After Wallpaper
When the surface is scarred from removal and no amount of patching will bring it back to one plane.
Skim Coating · Based in Highland Park
Skim coating for smooth walls across Chicagoland
Thin coats applied and refined by hand until the surface is flat and ready for paint or wallpaper. Based in Highland Park, serving the North Shore and Chicagoland.
Why Skim Coat
Skim coating fixes what paint cannot hide.
Paint does not hide texture, ridges or dents. Old texture, ridges, torn paper facing and small dents all show once light falls across the wall, whatever color goes on top.
Skim coating turns tired, uneven walls smooth again. Thin coats of compound applied and refined by hand until the surface is flat, then sanded and primed. It is the preparation that gives paint and wallpaper a flat surface to sit on.
What to Expect
Thin coats, careful sanding, contained dust
A skim coat isn't one thick layer. It's several thin ones, each dried and refined before the next, then sanded flat. That takes patience, and it makes dust, so we seal the area, protect floors and furniture, and clean up every day.
You get a clear timeline with your written estimate, including the drying time between coats.
North Shore Homes
Plaster walls and decades of paint
Older North Shore homes often have plaster walls carrying decades of paint, patches and the odd wallpaper layer. A skim coat can bring them flat again while keeping the wall that's there. Where the plaster itself has failed, our plaster repair comes first.
We work in Highland Park, Highwood, Deerfield, Lake Forest, Glencoe and across the North Shore, and travel throughout Chicagoland for the right project.
How We Work
What to expect
01
Free Estimate
We look at the walls in daylight and give you a clear written quote.
02
Protect & Repair
The area sealed, floors and furniture covered, any damage in the board repaired first.
03
Skim in Thin Coats
Coat after coat, each dried and refined by hand before the next.
04
Sand, Prime & Walkthrough
Sanded flat, primed, the room cleaned and reviewed together.
Why Gallagher
Flat in daylight
A skim coat is judged by the light that comes across it at the end of the day. We refine until it passes that test.
Request a Free EstimateFamily owned, with our own crew
A Gallagher quotes your project and stays across it. The crew doing the work is ours.
Old patches feathered out
Ridges, dents and old patches feathered into one flat plane, so nothing shows through the finish.
Dust kept in its place
The area sealed, floors and furniture protected, and the room cleaned up every day.
Fixed estimates
A written quote with the number of coats and the drying time in it, so you know the timeline.
Recent Walls
Recent skim coating
Kind Words
Trusted by neighbors across Chicagoland
Good to Know
Skim coating, answered
Still wondering about something? We are happy to talk it through.
630-300-3071Is skim coating worth it?
When the wall is sound and the surface is the problem, yes. It's the difference between paint that looks fine from across the room and a wall that looks right up close.
Is it cheaper to skim coat or replace drywall?
Usually a skim coat, when the board underneath is sound. Replacing drywall means demolition, new panels, taping and finishing. If the board is damaged, we'll tell you plainly which one you need.
What are the downsides of skim coating?
It takes time, and it makes dust. Several thin coats, each dried and sanded, and a room sealed off while that happens. We contain the dust and give you a clear timeline, so neither surprises you.
Can I skim coat a wall myself?
A small patch, with patience, yes. A whole wall reads flat only when every coat is even and the sanding is checked in the right light. That judgment takes years to build.
How much does skim coating cost?
It's priced by the size of the walls, their condition, the number of coats they need, and whether they're painted or papered afterwards. After a short walkthrough we send a detailed, fixed estimate.
Part of the Whole
This is part of our drywall repair and prep work. Related: plaster repair, wallpaper removal. See everything we do. Based in Highland Park, working across the North Shore and Chicagoland: see the areas we serve.
Let's Begin
Tell us about your project
We will come out, look at the work with you, and send a written estimate with the scope set out. There is no charge and no obligation.