You are very knowledgable. I am a licensed General Engineer & Building Contractor. From watching you for the first time, it appears that all your work results in an impeccable finish. I always love to see tradesperson care & attention to detail(s) as well as precise explanation. In short Leah you are Dynamite !!!
I always love the videos. A few tips to add. I am a handyman who mostly does drywall & paint. A primer coat of flat (no gloss) paint over a level 4 drywall finish should eliminate any flashing when applying a high gloss paint. Whenever I repair drywall on glossy paint, I always prime with flat paint and feather out the edges before re-applying the glossy paint. I constantly do repairs in foyers & stairwells with harsh lighting and the result is always great. Also, when doing drywall, it's a popular saying in my territory; "Thin to win!"
thanks Leah. You are a beautiful woman full of encouragements! this will help me take care of my daughter as I out in the field. People in constructions can be stiff...it good to hear and see compassion even in this field. Thanks, Reggie
I am continually impressed by the quality of your videos. You are an excellent instructor, and always teaching me, as a homeowner, something new. I'm going to share your videos with my sister. Thank you!
I love how you did that and made the area look the same. I have to remember that when I have to work on my walls. I thank you so much for showing us how to do that ourselves.
Like so many of your videos, I wish I had seen this a year ago (which I updated bathroom 1)! But I will be ready when I take on my second bathroom in a year or two - I like using gloss in these small, humid rooms. You are the best - short, sweet, and to the point; and, always with practical tips.
It's funny. You come out with a new video....and suddenly my honey-do list grows. That being said you give me the courage to work on my neglected house and turn in into a home. Thanks again.
I struggled with this for years until I had a contractor do some work and the paint and finish was part of the estimate. My problem was I tried to build up too much compound too fast.Thin repetitive coats to complete the level 4 finish was the trick. His guys so so good and so fast, they didn't need to sand anything that wasn't a transition point.
thanks Leah i am always learnig something new when i watch your videos .. wish you were around when i was younger i could of used all this info more . great seeing you again
What ratio of water to joint compound would you recommend? I'm thinking buying one of those orange 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot and mixing one of those boxes of premixed joint compound in the bucket with the water. Also as far as the mixer, would a metal paint mixer connected to a hand drill work?
you won't be able to do large batches that way. You will need to break it down into smaller batches. The consistency should be thin enough to roll onto the wall.
We had level 5 installed in our marketing office. They make great dry erase marker walls, given that the proper and final product is applied. It's nice to have a marker WALL rather than just a board.
Level 4 looks pretty good. I think my walls are low level 3. Super bumpy and sloppy. How do I get it to a level 4 before I get it to a level 5? Sand the bumps??
Always sand compound. I can't tell you how many times I've peeled paint and primer of jobs that weren't sanded. It gives the mechanical key needed for adhesion
Many of us end up with drywall paper tears when removing pop corn ceiling. I saw your other video that describes how to fix that. We'll need 2 floats after that to achieve level 5. Do both need to be done with air-dry JC or does the first one need to be done with setting JC?
What happens after applying the air-dry joint compound? This is water soluble and can also easily scrape off, so I want to be careful about what primer, how many coats and what type of paint.
Wonderful!!! So helpful. What about walls that have been painted numerous times and you can see all the imperfections? Will this take them them back to a nicer state?
Hilda Family Handyman has a tutorial on their site with pictures. It involves painting the wall with a (special) paint primer first and waiting for the paint to dry. Then doing the rolled on thinned compound, then scraping it with a squeegee type taping knife. They said it takes a few days and layers of doing this depending on how bad the wall was. Google "how to skim coat drywall family handyman" to see.
If the only reason for doing a level 5 finish is to even out the difference in porosity between the exposed dry wall (being more porous) and the mudded area; then does that mean that there is no need for a skim coat on pre-painted walls? I have repaired a 16x16 section of my bathroom wall, and the surrounding un-mudded area is in perfect condition and finished with high gloss paint. Do I need a skim coat? My concern is that the 16x16 area will show through once I have primed and re-painted the whole wall. What do you think?
