kraft toolGG246 Squeegee Trowel 22-inch Made in the USA

Really good for flattening out

Okay, this tool is great. I'm using the 22" version. It's well-built and sturdy. I could screw it onto a pole if need-be. It comes with a cover to protect the blade. It seems like it will last for a very long time if I take care of it.So...I'm in the process of skim coating three small rooms with really heavy texture (talking 1/8" deep). I've come up with a three coat method that seems to work pretty well. Here it is, in case you care. This is the paint roller method where you use a paint roller to get the topping compound on the wall and then use the Squeegee Trowel to smooth it down.First I primed the walls with a water-based primer. Probably optional if you have heavy texture and flat paint.Next I wet down the compound from Home Depot with the green top with maybe two cups of water. That's two cups for an entire bucket. Then I lay it on THICK. I submerge a 3/8" paint roller in compound and spread it on so that before I smooth with the trowel I can't see the texture bumps at all. Granted, there's nothing you can do to totally eliminate heavy texture on the first go so for the second coat I water my compound down to a consistency that would be considered normal for this process - like mayonnaise (unless it's going on the ceiling in which case keep it thick unless you like being completely covered in drywall compound.)Now, I don't know if it's just the compound I purchased but that green stuff just doesn't crack, no matter how thick I apply it. Maybe that's the upside of priming the walls. The only place it cracked was when I rolled it over a small spot which had some kind of caulk. That's super great. But the green stuff puts off an odor that will kill a warthog and it seriously burns the eyes. So after you've spread it on the walls and used this trowel to smooth it back and forth and get it close to level - run for it! Throw a fan or five in that room, open every window and leave it to off-gas for a night.The trick with this trowel when you're applying thick compound is that you've got about 5-6 passes before the moisture evaporates from the surface and it cures too much to be workable. At that point this trowel will just leave waves and bumps. If that happen and you're not yet happy with how smooth the surface is then grab your roller and re-roll that part then start over. If you're working alone you've gotta work fast. I did the ceiling of a 12'x12' room in about 45 minutes last night. This morning it looks like complete crap but after a second coat things will improve. After a 3rd coat and sanding I'm going to prime and paint it.So the third coat of compound should be mixed really thin or, preferably, applied using a more traditional method with a 12" knife - the same way you'd level seams or corners.I've read the DYI pages and blog entries for using this tool and this technique to smooth over heavy texture. Many of them say they added five or even six coats! And that they were sanding between coats. No way! I couldn't do that. I'm sure their walls look better than mine in the end but I simply don't have the patience. Doing just three coats tests my resolve. I know that four coats and a good sanding would give me glassy smooth walls but my home is 100 years old and I like the plaster 'feel' of the interior walls. I just hate the texture...and whoever owned my house in the 70s had a real thing for textured walls - which is the other reason why I need a faster method - I've got a whole house to do still!This method may not work for you. I'd say that some of the time I save in thick application is lost in sanding later on. But on the whole I feel I'm coming out ahead.Finally, If you've got any tight spots to work in get the small version of this tool in addition to the larger version. On big walls you'll be happy to have the wide trowel, but I really, really wish I had a 12" version as well.Good luck!EDIT (2 weeks later (or so)):Well, I finished skimming, sanding and painting 3 rooms (one really strange little room which was as much work as the other two combined). In the end the method I settled on (and it may not work for everyone) is this:1st Coat = super heavy to completely cover all texture. Smooth with Squeegee Trowel, sand/scrape off the bad spots.2nd Coat = Apply compound with a 12" knife to fill in all waves. You can push pretty hard and get a really smooth finish. Try hard not to leave any low spots. Sand/scrape down high spots.3rd Coat = Use a high powered light angled at the wall to identify any low spots. Use 12" or 6" knife to fill them. Sand to smooth.4th Final check = One final check to get stuff that you inevitably missed. Then paint!Final note: if you have angled walls and you want smooth curves this tool is perfect. Two of the walls and one ceiling that I skimmed have 30 degree bends. The inside and outside curves I got from the Squeegee Trowel are nothing short of beautiful. I'll add before/after picts in the next day or two.

I purchased this item to help me skim coat over some orange peel walls. I rolled on kills two primer then added watered down joint compound with a 12-in taping knife.I skim coated the walls the best I could with the taping knife and then came back with this squeegee and did a quick run to smooth out the trowel marks. It did a great job. Especially having the soft corners it did not leave any tool marks. Pretty happy with my purchase, 22 inches is excellent size, I would even take one slightly longer if they made one (24 to 30" would be ideal)

This thing works pretty darn good, once you get the hang of it, that is. It's not as easy as the professionals make it look in the videos on Y.T. Having never done anything like this before, it took me 3/4 of a 5 gal bucket of mud and lots and lots and lots of sanding before I somewhat got the hang of it. I'm still not like the pros, i leave ridges here and there but this thing is sooooooooo much better then the metal ones, for skimming anyways and so much faster. Its worth the money and i highly recommend.

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