The finished floor refers to the uppermost surface of a room after construction is completed, often used to indicate the height of outlets, window film, and signage. Interior finishes are the final elements that bring a room to life, including paint on walls, flooring underfoot, and decorative elements. A study found that 85 of designers believe that a finish on a building is the outer layer of material applied to the interior and exterior surfaces of a structure.
The finish selection process involves a meticulous assessment of design objectives, budget constraints, and performance requirements. Designers must consider the desired aesthetic and functional aspects. Interior finishes not only provide a protective layer, enhancing the durability and longevity of materials but also add aesthetic value, contributing significantly to the overall look and functionality of the space.
There are five levels of finish that can be achieved with gypsum board surfaces before final decoration. Level 3 is the right balance between quality, affordability, and practicality for most homes. If you want to go higher, choose Level 0: no taping, finishing, or accessories required. Level 1 requires all joints and interior angles to have tape embedded in joint compound.
A Level 0 finish features hung drywall only, with no taping, finishing, or accessories required. Drywall finish levels range from 0 to 5, with 0 being no finish and 5 being the most polished. Understanding and skillfully choosing interior finishes empowers you to make informed decisions that enhance both the aesthetics and functionality of your spaces.
📹 What does Level 5 Drywall mean?
This term gets thrown around a lot by architects, designers and contractors but many people don’t know what it really means.
What are interior finish ratings?
The purpose of this text is to provide guidelines for the purchase and acquisition of various types and compositions of carpeting, floor and ceiling tile, and wall coverings. The general intent of the University is to provide buildings and facilities that are constructed, arranged, equipped, maintained, and operated to avoid undue danger to the lives and safety of its occupants from fire, smoke, fumes, and resulting panic during the period reasonably necessary for escape in case of fire or other emergency.
What is a level 2 finish?
Level 2 requires the application of joint compound to all joints and interior angles, with the addition of tape embedded in the compound and subsequently wiped with a joint knife. This differs from the methodology employed at Level 1, which involves the application of joint compound to all fastener heads and beads.
What is a level 5 finish?
Level 2 drywall finish is a basic level that includes sanding to smooth out joints and fasteners, suitable for standard residential or commercial spaces. Level 3 drywall finish adds a second layer of joint compound for a smoother finish, typically used for high-end spaces with a luxurious, professional look. Level 4 drywall finish uses the same process with a third layer for even smoother results, ideal for high-end spaces.
Level 5 drywall finish is the highest level, characterized by a flawless, ultra-smooth surface, achieved by applying two to three coats of joint compound and sanding several times. This level is ideal for high-end spaces with a clean, professional look.
How are interior finishes classified?
Interior finishes are classified using the ASTM E 84 and UL 723 testing systems, which divide materials into three classes. Class A (fire spread index 0-25, smoke-developed index 0-450), Class B (fire spread index 26-75, smoke-developed index 0-450), and Class C (fire spread index 76-200, smoke-developed index) are the three classes of interior finishes that are classified using ASTM E 84 and UL 723 testing systems.
What does finish mean in interior design?
Interior finish refers to the surface material of walls, partitions, ceilings, and other exposed interior surfaces affixed to a mobile structure, including materials like paint. It includes drywall, masonry, or wood substructure, surfacing materials like paneling, tile, or other interior finish materials, and any surfacing materials, such as paint or wallpaper. Interior finish includes materials affixed to the building structure, distinguished from decorations or furnishings. It includes fixed or movable walls, partitions, columns, and ceilings, and does not include decorations or furnishings not affixed to the mobile structure.
What is level 3 finish?
Level 3 gypsum board finish is typically used in areas that will receive heavy or medium texture finishes before final painting or heavy-duty commercial-grade wallcoverings as the final decoration. Understanding the desired aesthetic of the room and determining the appropriate finish level is crucial for planning the products, crew, and time needed to complete the project in compliance with the Gypsum Association’s GA-214 “Levels of Finish for Gypsum Panel Products”.
Before specification and installation, refer to the joint compound dry time chart in the ProForm Finishing Products Construction Guide to ensure the correct amount of time is allotted for the project.
What are class A finishes?
A “Class A” finish is a product that has the fewest surface defects and most consistent color and gloss. It is applied to parts of a product first seen by a prospective buyer, such as a refrigerator door or an automobile hood. A “Class A” finish should be applied to the parts first seen by the buyer, while a “Class B” or “Class C” finish may be applied to the sides and top of the wrapper, and the rear panel.