James Baxani it will show. It’s called flashing. If you sand the entire wall where the patch is located to knock down the sheen. Then spot prime the patch. Then paint the entire wall and you will be good to go.
Hey Leah I recently found a contraption called a flat box. Have you tried those yet? Seems like it makes taping much easier and faster if you have a large project to do.
Leah - First, I love your channel!! I have a question: I have 1990's sponge painted walls in my dining room. Can I use this type of technique to cover over the paint texture and make the walls smooth again? The walls are plaster and were extremely smooth before they were painted. If not, do you have a recommendation for getting rid of the slight raised paint from the sponge painting? Just sanding?? Thanks for any advice you have!
I walked into my sister's house and looked at the ceilings and noticed the acoustic "popcorn" was gone, her husband replied, yeah we went with a level 5. I said you mean smooth finish lol. He said the drywall guy called it a level 5, which lead me to googling. Funny but their level 5 and the ceilings and walls I repair at work look identical. Either way thanks for your detailed video.
Yes, for a level 5 finish, USG makes a primer-surfacer product called "Tuff-Hide" that you spray on with airless spray equipment. That particular application is for larger jobs.
When doing this over heavily damaged drywall (ie. after removing wallpaper that was glued directly to lvl 1 or 2 drywall, or popcorn ceiling that was very adhesive). Is it better to go and try and fix each individual rip/tear/gouge/hole, or to just do a thin (1/16th") coat over the entire wall/ceiling, sand, then skim coat/fill in little gaps or dips in my mudding? I've been working on our ceilings for a few days, and an thinking that doing the whole-ceiling coat is a poor idea. I'm using tons of mud, and it's taking me a lot of mud & sanding passes to get it perfectly smooth/flat so it won't show ridges or shadows in bright light. On my first small room (entry way) I probably ended up with a good 1/4"+ of mud when it was all said and done...
I would think you would need to apply a primer-sealer to the damaged areas first so the drywall compound doesn't bubble up in those spots, then skim coat the entire surface to even it out.
Do you have a video showing how to smooth a textured wall? i saw the one you posted involving a plaster wall, but guessing the process and materials would be different for textured dry wall. i have 1 textured wall that just looks awful and am going to apply paintable vinyl wallpaper as I don't think i can fix and replicate the texture. Thank you in advance for your help!!
Hello Mitch, The answer to your question depends on what material you use to skim the wall. If you're skimming a plaster wall with plaster you'll need to apply a bonding agent first. If you're skimming the wall with joint compound, no bonder is necessary.
You must be in the UK? There's a bonder called Thistle Bond-it which you can use in conjunction with Thistle Multi Finish. Good luck with your project.
Really? Well I be dog, something told me to do a quick search to get the REAL AND TO THE POINT EXPLANATION of a "level 5" paint. Some ding dong contractor told me it means you apply a thick coat across the whole wall, sand, then you do 4 more coats to "give it depth". I'm a tradesman/handyman and don't get me wrong, I've done it before and it looks good, but I would have been done with a level 5 skim coat job and now for sure today will be the day I'm done thanks to you. Just apply and swipe...move forward. Thank you Leah for the up-front truth.
johanna capri I had to do the entire house, I only had my friend to help, he’s a pro construction worker, owns a construction company with his brother. He didn’t charge me, just for materials but because he could only come weekends, it took us about a year to finish. But now it’s beautiful. And i watched and learned. Now I know how to do it all myself if need be
jeeze made it look so easy, haha! I just found out that you should angle the tool to not get tool marks, after about a hour of going back and forth, smoothing on area and creating a new tool mark every time like cutting a hydras heads. #datnewbielife
![โรงเรียนห้ามรัก โดนจับได้ตาย...!! [เอิร์นไดเม่]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4u02Sbr556Q/mqdefault.jpg)
You are very knowledgable. I am a licensed General Engineer & Building Contractor. From watching you for the first time, it appears that all your work results in an impeccable finish. I always love to see tradesperson care & attention to detail(s) as well as precise explanation. In short Leah you are Dynamite !!!
