Best Joint Compound For Skim Coating [2020]

Almost everybody wants a good-looking home nowadays so skim coating is one of the ways to make our home more beautiful. It is the way to hide small blemishes, cracks, small spots, ridges, and imperfections of drywalls.

Skim coating not only makes the surface uniform but also makes your wall more beautiful and more attractive. Skim coating rejuvenates old walls and makes the drywall young and new again.

[Some Good Drywall Lift Panel are given below, so have a look]:

1	Gyptool Drywall Lift Panel		4.5/5	Price On Amazon
2	Idealchoice Drywall Lift		4.5/5	Price On Amazon
3	Telpro Drywall Lift Panel		0/5	Price On Amazon

But selecting the best joint compound for skim coating is really confusing so here we came with the solution for that.

So do you wish to know, what the skim coating is?

What The Skim Coating Is

A skim coat is a thin layer or film of mud. It is also known as a joint compound, to smooth out rough walls and ceiling surfaces.

It is the best way to make all the walls new again. It is the simple and easy texturing techniques that make the drywall smooth or use to repair damaged drywall. Skim coating makes the drywall new and young again.

If you want to achieve a smooth surface on your drywall then you will need to apply at least two skim coats. In addition to this, a skim coating can be done over a small area as well as it can be done over an entire wall or ceiling surface.

When To Skim Coat

Many peoples thinking over it when to skim coat over drywall, so the answer is as below

👉 If your drywall has minor cracks, ridges, and imperfections.

👉 If you want your drywall smoother and more finished than the existing one. 

👉 If your building has bright or critical lighting then skim coating is highly recommended.

👉 If you wish to smooth out damaged drywall with.

👉 You would possibly have to skim coat in case you are repairing after wallpaper removal.

👉 If you want to make your ceilings and walls more appealable and more beautiful.

👉 If years of wear and tear from residents and pets.

👉 If your wall were damaged in daily routine.

Note: If your drywall is new then always apply the best primer to cover drywall imperfections before applying mud on the drywall. If you have the curiosity to know the importance of primer then must-read “do I need to prime drywall before tiling“.

[Some good high build primer to cover drywall imperfections are given below, so have a look]:

1	Rustoleum Peel Bond Primer		4/5	Price On Amazon
2	Mad Dog Dura Build Primer		4/5	Price On Amazon
3	Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec Primer		3.5/5	Price On Amazon

Why Skim Coating Is Important

Skim coating is important

✔ When your building has bright or critical lighting.

✔ If you are repairing after wallpaper removal.

✔ If you want to smooth out damaged walls.

✔ If you want to make your ceilings and walls more appealable and more beautiful.

✔ If your drywalls were damaged in your daily routine.

✔ Years of wear and tear from residents and pets.

✔ If your drywall has minor cracks, ridges, and imperfections.

These are the cases when a skim coating is very important.

[Frequently asked Q]: How to waterproof drywall.

Joint Compound

Drywall joint compound is also known as drywall mud.

It is a gypsum-based paste used mostly for finishing drywall seams also to smooth out rough walls and ceiling surfaces and it’s also well suited for repairing minor damage to drywall and plaster surfaces.

The joint compound is also used to texture your drywall and it is the best way to make your drywall more beautiful and appealing. If you want to know how to texture your drywall then read this post on how to texture drywall with a roller and mud.

Do you wish to know how much time the joint compound takes to dry? If you wish to know more check out this post how long does drywall mud take to dry?

It is also known by different names in different countries which is as follows,

In the United States it is called joint compound and guys in the construction industry call it mud, in Canada it is called drywall filler and in the United Kingdom it is called joint filler, in Australia is joint finish and in India is called wall putty.

Before starting to “best joint compound for skim coating” it is very important to know the types of the joint compound so that we could easily understand it. The joint compound has four basic types which are as follows,

1. Regular All-Purpose Compound

It is premixed and ready to use Joint compound comes in a bucket as well as boxes.

It is mostly used for skim coating, finishing drywall seams, and taping because it strongly adheres to the surface and has a slow drying time and it’s also well suited for repairing minor damage to drywall and plaster surfaces. 

It is very soft and extremely very easy to sand as compared to hot mud. It takes several hours to dry because it dries on the basis of evaporation and it is soft as compared to the setting compound.

This all-purpose compound is highly durable and it is also called conventional/regular heavyweight all-purpose mud.

If you see it on its bucket carefully then you will get it is recommended for skim coating means that it is specially made for skim coating.

A conventional or regular all-purpose joint compound has very heavy fillers in them causing the mud to be very hard and very dense, there also seems to be a lot more adhesive in a mid-weight or heavyweight all-purpose mud.

Heavyweight all-purpose drive really hard when you trying to crack a crumb it’s quite difficult to do as compared to lightweight drywall mud. It is also used to fix drywall seams if you want to more, then read this post How to fix drywall seams after painting.

Pros

• It’s super sticky
• It is highly durable
• Easy to sand as compared to quick setting mud
• It is good for skim coating
• It’s really good for taping

Cons

• It is really difficult to sand as compared to lightweight drywall mud
• More drying time as compared to quick setting mud or hot mud.
• It’s very heavy in weight
• Not suitable for deep patch repairing (not more than 1/8″ deep)
• It’s around 30 % heavier than lightweight drywall mud
• It,s shrink more as compared to lightweight and quick setting mud because it has more glue and the glue has shrinking properties

Now you are just a few steps away from came to know, which is the best joint compound for skim coating so stay tuned with the best joint compound for skim coating.

