Getting Familiar with Spackle
Spackle comes in different varieties, the all purpose one being the best suited for the ceiling. It is made up of limestone, mica and a few other additives. Before buying, estimate how much you'll need by measuring the room. You'll also need sparkling knives of different sizes which can be used for spreading, as well as corner tools if desired and trays and containers to mix the Spackle. And of course you will also need a step ladder to stand on while you tackle the ceiling, or should we say Spackle the ceiling.
Getting Started With the Spackle
Clean
the ceiling, with water if necessary, and see that there is no dust or oil or grime on the surface that you are going to Spackle. You may need to treat cracks separately if there are any.Spackle needs to be mixed with water before it can be applied on any surface. The finally mixed Spackle must achieve a consistency similar to peanut butter for best results. Use a drill with a mixing paddle for best results. Mixing can be done by hand, but to achieve the required consistency will require several minutes of mixing and the task becomes more difficult as the consistency increases. See that you mix the amount of Spackle that you are going to use. You can estimate this from the thickness that you are going to apply and the area of the ceiling.
Applying the Spackle to the Ceiling
Before you
start the work of application, better get some tarp or other cover on to your floor and sheets on any furniture that is too heavy to move out. Now climb up on that step ladder carrying with you enough of Spackle to cover the area that you can reach from the top of the step ladder. Apply the Spackle to the prepared ceiling with the putty knives or a trowel and smooth it to the required thickness. Some DIY enthusiasts may prefer to create markers for the required thickness. This is done by putting dabs of the Spackle at intervals on the ceiling which will give an indicator of the height. Later when you are putting Spackle on the ceiling, you just have to apply the Spackle and connect up the dabs to get a uniform thickness on to the ceiling. You can use a straight edge to do this very easily. Use the corner tool when you tackling the junction between ceiling and wall. It is best if you can do all the corners in one operation so that you can then dispense with that tool when you are tackling the flat surface of the ceiling.Once the Spackle has dried, apply some sandpaper lightly all over the surface before you take up the painting work on the ceiling.