I always love the videos. A few tips to add. I am a handyman who mostly does drywall & paint. A primer coat of flat (no gloss) paint over a level 4 drywall finish should eliminate any flashing when applying a high gloss paint. Whenever I repair drywall on glossy paint, I always prime with flat paint and feather out the edges before re-applying the glossy paint. I constantly do repairs in foyers & stairwells with harsh lighting and the result is always great. Also, when doing drywall, it's a popular saying in my territory; "Thin to win!"
thanks Leah. You are a beautiful woman full of encouragements! this will help me take care of my daughter as I out in the field. People in constructions can be stiff...it good to hear and see compassion even in this field. Thanks, Reggie
I really appreciate how well you explain these concepts in your videos. Thanks, Leah!
I am continually impressed by the quality of your videos. You are an excellent instructor, and always teaching me, as a homeowner, something new. I'm going to share your videos with my sister. Thank you!
you're welcome, Nancy, and thanks for your kind comments!
I have learned so much from this channel. Thank you very much for sharing this with us, Leah.
you're welcome, Linda, and thanks for all your kind comments!
Nice close ups, good details, excellent explanation; thank you so very much you're a tribute to DIY everywhere. XD
I love how you did that and made the area look the same. I have to remember that when I have to work on my walls. I thank you so much for showing us how to do that ourselves.
Hi Sidney, nice to hear from you again! you're very welcome, and thanks for writing in.
I can't get enough of Leah. she is so great!!!
Thanks, Chris!
Chris Burnette I know right!
Lovely , passionate and skillful girl ... Leah rocks!
Great Video!!! I’m 61, I do Sheetrock work All The Time AND I NEVER KNEW THIS‼️
Thank You 🙏 🙏🙏😃
I love the way you speak, concise and easy to follow. Thank you for help; I wished you were here helping me with my project!
Thanks, Wendy!
Like so many of your videos, I wish I had seen this a year ago (which I updated bathroom 1)! But I will be ready when I take on my second bathroom in a year or two - I like using gloss in these small, humid rooms. You are the best - short, sweet, and to the point; and, always with practical tips.
thanks, Pax, glad you liked it!
It's funny. You come out with a new video....and suddenly my honey-do list grows. That being said you give me the courage to work on my neglected house and turn in into a home.
Thanks again.
you're welcome, Ben. :)
I struggled with this for years until I had a contractor do some work and the paint and finish was part of the estimate. My problem was I tried to build up too much compound too fast.Thin repetitive coats to complete the level 4 finish was the trick. His guys so so good and so fast, they didn't need to sand anything that wasn't a transition point.
I ve watching many videos of level 5 drywall finish but this one is the best video ever thanks a lot for that amazing video.
you're welcome, and thanks very much for the compliment!
Genius!!! I am so glad I found your channel! Doing a finished basement and you are saving me. Thank you
FINALLY someone showing how it's done the right way. Glad I found this channel !!
thank you! 🙂
Leah nice work can’t you just use a good primer like zinsser123 or kilz2 to resolve this problem?
You are awesome Leah, thank you very much. You are an excellent teacher, the world needs more teachers like you.
thanks very much!
Your videos are LEVEL 5. Thank you. Greetings from Italy
Learned something new again! Thanks as always Leah!
you're very welcome!
Love your videos Leah... Congrats on almost 100K subscribers... Won't be long before you hit that number
thanks, OTC!!!!!!
thanks Leah i am always learnig something new when i watch your videos .. wish you were around when i was younger i could of used all this info more . great seeing you again
you know, Ken, it's always nice to hear from you! Best, Leah
Thanks Leah! I really understand after your video. Have a super day !
