[tjuser23]

I am in the sanding stage of finishing my drywall before I add primer, and I am curious how much of a ridge over joints is acceptable and will go unnoticed.

I attached a couple pics, I am thinking this will be obvious once painted. In the picture I am holding a 12" knife.

Everything is very smooth but keeping things appearing relatively flat is the trickier part.

Also, if it is too high of a ridge would you sand it down or add more compound to try to feather it out further?

 

[Old Thomas]

It is fine as is.

 

[shelzmike]

It's fine, and the ridge isn't necessarily as important as how far out on either side it is feathered. The higher the ridge, the further out it needs to be feathered.

 

[mark sr]

It's more important how smooth the finish is than how flat it is. There are very few [if any] walls that are perfectly flat from one end to the other.

 

[tjuser23]

It's fine, and the ridge isn't necessarily as important as how far out on either side it is feathered. The higher the ridge, the further out it needs to be feathered.

Thank you for the reply! I understand that there is normally going to be somewhat of a ridge, but I guess I just wasn't sure how far out this ridge needed to be feathered to be hidden well.

 

[tjuser23]

It's more important how smooth the finish is than how flat it is. There are very few [if any] walls that are perfectly flat from one end to the other.

Thanks Mark! I know drywall isn't actually "flat", I just wasn't sure how far out these ridges need to be feathered out to be invisible after paint

 

[mark sr]

A lot depends on the color/sheen of the paint and lighting. Flats are more forgivable than enamels. A lot is dependent on the lighting and line of sight. Easier to see discrepancies from an angle than straight on.

 

[ront02769]

For me, I would hit it once more with thinned out mud, light sand and prime.

 

[tjuser23]

For me, I would hit it once more with thinned out mud, light sand and prime.

Thanks for the reply. Most of the spots like this are on flat joints, my butt joined are actually pretty good.

I think my issue is I added too thick of a second coat in spots. In that case I could probably just sand it down without hitting the paper tape. Would that be a better option or would you still add another skim coat?

Any harm in sanding through my finish coat into the second coat as long as I don’t hit paper?

 

[mark sr]

Any harm in sanding through my finish coat into the second coat as long as I don’t hit paper?

No, the main purpose of multiple coats of mud is to make it smooth. 1 coat would be fine IF it was possible to lay it out smooth enough with no shrinkage.

 

[tjuser23]

No, the main purpose of multiple coats of mud is to make it smooth. 1 coat would be fine IF it was possible to lay it out smooth enough with no shrinkage.

Thanks Mark, good to know.

Reason I am so concerned about making sure to finish it as good as I can get it is because I am hoping I can get away without applying a texture to the ceiling.

I am going to apply a very flat ceiling paint to help but I just want to make the ridge as unnoticeable as possible.

Any painting tips you have that most people overlook? Would you recommend quickly sanding after I apply the primer?

 

[mark sr]

It's always a good idea to scuff sand between coats of paint. As the primer goes on you might see spots that need more attention. Fixing those after the primer dries will help insure a nice looking finish.

 

[Dave88LX]

Hit it with a light flat on the surface, see if anything looks too out of whack.

 

[woodco]

If the ceiling gets a lot of light, the joint WILL be seen. The flatter the paint, the less it will be seen. I think another coat of mud, going to each side with a 14" knife would be good. If there isnt a window shining a lot of light on it at certain times of the day, it might be good as is. Its all about the lighting, though... I would just do another wide coat just to be safe.

 

[ront02769]

And we’re back to response 5! Ron (smiley thing)