A skimming blade is a must if you want a flawless finishing coat on your drywall.
These tools smooth drywall compound on walls and ceilings to reduce the number of lap marks and leave a professional finish. You can use skimming blades on other types of compound too, like plaster, for example.
They also come in handy for butt joints.
When Should I Use a Skimming Blade?
You should use a skimming blade to add a skim coat to a wall. A skim coat consists of diluted joint compound that’s smoothed on the wall or ceiling to acquire a level-5 finish. (Level-5 is the premium finish of drywall.)
Here are some examples of when you might need to skim coat a wall:
- You’ve recently installed drywall and want a level-5 finish.
- You need to repair the wall after removing the old wallpaper.
- You’ve patched drywall, and the rest of your drywall already has a skim coat on it.
- You’d like to make your old walls look nicer.
While skim coating is not the default for drywall finishing, it is the highest quality finish possible. And if you want to achieve it, a skimming blade is a great tool to have on hand.
Another reason to use a skimming blade is to reduce lap marks on your joints. For example, after taping and mudding your joints, you can use a skim blade instead of a drywall knife to smooth the mud.
How to Use a Skimming Blade
If you’re going to skim coat your drywall, a skim blade is necessary. Here’s how to use it:
- Apply joint compound to the area you’re covering with a large drywall knife
- Place your skim blade against the mudded area at a slight angle and drag it over the mud with even pressure
- The skim blade with smooth out the compound and remove a lot of it as you go
- Use a small putty knife to remove the excess mud on your blade
What Sizes Do Drywall Skimming Blades Come In?
Drywall skimming blades come in various sizes. The smaller 7-10 inch stainless steel blades are perfect finishing tools for corners and tight spaces.
Medium sizes, usually 16, 24, and 32 inches, are ideal for butt joints and can replace your usual drywall knife.
The largest sizes of skimming blades are 40 and 48 inches. These sizes are perfect for covering textured ceilings and adding a skim coat to a wall.
You can also purchase handle attachments to reach high areas.
Final Thoughts
Drywall skimming blades are valuable tools. If you’re tired of the lap marks left behind by your current drywall knife, you can try using a larger skim blade on your butt joints instead.
These drywall tools may even replace your trowel and help you cut down on sanding.
And if you’re skim coating a wall or covering a textured ceiling, a sizable skim blade will help you get a smooth finish while cutting down on the time it takes to finish the job.