To provide a “Class A” finish, it is essential to understand the customer’s expectations or finish specifications regarding color, gloss, and allowable surface defects. These properties may vary from customer to customer and can be based on company or industry association specifications.
When choosing the best cure oven for an application, it is important to consider various variables and consider the specific needs of the customer.
What is level 4 finish?
Level 4 drywall is ideal for walls with flat or enamel paints or light texturing. If a final paint requires high sheen or dark tones, Level 5 finish is recommended. The process involves taped joints, mudding with skim coats, additional compound layers for flat joints and interior angles, three separate mud coats for screws and accessories, and sanding off ridges. This level of finish often looks best with a corner with sharp, crisp lines, such as a Chamfer Bead. For a final paint with high sheen or dark tones, Level 5 finish is recommended.
What is a Level 2 finish?
Level 2 requires the application of joint compound to all joints and interior angles, with the addition of tape embedded in the compound and subsequently wiped with a joint knife. This differs from the methodology employed at Level 1, which involves the application of joint compound to all fastener heads and beads.
Is Level 5 finish expensive?
A Level 5 drywall finish entails the application of two coats of joint compound on tape, a fine coat over walls, and three coats on screw fittings. The cost of this process is between $1. 75 and $3. 50 per square foot.
What does finish rating mean?
A finish rating is established for wood-based assemblies with structural supports. The rating is determined by the average temperature rise of 250°F or an individual temperature rise of 325°F during a fire test, as measured between the gypsum and the stud on the wood nearest to the fire.
📹 What Does an Interior Designer Actually Do? | ARTiculations
… IBC, accessibility, ADA, finishes, what do interior designers do, office design, retail design, hospitality design, residential design, …
I’ve been painting for over a decade. If you want a good finish, without skimming the wall, you can use a “high build” primer. Its important to take your time rolling it evenly, but it will hold the texture of the roller even over the different parts of a level 4 tape job. This is not your cheap drywall primer, or pva primer… It does cost more but it will definitely be worth it on new drywall.
Thanks for clarifying the levels! An bright oblique (low angle) light amplifies any imperfections, and can be used to check work. Also, sanding with a finer grit rather than coarser grade eliminates the sanding marks. With painting, a shorter nap roller (1/4″) puts down a smooth finish revealing all, where a 3/8″ nap will pebble a bit to make the surface texture more consistent- flat paints will hide texture, glossier paints will reveal it.
I love this website. It has almost literally walked me through my entire drywall project. What’s funny is everytime I feel like I’m hitting a wall(puns) I will take a break, watch a couple articles and go back to the project sometimes with better skills, and sometimes looking at what I’ve done like wtf this isn’t acceptable! I’m at this level 4 to 5 stage in my project and I’ve kept bouncing around like damnit it’s not good enough and then damnit I’m done with this project it’s good enough let’s put the paint on there and move on! I think I’m finally ready to move on to the next part of the project. Thanks Vancouver Carpenter! Keep up the good content!
Nailed it! USG actually has a handbook guide that has detailed rules how levels should be. At one point they spec’d their First Coat sealer for I believe Level 5 and also the surface to be primed and sealed Before textures applied so they are uniform. I never did this myself as when I seen it done the texture had a lot more Porosity (or air pinholes) in it when dry. Now a days they make those HUGE skim tools and you roll the mud on like you demonstrated in your other articles but we’d always thin down All purpose (Green lid) and spray it on with a .017 tip and if you got lucky and no plug ups you could get a nice coat on the walls and ceiling with very little sanding needed and no paper fuzz.
This article pretty much sums it up.Level 5 level finish works well in a bathroom where often a semi or full gloss paint are required especially oil based paints. Sometimes lots of tiny dings and scratches that are not noticeable to the naked eye, are picked up with a level 5 finish. These imperfections are caused between manufacture and during plasterboard installation.
