All of you Home Improvement DIYers.. question
 

I've a room that I'm looking to remodel a bit and I want to get rid of this knockdown texture on the walls.

Would it be wise to skim coat with something to get a flat finish or just hang new drywall? I've never hung new drywall before but it doesn't look terribly difficult. Ceilings might be a pain in the ass but I'm sure I'll live.

I'm sure I'd save a bunch of money skimming over versus hanging new drywall (especially if this carries out into the hall and other rooms) but I'm worried about it looking half-ass or even degrading after a period of time.

What would you guys do?

check out different youtube vid's and fine out which one is easier for you

ex drywall contractor here, it will be a pain in the ass and messy but skimming the existing surface would be the less troublesome way to deal with this. Will probably take a few coats. Get a wide blade, a wide mud pan and topping mud (not taping or all purpose mud) because topping has no glue in it and its easier to sand.

Pull it tight and sand lightly between coats, you can finish with a damp sponge instead of sandpaper to get a smoother finish.

too much trouble, I'd leave it alone

I covered an old popcorn textured ceiling with the thinnest drywall available; this way you don't have to remove the old drywall or texture. I think it would have costed at least twice as much to have someone coat it or to remove/replace the existing drywall.

A lot of the old popcorn ceilings will have asbestos in them as well. Something to be aware of.

i cant afford walls... :(

I'd hire someone for that. I'm good at what I do for a living and they are good at what they do for a living. In cases like this the opportunity cost of trying to DIY will be too high imo.

I would just move...

Hanging drywall is easy. Hanging drywall so every seam doesn't stand out isn't.

.

If you haven't done drywall before--- hire someone. It is really easy to hang the drywall -- doing the entire garage now. Trick is to take your time. It is a pain in the ass to get *all* of the lines hidden at the end of the project. If it is a high-traffic area, I'd hire someone :-/

Good luck though

I have just recently flattened out a textured ceiling. Was easier than replacement.

Knock off as much of the texture as possible (dust mask on) sand it down, give it a good wipe to remove all dust then apply some premixed drywall compound over the top until it smoothes out. sand then paint.

Redoing drywall is also easy but about $8-$20 per sheet plus compound.

What I would suggest is, get some compound and try it on a small test patch and see what happens. If it comes out nice and smooth carry on :thumbsup

Here is the finished look of most DIY's

http://www.athomealterations.com/wp-...6/DSC_5336.jpg

what type of material is on the walls? or it ceiling? drywall might be the easiest solution..