Hi Jane !!! Um Leah...
Always love watching you video's !!!
Mane this lady always dropping jewels & know her stuff
Your channel is giving me the confidence to build my tiny home myself!!! Awesome job!
thanks!
Very cool, Danielle. Good luck.
What ratio of water to joint compound would you recommend? I'm thinking buying one of those orange 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot and mixing one of those boxes of premixed joint compound in the bucket with the water. Also as far as the mixer, would a metal paint mixer connected to a hand drill work?
you won't be able to do large batches that way. You will need to break it down into smaller batches. The consistency should be thin enough to roll onto the wall.
great tip! I have seen that done with a squigee too.
oh yeah, I can see that
Leah can’t you just use a good primer like.zinsser 123 or kilz2 to resolve this problem?
That's just really cool and professional look!
:)
WOW great explanation and easy example ,U are the best
We had level 5 installed in our marketing office. They make great dry erase marker walls, given that the proper and final product is applied. It's nice to have a marker WALL rather than just a board.
That is a cool idea
Leah, good to "see" you! Great tut as always. Hope you're having an awesome summer so far.
Hey Chris, great to see you too! Hope the gardening biz is going well.
Going great, thanks, summer moving right along, before we know it, it'll be fall.
Thanks a lot Leah. I didn't know there were 5 levels.
you're welcome, Jason!!
Level 4 looks pretty good. I think my walls are low level 3. Super bumpy and sloppy. How do I get it to a level 4 before I get it to a level 5? Sand the bumps??
Always sand compound. I can't tell you how many times I've peeled paint and primer of jobs that weren't sanded. It gives the mechanical key needed for adhesion
ms. leah you are awesome keeping it simple
Do u have to sand your level 4 before u do level 5
love your videos. anyways could you do a segment on leveling an uneven floor with plywood? putting down a subfloor? thanks!!!!
Many of us end up with drywall paper tears when removing pop corn ceiling. I saw your other video that describes how to fix that. We'll need 2 floats after that to achieve level 5. Do both need to be done with air-dry JC or does the first one need to be done with setting JC?
So in effect, it gives the same finish as a lath and plaster wall. Man does that bring back memories of my very young days.
yeah, you know what, that is a very interesting observation. I guess it does, although not the same durability.
I love your videos Leah! I learn so much. You are the best!
thanks, Margaret! I appreciate it
What happens after applying the air-dry joint compound? This is water soluble and can also easily scrape off, so I want to be careful about what primer, how many coats and what type of paint.
Love your videos, Leah! When I'm not sure I can do it, I see what you have to say and then I know I can do it! :)
yes, you can! 👍
Can you apply two layers of level 5 without any problems to the wall?, will it be worth it??
Wonderful!!! So helpful. What about walls that have been painted numerous times and you can see all the imperfections? Will this take them them back to a nicer state?
no, unfortunately not. It is intended for new drywall.
+seejanedrill Thanks.....at least I know how to do my unfinished basement walls.
Hilda Family Handyman has a tutorial on their site with pictures. It involves painting the wall with a (special) paint primer first and waiting for the paint to dry. Then doing the rolled on thinned compound, then scraping it with a squeegee type taping knife. They said it takes a few days and layers of doing this depending on how bad the wall was. Google "how to skim coat drywall family handyman" to see.
Amazon 421
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Always Great, as usual..Thank You, Leah, enjoy learning, from great teachers...
thanks, BK, I appreciate your kind comments always!
thanks to you i learned how to put up dry wall.
I really love your drywall tips. Thank you so much
you're very welcome!
Is there a level 6, 7 etc.?
Level 5 drywall finish is usually found in high end homes and museums. It has to be flawless.
Does Level 5 finish gives a plaster look w/o actually using plaster right?
