What does Level 5 Drywall mean?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- This term gets thrown around a lot by architects, designers and contractors but many people don't know what it really means. This video explains the differences between the levels of drywall finishing.
Here is an in depth document if you want even more info on the subject.
www.usg.com/co...
My friend wanted me to help finish his drywall. Kept saying "I'm only going to take it to a level 4" like he was saving us a bunch of work. I was like bro I only know two levels done and not done 😆
Lol. Level 4 is the standard.
@@joohsay agreed however my level 4 has no scratches and i never paint without primer coating first
You pay for five and get maybe a two
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.
so is it like a thick paint?
I love high build. It’s also pretty great on concrete with a bunch of holes. Mix in some concrete primer and spray
Can you send this smooth?
I wondered about this, I've painted quite a few cars and thats what is done, building primer, sand, shoot, wet sand, cut, buff. I was asking drywallers about this recently because I need to do my house and doing something that I already know seems a whole lot easier than learning how to skim coat while my wife asks me "are you done, are you sure you know how to do that".....
Love this channel. No matter how short or mundane a video might appear to some, there will be at least one nugget of info that makes a huge difference for for guys like me that are not pro's.
The cut off between architectural finish levels will always be debated, but you just gave a great presentation clarifying all.
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 (150) grit rather than coarser (100) 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’ve used a product call First Coat on a level 4 finish. Supposed to bring the textures of the mud and paper to about the same smoothness. Then two coats of flat paint and it looked great. Even some egg-shell finish looked good.
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 videos 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.
A coat of sealing primer and 2 coats of paint all with at least a half inch nap usually does the trick with the same “stipple” throughout the wall
That's exactly how I like to do it🙂🙌
@@vancouvercarpenter Why didn't you mention sealing primer in you video. I've never seen anyone coat the entire surface of drywall with mud, seems ridiculous.
@@sofakingwetodddid8824 Do you work on construction sites? It's not that uncommon, but usually it's on renos if you have old textured walls or removed wallpaper. Sometimes it's easier to just cover the walls with 1\4" drywall instead of trying to fix all the holes and imperfections.
Yep, I did one ceiling at a 5 and promptly gave up after that. At least with ceilings no one should be getting close enough to even spot the barely noticeable difference
@@deckmonkey1459 , Been there too. Had a wallpapered bathroom with water damage. Had to remove all the paper, and cut away all the soaked drywall.
The glue from the wallpaper left no choice but to mud, and sand the entire room. Looked great when I finished, but it was a good bit of work.
This was described very well. I’m going to refer to this every time an owner is telling me the finisher and painter did a bad job when there’s a light washing down on a level 4 wall.
I came to these videos for tips on drywalling my kitchen reno. I stayed and subbed for the fussy drywaller bit. Keep up the great work! Very entertaining
After the first coat of primer I find it really helps smooth things out to do a quick sand over the walls. It knocks off all those little hairs sticking up from the paper. Kind of like sanding between coats of poly on wood.
I have seen pro painters do that on comercial jobs. I’m not sure if they used special surfacing primer or not. Labor intensive but it makes sense for a really good finish.
Awesome Topic, many thanks for explaining!
Indeed I was wondering, because I have heard this expression on one of the Home Improvement Series on TV. But since I discovered TH-cam and of course your channel as well, I hardly watch TV any more. This is so much better.
🙂 thank you
I use PVA drywall primer before painting. That always gives the surface a uniform look.
charles ray i agree
Also known as Drywall sealer. I would NEVER finish drywall in a living area without using a sealer before top coat painting. The wall would even be inspected after the sealer is applied and any blemishes in the mud corrected before top coat painting.
On all the homes I built we would bring the painters in after the finishers had everything coated and sanded and said they were finished but as all of you know, you can’t see anything till you have something on the walls to cover the rock and level everything out. I preferred using a PVA primer with some sort of color in it, nothing dark, usually just a light tan, relocation beige, etc. this makes it much, much easier to see any problems.
Painters would go thru and spray out the entire home and the spray guy would have his partner coming right behind him with a roller and he would backroll everything that was sprayed which would even out the primer and put roller nap texture everywhere and it would help conceal the spots that had been coated with mud versus the Sheetrock paper. This is a must if your going with a smooth finish which 99% of mine were. If your doing a knockdown or an orange peel or any of the other textures that are popular in states like California and others then you can skip this step.
Once everything had been coated and back rolled, the finishers would come back to do a point up which was when we would go thru and inspect every inch of board and mark any defects. This is where you’ll be thankful for adding tint to the primer. The finishers would then fix all defects and then the painter would come back and retouch his primer once again otherwise you will see those repairs once paint goes on.
If you follow this procedure then you can feel comfortable with all the pot lights in the world being on the walls along with the biggest windows bringing in all the natural light and you will not see a fastener, you will not see a taper joint, and you will not see a butt joint. Yes it takes a bit more time, a bit more labor and material, but you’ll never get a call back because the wife can see the tape joint running all the way around the dining room at 8pm every night when they sit down for dinner. There are certain steps for a quality job and you have to hit every one of them for a good finish, if you skip just one your gonna regret it.
Take care guys, stay safe out there!!
Why in the world would anyone not prime before applying $80/gal paint?
@@mazzystr $80 per gallon paint ! NO contractor pays that, no matter what brand. That is consumer pricing for home owners that go to the paint store an spend a hour there trying to decide on the colour. Trade price is half at most!
Just did a level 5 today. Turned out great. Love your videos. Keep them coming.
What method did you use to get level 5? Thanks
@@lrc87290 After my 2nd coat, i skimmed out the walls with a 14in knife. Super smooth.
@@SuperSkyScorcher Thanks!
Level 5 finish should also help with full gloss paints, especially with dark colors. I often hear warnings about dark gloss colors showing every imperfection in the walls.
