.Patching holes in the bathroom walls (Part Two: Getting the hang of this...)

So when we last left our intrepid hero, he was applying the second coat of spackle.

Spackle, sand, repeat.

I'd figured that, with my relative lack of experience repairing plaster walls, I'd have to spackle and sand each rough spot about three or four times to get it nice and smooth, so the repair wouldn't show after the new paint was applied. I ended up applying three coats. After that, I decided to find out how much a coat of paint would help cover what was left of the rough spots.

Is it necessary to get the wall eggshell smooth before I paint, or will the paint help me by covering the shallow stuff? Here's what several of the spots looked like after the third coat:

By this point, the spots are starting to look pretty smooth. I also took a moment to caulk a few open tile seams before moving on to the next step.

Preparatory to painting, I cleaned the walls again. Since the spackle filling one of the deep holes still wasn't drying very quickly, I decided to wait another hour to provide more drying time. Then I wiped down the walls again to remove the dust created by sanding the spackle.

Once that was done, I painted the three wall sections with the first coat of stainblocking primer. I let the first coat of primer dry for about an hour, then went back and applied the second coat. Here are the same spots again, after the second coat:

As I think about it, I'm satisfied with how that looks. It's not smooth as glass, but it's pretty good, and these spots won't be noticeable once the paint dries.

Anyway, it's good practice. And it gives me some impetus to finish the hall, which also needs to be patched and painted, and has been lingering unfinished for about a year now.