Great articles and explanation but FYI when you say you rarely need a level 5 except for harsh might like windows that have direct Sunlight or sconces or bucket lights etc, that’s pretty much 80% of rooms IMHO. Therefore Level 5 is needed 4 out of 5 times so you don’t see the differences in paper and mud
Appreciate the information! Age and experience has me understanding the value of skills and specific expertise. I can make it tight. I don’t like sanding because I’m not patient when mudding. So, hired a pro to do recent 2nd bath renovation of walls and ceiling. San Diego County, CA sheetrockers have invented a “premium” finish that is Level 3. After a year in this new bathroom, it still rubs me wrong. Sheetrockers are hard to get so I guess at least the room is done? Stay safe. No, it don’t even come close to imitating a stucco look – just plain rough and unfinished. The pro bragged he does not sand. Whaa? I can do wrong. I do not need to pay a pro to do wrong. I am doing the master bath this summer.
Level 5 does cost lot of money compared to level 4 & it’s only best when sprayed no with hand or rollers yes there are people do level 5 with roller 😜 Now as a painter I can tell if you cared about perfection in paint you need level 5 if you just see the wall painted you are good with 4 97 % of builders don’t even care about level 5 🙏🏻
I was in “Van” doing some work last year. YouTube said your stuff “was recommended” for me. I am so glad they did ( I’m bothered that some C.I.A/ N.S.A algorithm would know what I want, but fuck it, they do). Anyway your articles are great and very entertaining. I have been doing construction all over Canada for the last 30 years, from the Arctic to the Atlantic and have never found any “flaw” in your advice : ) So well presented, and professional. I may be back B.C way later this year. I’ll take you out for beers & poutine, if you have time ; )
I have found the final stage to a level 4 & 5 finish is to take your bucket of dirty finish mud water from cleaning your trowels/knives, take a tile grout cleaning sponge and wash all of the bare drywall paper surface prior to applying PVA or selected primer… I think we all know mud shrinks… By washing the walls with this “muddy” water the fibers in the drywall paper tighten up and evens out the surface… The end result is nobody can see the difference in the sanded mud coats and the unfinished paper… I hope someone finds this helpful…
Level 4 is smooth but drywall still follows the framing….a level 5 should fix any imperfections in framing….whether you have to float the whole wall or just skimcoat the paper….and really if you prime sure surface well and give it light sand there shouldn’t be any difference between the 2 anyway….but humps and valleys will still be noticeable…..flat paint hides imperfections whereas gloss paint exaggerates them lighting is used at close range to detect any area that isn’t flat needs to be flat……very time consuming and usually in high end residential homes…….just skimming over paper isn’t level 5 if there are humps and valleys….if hangers know ahead of time they will shim drywall accordingly and charge more…especially if tapers are part of their crew….
“Level 5” is misleading. I’ve seen finishers do a level 5 finish but at the end, it ends up looking like plaster walls because even though there is joint compound on the entire wall, the thickeness from location to location is so off that it would have actually been better to just feather the edges. It means nothing unless it’s done correctly with someone who actually cares for the final product.
8:18 I’m so confused….I thought gypsum board always got a full coat of compound…like I thought that was just part of the process. This is the first time ever (and I’ve watched tons of your articles) where I’m hearing that finalized walls often are the bare gypsum completely exposed save for the joints and screws? Or did I misunderstand something? :\\ Just when I think I’m understanding something even the smallest bit lol.
Agreed. We just did a Level 5 in an entire house because the homeowner watched a few YouTube articles. (Not yours apparently) lol. I explained to her that it’s really only necessary and/or effective in high light and acute angle situations. But she insisted anyway and was willing to pay for it, so we skimmed it out. If it’s large enough, we spray it on and wipe it down with a 24″ skimming blade. Otherwise we just roll it on or trowel it. That’s not too bad. It’s All the sanding that sucks. Might as well just pay for plaster at that point. That said, we do often Level 5 smooth ceilings in large open rooms. It also helps the painting process if you’re just going to spray and not back roll. If you just spray over top Level 4 it raises the drywall ruff from sanding and makes it feel gritty. Learned that the hard way many years ago.
About 34 years ago i did tape and finish at a passive solar four unit condo for the builder i worked for back then. they considered me a bang up finisher for the crew. When it was a sunny day and noon sun was overhead on a winter day on a direct south facing building BOY DID THEM NORTH SOUTH FACING END WALLS LOOK GODAWFUL! I learned something that day.
