How can I repair imperfections on my living room wall?

Rose
by Rose

We took down dry wall and patched up the walls which now have imperfections, need to find a way to paint to make look good , any ideas


  8 answers
  • Annie Annie on Jan 19, 2020

    Hi Rose,

    What are the walls that you have now, if you took down the drywall?

  • Mogie Mogie on Jan 19, 2020

    We have an orange peel texture on our walls. What are you dealing with?

    When I moved a cabinet from the upper wall I used a spray can of orange peel texture that I got at amazon.com and this helped to hide or disguise that area. After that dried for a few days I applied some primer and a few coats of paint and that area blended in with the rest. VERY difficult to tell where that was.

  • Vimarhonor Vimarhonor on Jan 19, 2020

    Hello. Please consider posting a photo. If we can see what you have to work with we will then be able to offer realistic suggestions on how you might be able to improve your situation.

  • Laura Cooper Laura Cooper on Jan 19, 2020

    Sand the wall with wire mesh sandpaper thoroughly before applying any paint. It is extremely difficult to correct drywall imperfections after it has been painted. Drywall needs 3 to 4 coats that are sanded in between coats to get a good finish. Each coat is applied with a progressively wider knife. The final skim coat is usually applied with a 10 inch knife. This process evens out the imperfections and blends them.

  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Jan 19, 2020

    Laura has good advice in her post. When you choose your paint, make sure you go with a finish that doesn’t highlight imperfections. Glossier finishes make it more difficult than flat or eggshell finish.

  • Sharon Sharon on Jan 19, 2020

    I would add to Laura and Kathy's posts, be sure to prime with a good primer after the wall is smooth, otherwise the patches will show through.

  • Help me understand. If you took the drywall down, what do you have left? What needed patching if drywall was removed? Something just doesn't sound right. Can you share a photo?

  • If the drywall repair left imperfections, I would keep working on it until it's smooth. Often times it takes light layers and sanding to get the smoothness you need. After all is that done, you'll want to follow up with a really good primer, I recommend Zinsser. For a wall paint finish, I recommend an eggshell so it's just enough shine to make it durable, but not too shiny where it's not forgiving when you paint. Unless you're painting in an area like a bathroom, where you'll need to use a satin that can withstand the moisture.