ᐅ Looking for a compound to smooth walls – should I use a filling compound?

Hello everyone
In my new build, the interior walls were plastered with gypsum. At first glance, the surface looks pretty good.
Since I hardly want to use wallpaper and prefer to paint, some additional work is needed.
Now I wonder whether it is necessary to apply another 2-3 mm (0.08-0.12 inch) of filler or if there is another option, since the wall is already very smooth from the start.
Is there a type of filler suitable for painting or something similar?

Regards
Rico

Painting won’t work.

If your paint has body and texture, like lime paints with granules, it will fill in a bit. But Q2 won’t be enough regardless.

You can scrape a filler very sharply using a trowel. Of course, putty knives or plastering trowels also work, but when building a house you want to finish quickly. I would recommend stainless steel. If it’s your first time, you can slightly round off the edges of the tools; otherwise, you might easily scratch the surface. But yes, make sure to deburr well and don’t bend the tools!

You don’t need filler that’s millimeters thick. If you scrape well, there will be little to no rework, and it’s best to remove excess with the trowel rather than sanding.

I like to use filler from Pufas because it doesn’t shrink. However, it’s not mineral-based and therefore not suitable for every surface. I don’t like typical hardware store products. I only buy pre-mixed buckets now, not powder anymore. Ready-mixed from the bucket is just faster and leaves no leftovers.

Good luck
Gabriele

We used Q2 level finishing and did not apply any additional skim coat. Our walls were relatively smooth. Any other textures you see are intentional.

Therefore, we only primed the walls and then painted them.

After 4 years, settlement cracks appear, which become visible then.

Can you accept or even like a deliberately rough, slightly sandy-looking surface? Our walls have gypsum plaster at Q2 level. I only fill in small dents and joints. Then a primer is applied. After that, one person applies a filled base coat primer with a roller, while another uses a ceiling brush to create a large, curved pattern in the wet surface. Once it’s dry, a coat of dispersion paint of your choice is applied, and it’s done. The result is a smooth-looking wall that conceals imperfections, with a nice textured pattern.

How about simply doing the opposite of plastering! Properly sanding the walls, and you’ll get the desired result.
But it will be a dusty job...

@Nordlys The suggestion continues the wiping technique from the 90s – the texture was achieved with quartz sand in the 2000s. I think it is justified as an accent wall, but for all walls it is too busy; this applies to all textured plasters.