I've had my flooring and skirting boards replaced recently. Ripping out the skirting boards has caused the wall paint to chip in a bunch of places, e.g.:
Now my question is, should I use filler here, or just sand down the rough edge and paint? Since the plasterboard is intact it doesn't sound like filler should be needed, but the gap seems pretty big (who knew paint could be so thick??).
And if I am to use filler here, should I use fibreglass tape as well? I figure since the area is pretty big it might help me spread the filler more evenly, but it might also end up thicker than it needs to be… Help, I don't know what I'm doing 🙂
Best Answer
Paint will not fill the depression or smooth out the transition. I recommend filling the depression with joint compound, no tape needed. It may take a few passes to fill it nicely, but with thin layers it will not take too long before you can apply additional coats of compound. You probably do not need to fill the entire depression, just feather the transition out. Stop when it looks good to you.
Sanding the paint edge lightly first will help you blend the two together. If you find the paint edge is flaking off the wall, scrape upward with a putty knife until you reach an area that is secure. Otherwise it may just separate on you later, undoing your repair job.
Finally, you may want to prime over the joint compound before repainting, especially if you want to try to get the match with the old area good in one coat.