Skimming walls

[Earnest]

Has anyone successfully skimmed walls before?

[timmy]

to answer your question , YES many thousand both with Carlite Thistle on Plaster Boards and Carlite Finish on Browning backing coat ,on any unstable or poor quality walls best to use Carlite Bonding instead of Browning all my family are Master Plasterers .

[Earnest]

Thank you, Timmy. I'm practicing on one small wall but I find the technique difficult. I put a scratch coat (?) on then the next thinner coat but I'm not sure of the time to wait in between. Lastly, spray the coat with water and smooth but again, not sure of the time to leave between activities.

[timmy]

when we were working in England ( English weather an temps ) you would backing coat 1 day then skim the next , the scratch coat needs to be hard but NOT dry , have you found or borrowed a used " skimming trowel , as you can never get a smooth wall with a new trowel , the trowel corners are much to sharp ..

[Earnest]

I'm using a new trowel.