Skip Troweling Method for Textured Ceilings

There are several ceiling texture choices to choose from when finishing a room. You can simply apply a flat paint to the ceiling, or spray or roll on a popcorn textured ceiling. However both these choices seem to be waning in popularity to the Skip Toweled look. The Skip Troweled look provides a compromise between the flat painted ceiling and the popcorn ceiling. It provides texture but to a lesser extent than a traditional popcorn ceiling.

Skip Troweling is relatively simple to do and can be performed by a homeowner who is doing a home addition project.

Skip Troweling should be performed after the sheetrock, mudding and taping are complete. Skip Troweling simply involves applying water downed Joint Compound onto the ceiling and running a trowel over it once.

To Skip Trowel a ceiling, simply water down a batch of Joint Compound to a soupy consistency. Then using a trowel (the pros use a sprayer for large areas) simply spread the material onto the ceiling.

Note that this is a very messy job as there will be significant spillage and dripping. Consequently protect yourself and your floors with eye-protection and plastic on the floors.

If the Joint Compound is of the right consistency the material applied onto the ceiling will begin to form stalactites that dangle from the ceiling. Not too worry as this is what you want to occur.

After the joint compound has begun to dry somewhat, use your trowel to knock off the high points (the stalactites). To do this, simply run your trowel over the now partially stiff joint compound area. The completed surface will have a mottled look.

Let the Joint Compound completely dry then paint the ceiling using a roller.

When employing the Skip Trowel method you can get creative by adding fine sand to the Joint Compound mixture before applying to the ceilings, or by moving the Trowel in a swirling pattern when applying the compound. In addition, some of the pros actually mix paint with the soupy Joint Compound mixture to eliminate the need for applying paint after the material has dried.

Housing Market is Still on a Tear

In a report issued this week, it stated that existing homes sold at their fastest pace in history last month. The median price for a home also hit a record high. However, many private economists indicated that they believe the housing market is nearing its peak.

In June, existing homes sold at an all time annual high rate of 7.33 million units. This represented an increase of 2.7 percent from the seasonally adjusted sales pace in May, according to a report Monday from the National Association of Realtors.

The strength in sales helped pushed the median price of an existing home to a new record of $219,000, a gain of 14.7 percent from the median, or midpoint, for homes sold a year ago.

Based on this data, it would appear that investing in your home is a slam dunk financial decision.

How Do You Quiet PVC Waste Pipes Question

A homeowner had the following question:

We are in the process of finishing up a basement apartment. Unfortunately the PVC waste pipes are right above the dropped ceiling in the bedroom. Any good ideas on how to smother or quiet the noise when flushing a toilet upstairs or running water?

Gardencraft

ANSWER: Wrap the pipes in insulation. There should be no condendsation concerns so the insulation should stay dry and provide a solid sound barrier.

Repairing Tiles and Dry Wall on a Shower Wall Question

A Homeowner had the following question:

I have a wall in my shower that had cracked tiles and started out to be a small hole but now it has grown. I am covering it with a poster board. I am wondering what to do to repair the sheetrock and retile it? Who would I call to help me fix this, a plumber or a contractor? Any suggestions?

Brenda in Missouri

ANSWER: Sounds like the tile should be removed from the wall and the wall examined. There is probably rot and/or mildew from water seeping in. I would consider replacing the sheetrock with Durock or wonder board then re-tiling.

Repairing Bathroom Tile Quesiton

A homeowner had the following question:

I have two bathroom wall tiles that came off. How do I re-attach them and with what?

John Cook

ANSWER: Scrape away any left over mastic on the tile and the wall. Apply new mastic to the back of the tile (Buttering the tile) and some on the wall. Set the tile and let it dry for 24 hours. Then grout. Note, you may want to buy some tile spaces to hold the tile up such that the grout line will match the rest of the tiles.