I’ve been a plasterer for 45 years and agree with you ..although in some high end homes with all windows surrounding the perimeter we soup up our mud like a thick paint and roll it over the complete surface on compromising areas and wipe on /wipe off ..so now you’ve got 2 to 3 tight skim coats over your standard 3 to 4 coats ..the end result is …perfection ..nothing flashes ever again ..but you got to have proper ventilation and drying time ..then thick primer and 2 good coats bankrolled…more expensive but the best finish ..I completed a huge multimillion $$$ home on vanc island last may and my customer was finally very happy ..we do the same type of finish when doing full system eifs acrylic stucco ..once again ..nothing compares ..but once again big $$$ …I’ve repaired drywall tapers finished product many times for many years ..theres no comparison on what a professional plasterer with hawk n trowel can achieve ..an artists fine touch …I think your explanation works well in most situations ..but not in every application…good work young man!!
Gypsum boards levels are specified in COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION because there are typically MANY areas which require different treatments(Service rooms, Plenum areas, etc, vs occupied spaces) that only need code-required fire-barriers and the occupied areas are considered medium or heavy duty rated, as opposed to the light duty rating of residential(see GA-214-96 for the most often specified standard)…applying this in a residential setting is pointless as most folks just want a Level 4 finish everywhere…A Level 5 finish is SPECIFIED as a COMPLETE skim coat/application of L5 material…most of it is sprayed on. BTW: ANY gyp board manf makes tons of it, comes in a 55-gallon barrel for spraying and all the products I’ve seen are primers, as well…ask your painter to do it…gyp guys aren’t exactly patient with the ‘painting’ process. Source: Multi-state licensed commercial contractor; GA-214-96 and usg.com/content/dam/USG_Marketing_Communications/canada/product_promotional_materials/finished_assets/cgc-construction-handbook-ch05-finishing-drywall-systems-can-en.pdf
Question from a DIY standpoint. Our house faces east / west so we get a lot of sun in morning and evening. Previous owners or builders applied orange peel to wall and ceiling and we find the texture refracts expensive paint and muddies up the color. We pulled up the finished floor and even the sub floor (yes, we have a natural disaster on our hands) and so we’re full steam ahead skim coating all walls. I have one 500 sq ft room (master bedroom) done with finish paint for the sake of sanity and the difference in full light between that room and other unfinished rooms is jaw dropping (It’s my wife). It will bring tears to your eyes it’s so beautiful (black acacia hardwood floor and SW 6767). My question is what can I do to ease the labor?? I’ve been doing 2-3 coats of Silver Set 90 with a scrape between first coat and second coat and second and third coat then sand after third. I still get gouges and crusty spots during the scrapes. I’ve tried trowel and trough, trowel and hawk, 6″, lots and lots of sanding, lots of scraping with trowel. The 1st coat, scrape, 2nd coat, scrape, 3rd coat, sand method seems to be working best but I’m still finding it taking like 20 hours per room just for the mudding phase. Am I focusing too much on the scrape phases? Help! 🙂
Thank you..I’ve got a ceiling that looks flat during the daylight then when the ceiling light is on at night I can see the joints..there is already small orange peel texture and white ceiling paint already on the ceiling ..is there a way to fix this? Can I just go over the joints with more mud and then reshoot the texture? Than you for any help with this.
Thank you!! I’m doing Roman clay in my bathroom and Portola paints said it has to be level 5 to work. Their show room in North Hollywood has it in their bathroom. It looks amazing! Super soft and smooth, but it has to be level five. Thank you for the explanation. I’m looking forward to doing it myself!😁
Level 1 is for smoke only. You stated it is for fire rating……its not. Look up how fire rated drywall works and you will discover that even with a quarter inch gap, the drywall will maintain its fire rating…..not so weird if you understand the science. Level 2 your correct but you dont understand the difference between Level 2 and level 3. Even on your article you dont seem to comprehend the difference between Level 3 and 4 as well. Just as a FYI there are no drywall contractors that will leave a wall not to Level 4 for wallpaper (heavy or not) or even FRP board…..it telegraphs joints. Level 5……you state its only for walls and ceilings with natural light or electric fixtures as sconces…..thats anywall you can see in the light according to you. You are correct that its the difference in “Nap” that shows the difference of the manilla face and the sanded compound. Another FYI at 3:53 you show a surface thats ready for Level 5. This is one of the best examples of oversanding I’ve seen……its the fuzz youve created, good finishers dont leave that behind. Why your experiment is such a success. To finish…..Level 5 compounds that are sprayed or rolled on are excellent at creating level 5 finish (just finished a $110 million) project that required it on EVERY wall. Outstanding performance and great quality. Please dont compare some housing contractors poor upkeep of his project with poor material performance. On major products all environmental factors are taken in to consideration, or they risk the loss of warranty.