2. Lightweight Mud

Lightweight all-purpose mud is similar to conventional/regular mud but it is lighter in weight, easy to sand as compared to the regular/conventional mud.

It’s 25% less weight than a regular/conventional weight compound. It also sands with the ease of a topping compound and bonds like a taping compound.

[Frequently asked Q]: Can you tile over drywall in the shower.

Pros

• Light in weight
• Easy to sand as compared to regular/conventional mud
• Less shrinkage as compared to regular/conventional mud
• It eliminates the need for topping and taping compound
• Premixed compound for minimal mixing, thinning and retempering
• It sands easily as like a topping compound

Cons

• It’s very easy to scratch
• It has much poor adhesion
• More drying time as compared to quick setting mud or hot mud
• It’s generally less durable than heavyweight all-purpose compound

3. Toping Mud

Toping mud is used on the final coat. It is a wonderful finishing mud with superior crater resistance, good bond strength, and less shrinkage.

Toping mud is easy to apply and easy to sand. It is suggested for second and third finishing coats for gypsum boards.

Pros

• Pre-mixed compound for minimal mixing, thinning, and retempering.
• Applies quickly
• Easy workability
• Low shrinkage 
• Easy to sand

Cons

• Not recommended for embedding tape
• Not suitable for skim coating or texturing
• More drying time as compared to quick setting mud or hot mud

4. Quick Setting Compound

A quick setting compound is also known as hot mud. This mud sets very fast. The number given over the bag indicates its setting time, not the drying time. This compound is ideal for heavy fills in drywall interiors and exterior boards.

The quick-setting mud is light in weight with low shrinkage and a superior bond. This type of mud is good when you want to finish a job quickly or when you wish to apply multiple coats on the same day.

The quick setting compound comes in a powder form, you have to mix it with water according to the instruction given on the box.

Pros

• Light in weight
• Quickset
• Less shrinkage
• More suitable for patchwork
• Suitable for deep patch repairing
• Easy mixing
• Smooth finishing

Cons

• Hard to sand
• Not ready to use
• A less open time when you mix with water

Now let’s see which is the best joint compound for skim coating

Best Joint Compound For Skim Coating: No Confusion

There are so many options available in the market so it is very hard to select one of the best products among them and when we see so many products then we become even more confused.

So we studied minutely and find out the best joint compound for skim coating. Do you want to know the name of this product?

Now here we reveal the name of this product is “USG sheetrock regular/conventional type all-purpose joint compound” is the best joint compound for skim coating.

Yes, this joint compound is suitable for skim coating. This compound is hard to sand as compared to lightweight mud but easy to sand as compared to quick setting mud or hot mud.

If you have a new large project then always go with this product at least for 1st coat. You apply the 1st coat of this product and then you can switch to topping mud for the 2nd and 3rd coats.

On the other hand, if you want to repair a patchwork or want to complete a job in a day then you can go with “quick setting mud” that is Easy Sand.

We personally recommend this product for skim coating but remember the one thing that this product is not suitable for deep patch repairing. It is suitable for up to 1/8″ thickness of drywall mud.

USG Sheetrock Regular/Conventional Type All-Purpose Joint Compound

This compound is also called heavy mud. It is premixed and ready to use Joint compound comes in a bucket as well as boxes.

It is mostly used for skim coating, finishing drywall seams, and taping because it strongly adheres to the surface and has a slow drying time.

It is very soft and extremely very easy to sand as compared to hot mud. It takes several hours to dry because it dries on the basis of evaporation and it is soft as compared to the quick setting compound or hot mud.

This all-purpose compound is highly durable and excellent for skim coating. This compound has very heavy fillers in them causing the mud to be very hard and very dense.

Pros

• It’s really good for taping
• It’s super sticky
• It is highly durable
• Easy to sand as compared to quick setting mud or hot mud
• It is good for skim coating

Cons

• It is really difficult to sand as compared to lightweight drywall mud
• It’s very heavy in weight
• More drying time as compared to quick setting mud or hot mud
• Not suitable for deep patch repairing (not more than 1/8″ deep)
• It’s around 25 % heavier than lightweight drywall mud
• It,s shrink more as compared to lightweight and quick setting mud because it has more glue and the glue has shrinking properties

Note: Before applying the mud over the drywall, always clean out the dust over it and if you want to know how to clean drywall then read this post “best way to clean up drywall dust“.

Final Wording

Here we conclude that the best joint compound for skim coating is USG Regular/Conventional All-purpose Joint Compound. We strongly recommend this product for taping and skim coating.

If you have new drywall then go with this product and apply at least a 1st coat of this product and then you can switch to topping compound.

If you have a patchwork or a day job to repair then you can go with Quick setting mud or hot mud and for this Easy sand is a good option for you.

We studied minutely and brought this product to you. In our study, the following things are included

✔ Product Overview
✔ Product Specifications
✔ Questions & Answers from different forums
✔ Customer Reviews on different sites
✔ Ratings on different sites
✔ Checked the videos
✔ Suggestions from the Technical persons
✔ Testing
✔ Experience 

Hope this post “best joint compound for skim coating” will help you in the right direction. If you have any questions, suggestions or tips then type them in the comment section. We welcome your tips, questions, and suggestions.

Keep Learning Because Life Never Stops Teaching