no mate, im not saying you cant smooth it off, in fact you may have a point in that yes, i coat is all it needs, maybe 1/4 finsih in the mix would help...
what im sayin is that if you did, or more precisely the customer did want the ceiling re-artexing then the backing surface has to be flat and smooth, very smooth in the case of a detail pattern.
ive never tried artexing over bonding, but ive done plenty over skim, and if you catch the skim just right i.e. near enough dark all over i find theres no need to seal it like you would if it had dried completely, which is what this thread is all about..
ive found in the past that even with 2 coats of pva artex goes off a bit quick, specially if youve got to adjust the pattern slightly as you move down the ceiling... i lay maybe 3 square metres of artex on, pattern it, and repeat till finished...
i find artex sealer works better on a newly skimmed ceiling...
hence, catch the skim right, no seal required cos theres enough water still in the skim...
i just wouldnt have that confidence with bonding, id want to let it dry enough to trowel it smooth, not float it obviously, then let it dry completely and seal it for fear of picking up bits of that lightweight stuff they put in bonding... vermiculite??
im not sayin your wrong, just that artex is all about suction, even more than skimming, and combed patterns need a good flat surface...