VC last comment should be “You don’t need it – unless you have bright light flooding in down the length of a surface.” My family renovated a room and the gyprocker did the std L4, and one wall looks terrible when the afternoon sun streams through this massive window they put in, opposite the offending wall :/ (not plasterers fault, but their fault for not specifying L5 on that wall
That doesn’t solve the texture differences between the drywall and mud. When you sand the mud, is slightly damaged the drywall paper. Then when you paint, it raises those semi looses drywall fibers and makes it feel rough along the edges of the joints. Either skim coat the whole wall with mud for perfect finish, or sand between each coat of paint.
Wow Ben. Great timing. Considering level 5 for my townhouse renovation. We are a few weeks away from final drywall finish.On the first floor we have large windows on the Western side of the house. That’s where we are considering level 5. The painter said he would spray the product to make the level 5. You scared me away from that. The drywall guy said he would box it on. I thought the roller method would be good. Any advice would be appreciated.
Young man just gave you huge kudos on inside corner taping vid… sorry didn’t look at time line but came into my feed. I did/do have question (for anyone out there) … please tell me name of the “top coat” you recommend. I cannot find the previous vid where you mentioned it once. Thanks again from the old man in VA!
Everything in the article is correct, except when the framing work is bad and the sheet rocking worse, which is 85% of the time, specially in renovation, addition work… in this circumstances a level five changes its nature and can no longer be achieved by simply applying a light skim coat over everything, at that point a level five is more feasible by doing a decent enough level 4 without going into perfection and then a thick coat over everything, a very qualified sander who knows how to achieve flatness is your next required step, meaning, you sand it, other way you are stuck doing an extremely perfect work at individually assessing humps and deeps and bulging and then after all that cover the whole thing again in a light coat that will still show unevenness here and there because individually assessed areas never give you a general homogenized surface
It’s almost impossible to find a drywall company that can do a good job with a level 5 finish. We paid someone because we were tired of working on our walls. We had three companies come out and they told us we were at a level 4, that we actually did a good job. But we did hire one of the companies to finish. Most of our problem was seeing the sanding marks. The company we hired really did not do a very good job. He told us his sanding marks would not show after we primed and painted. Of course we knew different. We showed him our pantry that we did and we thought the primer and paint would cover the sanding marks but it did not. He assured us they would get everything to a level 5 and no marks. Well, we have sanding marks they created. Just very sad about the whole situation. We paid him because we knew we would have to somehow try to finish some places ourselves. I have lost faith in quality workmanship from people. I have looked up info about how to cover the scratch marks from sanding but there are many answers from professionals and not sure the best way for us to do it ourselves.
Level 5 is alot more labor intensive. It is a big deal. If someone is asking for a level 5 they don’t want any imperfections on their walls. It has to be completely flat and not cast shadows between studs. Paint wont fill a bowed board. It has to be skim coated with proper amout if material. It will cost more because how difficult it is to achieve. This guy is downplaying what it is. Level 4 looks alright Level 5 is not perfection but close to. I’ve never done anything but level 5 in million dollar homes. It’s always requested in most of these high dollar homes. Doing it for so many years I’m used to it by now but for those just starting out or even a few years doing it it’s a workout on mind and body.
Don’t they do veneer plaster in Canada? I’ve only heard ‘level 5 finish’ mentioned from people in areas where orange peel texture is the norm. I thought it just meant smooth as opposed to textured walls. Where I live, in one of the northeast states, 99% of walls are smooth and veneer plaster is the big thing. Done right it’s a completely smooth hard surface. Not as expensive as it seems like it should be, and it’s extremely fast, only one coat after the joints are taped and mudded. But that’s if it’s done right, I’ve seen plasterers that absolutely suck and you spend a day filling all the holes they left behind and smoothing out corners.
Once I had to run dedicated wiring for each of the upstairs bedrooms for air conditioners as well as an attic fan from the panel in the basement. The taper was begging me to convince the homeowner to run it from the outside because he would have to level 5 the walls because they would look like crap after I terrorize the crap out of it with my jab saw. Now I know what he meant by that.
