I've removed wallpaper that was halfway up the wall and then chairrail. Unfortunately some of the painted surface behind the wallpaper came off with the wallpapaer and has left chips everywhaer on the wall. I need to spackle I guess to get a smooth surface. The lightweight spackle doesn't seem to be going on real easy, is there another spackle I can use for this skim coat? Brand? Is there any special sanding instructions?

Hi 350ztn
Welcome to the Pool
I had a look around for other "Mixes" of spackle skim paste(new word for me) but with no luck
The secret I think is what lies behind the plaster is it a "cold wall"(facing outside), has the room been damp or in a cold area of the house?
Why I say this is under certain conditions the Skim goes brittle (too hot shrinks fast ) or doesn't dry(too cold)? or applied too thick(happens)!
Same is true when using filler with Body repairs(vehicles) you only have a narrow temperature range to get it "keyed in"
Best place to get advice would be either a Builders Merchants (Trade) or one of the DIY superstores where they have leaflets by the checkouts or ask the person at the customer service desk?
I found this link which may be of help with the job in hand? http://doityourself.com/patch/properfillers.htm
The others people here are very good at sorting things like this out.Wait to see if they have any better ideas than me?
As for smoothing the surface down wrap a piece of medium grade sandpaper around a wood block should do a good job Doing it without the wood block will bring your hand up in blisters!
And you cannot get an "even finish" with this method(Makes more holes! )
Ps "Sugar Soap" is good but is Caustic (Have to wear gloves!)

I suggest you buy some Durabond taping compound and avoid the spackle products altogether. You can find Durabond products made by US Gypsum at Home Depot in the Building Materials section near the drywall. You should make sure you get the fast drying type... I recently used some that dried in 5 minutes and it went on really easy.

All you have to do is mix the powder with water into a trowel pan, let it set up to a pasty consistency and they fill the wall with a wide spatula. After it is dry you can use a sanding board or a sanding sponge to sand off the excess.

You will find this much better to use than spackle. Make sure you get all the wallpaper off the wall before you start even if you have to tear a bit more of the drywall up.

If you want to do an entire skim coat then I think you'll want to use Durabond 20 minute so that it doesn't dry too fast. If you do a skim coat make sure you get it on pretty evenly and then use a sanding board to get a nice flat finish.

This is my first time on this site and apoligies if this is wrong. I recently took down wall paper in the hallway and under the wallpaper was paint. The wall looks like a jig saw puzzle ( some spots down to the paper on the sheet rock and some spots the paint is left on the wall). I understand in order to do things correctly you have to clean the wall, and skim coat it prior to priming and painting.
My question: is it possible to use a oil based primer to fill in the gaps to avoid skim coating? I have read some information that you can user a roller to apply the spackle... is this the same case for the Durabond??? Also should I use a sealer prior to the skim coat and primer?

I am not sure if primer would fill the broken paint areas, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try unless you are trying to have a high quality finish. If you want to assure that the finished product is excellent then you should skim the wall, sand, prime and paint.

I have heard of people using a roller to apply the skim coat. I suggest going to a real painters' store and asking them the best approach and give them all your information about the job. I say a real painters' store because Home Depot, while being a convenient store, is not always staffed with experts like stores that carry contractor materials. They have employees that work with pros and can help you get it done.

Faced with a similar problem some years ago, and having little confidence in my ability to skim coat, or faith that any coating applied with a roller or brush could possibly smooth out an irregular under surface; I used the stiff paper product that wall paper stores stock for application under wall paper. I was so pleased with the results that I never even used the wallpaper. I just painted the walls, it was impossible to detect that they weren't perfect drywall or plaster.

You can use regular drywall mud just thin it out using water and roll it on with a roller. Assuming that your wall is smooth texture you may then use a trowel to smooth it out while still wet, keeping in mind that any large ridges you leave will have to be sanded. If your wall is textured there are various different ways to apply the compound that will "match" your existing texture. You might also find that using a wet sponge (large) when mud is semi dry and even will smooth it out pretty well. I suggest trying various methods on a spare board or piece of drywall untill you achieve the desired effect before attempting it on the entire wall.