How to smooth rough walls before painting?

Hi Bhaanu, I came across your question regarding how to make a wall smooth before painting. I can help you with the same. You’ll have to clean the wall, fill holes and cracks and then use sandpaper. I shall describe the steps below.

NoBroker Home Painting Service

Get premium quality painting for your home at affordable rates. Prices Starting Rs. 3500 only.

Hire Professional Painters

1-Yr Service Warranty

Check Painting Prices

How to Smooth Walls Before Painting?

Here is the stepwise process you can follow:

1. Start by cleaning the surface with a grease-cutting detergent and degreaser. Also, wipe the wall with a soft and damp cloth.

2. Now, hold a light against the wall and look for any noticeable flaws. Mark those areas with a piece of tape. You can also circle them with a pencil.

3. Use spackling or a filler and a putty knife to patch cracks and holes. Spread the material over the flaws by holding the putty knife at a low angle to the wall. 

4. Let the patchwork dry completely and then dry sand the wall with sandpaper. 

5. If the hole is deeper, place a self-adhesive metal drywall patch over the hole and then spackle over it. You can wet-sand once the patch dries.

6. For larger cracks, place a fibre mesh tape over the crack and then spackle it. After it dries, wet-sand it with a drywall sponge.

7. You can then sand the entire wall with 100-grit sandpaper. You can also use a pole sander. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the walls.

This is how to make the wall smooth before painting. I hope the steps help.

Rough, textured walls not only look outdated but it is also difficult to paint or wallpaper over them. Getting a smooth wall may seem like a tough task but it is not as difficult as you think. I contacted my painter cousin yesterday and asked him how to smooth rough walls before painting. He shared this simple process with me:

• Wipe your rough wall with the sponge dampened with warm water. This will help in removing any dirt and dust. Allow the wall to dry completely.

• Cover furniture with drop cloths or just remove them if possible.

• Now, use a joint compound crack filler to fill cracks and cover the compound patch with drywall tape, and allow the compound dry for a day.

• Empty a joint compound’s container into a wheelbarrow or five-gallon bucket. Fit an electric drill with a mixing paddle. As you mix the joint compound with the mixing paddle, add water to it. Mix it well until you get the cake batter’s consistency.

• Remove the compound from the container using an 8-12 inches drywall trowel. Smooth the compound over the wall.

• Allow the joint compound to dry, and then sand away any ridges caused due to the trowel. You can take the help of a sanding pole if you fail to reach the wall’s upper portions. Apply one more coat of compound to the wall just like the way you did it before if the wall is still rough. Allow it to dry and sand it smooth.

• Once the wall is dry, paint a drywall primer onto it. This will help in filling the pores and preparing the wall for the paint.

Now you will be able to paint to smooth rough walls.

Read more:

This is how to smooth rough walls before painting.