Not sure on levels of what your explaining. Sounds like half ass work if it is all lvl5. So as I see here I have been doing lvl6. So as far as the taping and mud lines you so call see in a finished painted wall. Try and do some drywall primer before painting the wall. Oh and by the way you won’t see those imperfections in contrast if done right. Have a nice day XD.
Question – If you want a level 5 finish and you are painting over new drywall patches on a previously painted, non textured wall and you are noticing a difference in texture from the paint and new patch(the area is well lit), is the only way to attain a level 5 finish performed by completely skimming the entire wall? Are there other alternatives? Perhaps making a larger patch and floating it out, or priming and painting the wall multiple times?
Level five. Level one, first code. level two, light sand code everything . level three, light sand n code everything. level four, sand light n skim coat, upp or down . level five, sand light primer the walls lights sand . level five Skim code left to right or right to left.last sand n touchup . Look it up. You have false information
i guess im getting old-its always been a 3 step process on standard house (not talking firewall taping etc) and little sanding. after that caulk corners for a perfect corner np and drywall primer/sealer then look for any touch up-then paint. even added alittle mud to the paint before and get what we always called an orange peel wall or smooth -if you want you can then do a easy knockdown texture not to hide like handymen do but to accent and it looks great. butthole deep in one right now thats being picky after job was hung retarded and he want my work to be super and his to be eh
Did a house last winter to the primer and touch up.the main contractor cam in and sprayed two coat of ce paint on .the humidity was on 100 I’m sure .like you said no proper ventilation and outside was raining to .so when it dried finally all the screws would show .and the blame was put on the plaster man when it was not my fault at all
A friend buys a new home from one of the slap-’em-up/ “kwalitee” production (publicly-traded) U.S. homebuilders. At completion, friend comments that the drywall finish looks like crap to the construction manager. I say to construction manager “What level drywall finish is stipulated in the contract?”, to which I’m met with a blank stare… followed by “”What do you mean by ‘level of drywall finish”?
I watched several of your articles and decided to remove my popcorn ceiling and go flat. The first room I did a level 5 finish without ever knowing what it meant but with my skill level it took too long. The rest I just spread the joints out and used a thick roller to give a faux texture and it looks fine with ceiling paint
VC! Love the articles! I’m getting ready hang some rock in the new addition.. all the advice I get is hang the drywall horizontally.. in a lot of your articles I see vertical application.. could you PLEASE do a article on pluses and minuses of that technique? Seems that if a sheet will fit vertically, the lack of butt joints would make it easier to “disappear” the seams.. hopefully you can do it! Thanks. Love the website. As a painter I like to know how to make the job how I’d want to prep and paint it.. 👍
We usually put a fiberglass wallpaper on a wall before painting. Both on plastered and drywall walls. This gives a very uniform texture, protects any cracks from showing through, and even partially hides color differences (from pencil marks or mud vs paper color), so you can get away with one less coat of paint. Is this common in the US and Canada? Or do you paint directly on the drywall?
“Level 5 ” is just our standard plastering here in Ireland (& UK too ) … I have NEVER seen plasterboard (drywall) left in an unfinished condition . It reminds me of Americans making a big deal about “grass-fed” beef… ALL our beef is grass-fed !! What else is there? 😂😂 Lovin yer vids man … 😎👍 😎👍☘🍺
Level 6…you skim the entire surface so that light coming in from the side won’t show smooth mounds created by the tape and mud applied on the surface of the drywall. I learned early to mud and paint with a light off to one side, highlighting all imperfections in the mud and differences in actual flatness of the walls. The first large wall I did, the light came from a huge picture-window behind me and the wall looked perfect. A few days later when I turned on the lamp at night by the couch that was up against that wall it was all mountain-ranges and valleys.
i am never going to get level 4 even my walls are 1950 18-inch horizontal drywall with rough plaster and finish plaster over the whole wall so my ceilings and walls have waves in them like a pond it looks ok unless you get light shining across it from indirect lighting a foot down on walls shining across surface so it you look up it is like looking at clouds not a smooth spot in sight LOL. the good part is you can’t damage my wall door handles smashed into walls don’t leave a scratch.
