south very of import that the compound is fully dry out! If you try to sand or paint over information technology while it's still moisture it could look lumpy or misshapen.
v
Sand over the seam with 150-grit sandpaper. Take a canvas or block of sandpaper and gently rub over the joint compound using circular motions to smooth information technology out. Make sure yous sand the seam lightly and don't over practice it or it could look uneven. For effectively details, break out a sanding sponge, which is even more gentle than sandpaper.^[6]
- Sanding will both set up the surface for painting and brand the seam look less noticeable after y'all paint over it.
- Always grit the drywall off after sanding it.^[seven]
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i
Apply a layer of primer and allow it dry. ^[8] Choose a latex primer for drywall so it makes the surface look fifty-fifty.^[ix] Add together some of the primer to a pigment tray and dip a paintbrush into it. Scrape off the excess primer and apply a thin layer over the joint chemical compound covering the drywall record. Add enough primer to completely cover the tape and then wait for it to fully dry.^[10]
- Check the packaging for specific drying times.
- Oil-based primers can raise the grain of the drywall and make it look uneven.
- Yous tin can utilise PVA primer if you're painting over new drywall—information technology'south a lot cheaper than your standard drywall.^[11]
2

Add a second layer of primer if yous want to be sure the record is hidden. If you tin can still encounter a niggling bit of the record through the get-go layer of primer, a 2nd layer should exercise the trick. Use your paintbrush to add another thin layer over the tape and let it fully dry.^[12]
3
Paint over the area with the same pigment every bit the surrounding wall. Use the same pigment that yous used to pigment the rest of the wall. If you don't have the same colour, bring a paint fleck to a pigment supply store to match it. Pour some into a paint tray and use a paintbrush to employ a thin layer over the dry layer of primer.^[13]
- Sometimes, 1 coat of paint may be plenty to fully conceal the primer and drywall record.
- Dark matte paint may conceal the pigment more than effectively, and so it could be a good option for you to use.
4

Look for the paint to dry out and and so add a second layer. Cheque the recommended drying fourth dimension on the can and allow the pigment to fully dry. If the primer and record is still slightly visible, follow upwardly with some other thin layer of pigment. That should fully cover the drywall record and blend evenly into the balance of your wall and so it's no longer noticeable.^[14]

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Question

Do y'all demand to prime drywall afterwards removing wallpaper?

Sam Adams is the possessor of Cherry Design + Build, a residential design and construction firm, which has been operating in the Greater Seattle Area for over 13 years. A former architect, Sam is now a full-service contractor, specializing in residential remodels and additions.

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Good Answer

If the wallpaper had been applied over unfinished plaster, you'll definitely desire to prime it. Also, if the wallpaper leaves a fair corporeality of the backing of the wallpaper on at that place, you'll want to sand it until smooth, and then hit it with a coat of primer.