If the only reason for doing a level 5 finish is to even out the difference in porosity between the exposed dry wall (being more porous) and the mudded area; then does that mean that there is no need for a skim coat on pre-painted walls? I have repaired a 16x16 section of my bathroom wall, and the surrounding un-mudded area is in perfect condition and finished with high gloss paint. Do I need a skim coat? My concern is that the 16x16 area will show through once I have primed and re-painted the whole wall. What do you think?
James Baxani it will show. It’s called flashing. If you sand the entire wall where the patch is located to knock down the sheen. Then spot prime the patch. Then paint the entire wall and you will be good to go.
I like your videos Leah. You are great!
Hey Leah I recently found a contraption called a flat box. Have you tried those yet? Seems like it makes taping much easier and faster if you have a large project to do.
Flat boxes, bazookas, banjos, yes, they are all designed for production drywall.
Wow, thank you so much I would never have thought of that on my own and I need to apply that on certain areas in my home!
you're welcome, Maureen, glad it was helpful!
Leah - First, I love your channel!! I have a question: I have 1990's sponge painted walls in my dining room. Can I use this type of technique to cover over the paint texture and make the walls smooth again? The walls are plaster and were extremely smooth before they were painted. If not, do you have a recommendation for getting rid of the slight raised paint from the sponge painting? Just sanding?? Thanks for any advice you have!
I believe it can work. I would, however, test a small spot first.
Thank you! Happy Halloween!
Newbie question. Doesnt a coating of primer accomplish similar results?
no
Love your presentation.
Can you do this to a wall that's already been painted, or is it too late at that point? Or maybe there is some other workaround that would help?
Hi Kurt, generally a level 5 finish is intended for new drywall
Great video Leah! What "level" would you use if you were going to apply wallpaper on top?
level 3
thank you so much...I needed this information and am thrilled to know how to proceed...
you're welcome, dee!
Great video! Thank you so much!
Wow that's cool !
Thanks Leah!
what spackle should i use for the roller for the level 5 finish
I vote leah for youtube president
🙂
@@seejanedrill you rock
I have a question, can you achieve level 5 by getting to level 4 and spraying pva primer/ new drywall primer over??
Perhaps.....hmmmmm. Good question.
Won't (as long as the divots are filled in) primer do the same thing to even out absorbency?
No, it wouldn't
I walked into my sister's house and looked at the ceilings and noticed the acoustic "popcorn" was gone, her husband replied, yeah we went with a level 5. I said you mean smooth finish lol. He said the drywall guy called it a level 5, which lead me to googling. Funny but their level 5 and the ceilings and walls I repair at work look identical. Either way thanks for your detailed video.
I learned things....thanks! Would some sort of primer remove the need to do all the joint compound?
Yes, for a level 5 finish, USG makes a primer-surfacer product called "Tuff-Hide" that you spray on with airless spray equipment. That particular application is for larger jobs.
+seejanedrill awesome and thanks again! Level 5 here I come for my next paint project :)
Thanks Leah! That was awesome!
Excellent explanation
Thank you
The compound scraped off, can that be rolled back on to the next area?
Not unless you are really fast, it has to be pretty soupy compared to regular mix.
Great info! Learned a lot of great stuff there!
thanks, Joe, for commenting!
Hmm what about primer before the paint???
When doing this over heavily damaged drywall (ie. after removing wallpaper that was glued directly to lvl 1 or 2 drywall, or popcorn ceiling that was very adhesive). Is it better to go and try and fix each individual rip/tear/gouge/hole, or to just do a thin (1/16th") coat over the entire wall/ceiling, sand, then skim coat/fill in little gaps or dips in my mudding?
I've been working on our ceilings for a few days, and an thinking that doing the whole-ceiling coat is a poor idea. I'm using tons of mud, and it's taking me a lot of mud & sanding passes to get it perfectly smooth/flat so it won't show ridges or shadows in bright light. On my first small room (entry way) I probably ended up with a good 1/4"+ of mud when it was all said and done...