STOP skimming drywall!!! People that completely skim walls with drywall mud do not know what they are doing. Even this “skimming insanity” will still show the joints if you don’t seal the wall with “Drywall Primer” Get the walls perfectly flat and smooth by getting a reflector light in your hand with a 200 watt light bulb and shine it down the wall. The light will show you every tiny flaw in the wall, fix those. Buy Drywall Primer with a clay content in it. Not flat paint, Drywall Primer with clay. A Drywall Sealer does a good job of giving you a hard sealed finish but will not hide those joints. Wipe down the walls with a damp cloth or at least sweep them to remove loose dust. Use a 3/8 nap roller and prime the wall. Keep a light on the wall and finish rolling with a light touch to remove roller marks. When dry the wall will look like plaster. The clay and 3/8 nap on the roller combine to make the paper and mud on the wall look the same and seal them. If you are going to paint with high gloss paint you could wait one day and paint it a second coat with the Drywall Primer, but probably not necessary. You now have a flat, even, sealed wall that will accept paint like plaster and never see those joints again, even in direct sunlight, even with high gloss paint.
Vancouver Carpenter – Thanks for the clarification; I’ve never heard of drywall levels until I watched your article. Based on your description, I have paint over level 3 on the drywalls in my house. The defects are especially noticeable on the ceilings. I think the previous owner owned an exterior-coating-application company (e.g., applying coating on industrial structures such as bridges). I speculate he just used his own crew to help build the house. Do you have a recommendation on a good way of turning a level 3 into a level 4 without hiring a pro?
In some rooms of my house I did a few extra coats of primer. I would use an electric DeWalt orbital palm sander in between coats of primer. Sometimes I would also use a little bit of “Fast & Final” really light spackling on top of the first coat of primer to fill in any really minor imperfections that showed up. I was not necessarily trying to get a level 5 finish, just trying to put in a little extra time and effort to make it look as good as I could get it.
I have done a ton of drywall 1) hang board 2) tape all joints 3) first coat/ fill coat mud 4) second coat mud 5) skim coat mud 6) sand all mud areas 7) drywall sealer/primer 8) sand total area of sealer 9) First coat paint 10) sand entire first coat paint 11) second and final coat paint Walls are beautiful no areas are as you are describing Top notch orange peel paint finish Most important is the proper sanding between coats. Just ask your paint supplier I have been doing this for 35 years Never any issues as you are talking about Merry Christmas Vancouver carpenter
I am doing a 10′ to 13′ foot sloped ceiling & am 65 years old on a scaffold . Yes I hung the drywall over a year ago, and just finished it to level 3 finnish . The lazy side of me says I can just skip level 4 & do a skim coat to a level 5 finish & save one trip around the 24 x 26 garage? So would that be a level 4.5 finish. I am priming with a PVA primer incase I have to spray hornet killer on the finished job. Well I choke when I look up, so anything to make it faster would be great. Checked on rotator cuff surgery back in 1985 & am still thinking about it. Well in my mind instead of making a bunch of smooth seams it would be easier to just level the whole thing.
I do all my own work and now I know that I’ve been doing level 5 (thin mud over the entire surface). I also use flat paint on the ceilings to mitigate shadows from windows and “ceiling lights.” Maybe you can do a article on matte vs. flat paint? And, flat for ceilings? Fore me, always flat paint on the ceiling (same color).
Thank‘s for demystifying what “Level 5” actually means in practice and when and why it’s important. I’ve often wondered what the big deal was when the term was thrown around. I think I can now say that most of the times I’d hear someone say it, they were bragging about wasting their money on a completely unnecessary process. I’m just a DIYer but your website is easily one of the most useful and informative. I grew up around the construction trade and I appreciate you are teaching from a tradesman perspective in a way a simple DIYer who wants to “get it right” can use. Keep up the good work.
The level five that I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing (I’m more of a cabinetry and flooring guy but I’ve done some drywall) was three coats of mud, the first coat covers the tape and is 6 in, the next coat after sanding the first and is 10 inches, the third is a skim coat where youre almost wiping off the mud entirely and you’ve gotta have a super flat knife so you don’t put marks on it and that’s 14 in, then you put a coat of primer on the entire house, a light coat, and end with covering the walls with a light layer of mud, using screeters or “Darby’s” so it’s completely glass smooth.
LOL 1 coat of wet paint is going to show everything! especially a pastel color with a useless 3/8″ nap. stick to drywalling. let painters apply surface coatings. you first must prime the raw drywall, let that FULLY dry over 24 hrs. Then 2 coats of PREMIUM paint, not some cheap shit martha stewart crap from home depot.