How to Smooth Out Bumpy Walls

It’s the new year and it is time for a fresh start. If decorating is on the agenda for this year, and you are wanting to know how to smooth out bumpy walls, Victory Colours have created a guide to help you along the way.

Victory Colours Top Tips on How to smooth out bumpy walls:

Apply a skim coat

To make walls smoother, we would always advise a skim coat by a trained plasterer first. A skim coat is a layer of finishing plaster which creates a thickness of around 2-3 mm to create a smooth and flat surface. If you can’t get a plasterer, or you feel competent enough in your DIY skills to attempt this yourself, you can follow the general guide below.

How to apply a skim coat:

1. Using a textured foam roller, apply the first layer onto the bumpy wall.
2. As you work down from the top down to the bottom, use a squeegee knife to smoothen out the surface.
3. You will then need to repeat this from the bottom upwards.
4. Use a paint scraper to remove excess plaster around fittings and borders.
5. Allow the first layer to dry and sand to remove any texture before repeating the same steps for the second layer.
6. Once completely dry, sand the wall down with fine grit paper and you will have smooth walls, ready to be painted or papered.

As it is a thicker consistency, you will want to allow each coat to dry thoroughly before applying another coat.

Apply a textured wallpaper

If you are wondering how to smooth out bumpy walls without having to go through the skim coat process, you could go down the textured wallpaper route. Sanding the wall first briefly will of course create a more seamless application, however most wallpapers will stick to the majority of textures.

Victory Colours have some great wallpaper designs which will cover up any lumps or cracks on walls. If you are looking for unique, stunning wallpapers which are textured, but can be painted, Anaglypta may be the option for you. Victory Colours offer a wide range of Anaglypta patterns; whether you are looking for a vintage style or for modern classics, you will be able to find the one for your home.

Use lining paper

Lining paper is another great option if you are wanting to achieve a smoother wall surface,  We offer a range of lining papers, but think the Wallrock Fibreliners are the best option for minor surface imperfections, the 180gsm Fibreliner Plus is the thickest of the Wallrock Fibreliner range.

Thermal lining papers are also a great option on how to smooth out bumpy walls.  These super thick liners, also have the added advantage of offering great insulation and thermal properties, making them even more beneficial for your home. When choosing a lining paper, you will want to check the grade listing number as this will tell you which is the most full coverage. Wallrock Thermal Liner is 450gsm (approximately 3mm thick) and the KV600 is 600gsm thick and approximately 4mm, which makes them extremely good at covering imperfect walls and helping to smooth bumpy walls.

Victory Colours stock a range of lining papers from Wallrock, you can find our collection here.

We hope you found Victory Colours Tips on how to smooth bumpy walls useful. There are many processes you can go down of course, however we find these are the most cost and time effective. If you are looking for stunning paint colours or need new decorating tools, visit here.