I would think you would need to apply a primer-sealer to the damaged areas first so the drywall compound doesn't bubble up in those spots, then skim coat the entire surface to even it out.
Just noticed this was from 3 years ago...lol never mind. I'm sure you've got it sorted out at this point...
Do you have a video showing how to smooth a textured wall? i saw the one you posted involving a plaster wall, but guessing the process and materials would be different for textured dry wall. i have 1 textured wall that just looks awful and am going to apply paintable vinyl wallpaper as I don't think i can fix and replicate the texture. Thank you in advance for your help!!
If you want to take a picture of the texture and email it to me, I might be able to help.
Thank you! can I facebook message it to you? Otherwise, let me know where to send, please.
facebook message is fine, and my email address is posted on the see jane drill website, so whichever you prefer
i sent it to your seejanedrill facebook page linked in the description for this video.
do you always need to prime the areas with compound?
No, only when doing a level 5 finish do you need to "prime" the walls with joint compound.
As always a great video, thank you :)
you're welcome, and thanks!
Leah should be a life coach... I can do it!
🙂
Do you need to put anything on an already plastered wall if you need to put a skim coat on it?
Hello Mitch, The answer to your question depends on what material you use to skim the wall. If you're skimming a plaster wall with plaster you'll need to apply a bonding agent first. If you're skimming the wall with joint compound, no bonder is necessary.
+seejanedrill Ok thank you i am using Thistle Multi finish plaster over an existing plaster coat.
You must be in the UK? There's a bonder called Thistle Bond-it which you can use in conjunction with Thistle Multi Finish. Good luck with your project.
+seejanedrill thank you
Keep up the good work!
thanks!
great channel. Very helpful.
thanks!
Really? Well I be dog, something told me to do a quick search to get the REAL AND TO THE POINT EXPLANATION of a "level 5" paint. Some ding dong contractor told me it means you apply a thick coat across the whole wall, sand, then you do 4 more coats to "give it depth". I'm a tradesman/handyman and don't get me wrong, I've done it before and it looks good, but I would have been done with a level 5 skim coat job and now for sure today will be the day I'm done thanks to you. Just apply and swipe...move forward. Thank you Leah for the up-front truth.
you're very welcome, I'm glad glad to be of help!
Good information 👍
what will be a faster way to do a whole house. New construction.?
I'm sorry, I don't understand your question.
Sorry, how would you recommend to do a 8000 sq ft house.
More workers. Maybe a deadline?
johanna capri I had to do the entire house, I only had my friend to help, he’s a pro construction worker, owns a construction company with his brother. He didn’t charge me, just for materials but because he could only come weekends, it took us about a year to finish. But now it’s beautiful. And i watched and learned. Now I know how to do it all myself if need be
Use a sprayer.
Can't stress using a decent primer on new walls enough
You're right about that!!!
YOU ARE THE BEST
thank you, John, I appreciate it!
jeeze made it look so easy, haha! I just found out that you should angle the tool to not get tool marks, after about a hour of going back and forth, smoothing on area and creating a new tool mark every time like cutting a hydras heads.
#datnewbielife
:) Just takes a bit of practice. I hope it worked out!
:) Just takes a bit of practice. I hope it worked out!
Good to know.
:)
she is so cool!
thanks for this explanation. after 4 years of drywall finishing someone hit me with this term..totally though me off
Great, glad it was helpful!
YoSoyGus1 if you work with drywall as a professional, how do you not know what Level 5 is?
👍👍
Nice
do you texture it afterwards?
no, texturing hides mistakes and adds visual interest. A level 5 finish creates a perfect seamless wall.
No good drywall need to sand and you have to smooth
I freakin love you!
🙂
Is level 5 really one step up from level 5 ? Like your videos but had to say I thought that line was funny...
You'll always need to sand
Architects are people that have no skills to build something. But they went to a college.
Not a level 5 finish