My whole house was like level 2 max and thanks to your videos I'm getting them up to level 5 since every room has huge windows!
I wish someone had explained this to me before I put 5 sheets of drywall on my walls. My room is now 1 foot smaller. DOH!
Lol
At least that room will take forever for a fire to burn through those walls. Slaming in 3 inch screws on 5 layers must've been fun.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Level 3 finish followed up with really thick orange peel texture, primer, and eggshell paint. That's the cheap way the production builders do it but it just so happens to look pretty nice.
I love this channel. 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 videos 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!
friend kept asking what level the drywall was supposed to be, and i kept yelling back, "just make it level you idiot!"
🤪🤪
Lmao!!!
Nevertheless, a level 4 or 5 finish a lot of work involved. Maybe we should go back to plaster finishes, which are no more than 2 coats and no sanding.
My brother-in-law does plaster in high-end lake houses. Takes some talent!
At 3 mins in THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU SAVED ME SO MUCH TIME. I thought a lvl 5 was to "level" everything out, I didn't realize it was just to blend compound w existing drywall. Thank you a million
So I did a lvl 4 on my own... not knowing there are levels.
Sweet.
Same here man it feels great
Same here. What I've learned from this clip just saves me doing "3 more levels" on my walls. haha
I'm a 25 year professional finisher and totally agree with ya Vancouver Carpenter. I've seen that wall you're talking about.
Thank you. I had heard the term, and asked at my local big-box hardware store; no-one knew.
Video suggestion: show us turning a level 4 into a level 5. Many of us will do it incorrectly and create unnecessary work for ourselves.
Shocking lol
We use water based primer after the finishers level 4 coat the entire house & sand the primer once it’s dries, works as good as a level 5 finish
Yea, I thought a good primer would solve this problem. I was under the impression that you would have to prime new drywall anyway. Any products in particular you like to use for a primer on new drywall?
That sounds like painting. It’s not a level 5 finish. It’s level 4 with paint.
@@stiggmint6226 for most people a nice looking smooth wall is enough, only professional and people who are paying for it will tell the difference between 4 and 6
You are such a good teacher. Do you have professional training as an instructor? Your teaching is so practical. Good clear reasoning and examples. I'm learning so much. Thank you so much for your videos.
The tape job in 6:16 in that was something beautiful.👍👍
It also depends on the finish of paint. A satin finish will show off more imperfections than an eggshell.
Sheen difference is a bitch in eggshell
Agreed. We just did a Level 5 in an entire house because the homeowner watched a few TH-cam videos. (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.
🙂
If they are willing to pay. I am willing to do the job. Unfortunately many people think the price you are giving them includes LEVEL 10.
You’re right. My estimates have become a lot more detailed in the last few years. People want plaster results for drywall prices, and they expect paint to hold up like armor. I once had a lady ask me if her int doors-which we paint with a precatalized epoxy-would hold up to her kids hitting it with a baseball bat. She was serious, too. I I told her I’m afraid your door won’t hold up to that. And she said, oh ai thought since you painted it that it would be stronger. No lie. Real conversation I had in a half million dollar home.
@@KevinsDisobedience I believe it.
I was paying very close attention and around 2:20, I noticed my screen was cracked along the right side but realized it was your lens, wheew. Thank you for providing great info.
In my experience, doing level 4 or just plastering the whole thing takes about the same time. So I usually do the taping in two layers including edges, let dry 12/24hours, knock down with a trowel, do a 1 to 3mm single coat of finishing plaster on the whole room. Smooth 3 times, job done.
Exactly. Two coats then skim entire wall for 3rd coat on seams and screws.
When you mention drywall finish levels and your drywaller goes, "never head of that." :)
Richard Ellis yeah try explaining this to any of my Mexican drywall subs. They’re going to laugh and do what they’ve been doing for years
@@carpenterdom1639 If the subs your're hiring are true pros (Mexican or not), they probably would just do it right without the formal language.
ptmoy1 cool 👍🏽
Felonious Fishing If that’s the case then they don’t ever do level 5 finishes. In my experience the only tapers that know what level 5 is are the tapers that do it all the time. Otherwise, they have no clue about levels and are usually always doing a level 4 (but don’t know it’s a level 4).
Level 5 is found in high end houses and commercial space. All office building hallways are level five because of the lighting.
In Europe they do level 5 finishes everywhere which is overkill but it’s always guaranteed to look nice - even if it’s the back wall of a closet.
Felonious Fishing try paying them a fair wage see what happens.
I LOVE that sample board you made. Good work.
I would have loved to see your sample include priming first then paint AS WELL as prime, 220 sand then paint. I do the pole sand after prime and it's night and day.
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!😁
The crazy thing is in England level 5 is standard practice here, no level 5 it's just called plastering or skim coat if over pre existing plaster. I have never saw what painted plaster board/drywall would look like. Couldn't imagine it is as smooth
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!!
I've done a lot of Drywall work on my house and don't understand half of the lingo you used, can you explain in laymens terms? Specifically the part where you rolled the plaster on like paint and it comes out perfect?
Following lol
getstuk you are aware of the premixed spackle? Green and blue lid. Do you mix that spackle with a drill and a drywall paddle? If not you should. Well, add 1-2 bottles of water to the bucket while mixing. Add to get to a consistency you like working with. It all depends on how thick you want to coat your walls. I start with a bottle and 1/2. Then I roll on with a paint roller. Depending again on how wavie the wall is and the amount of mud you want to apply use a 3/8 or 1/2 nap roller. Then smooth mud with a 16” knife. I use “Level 5” brand knives. 36” or 24”. Takes out most to all imperfections.
@@petepistachio8229 God I wish I knew this before, took me some time to smooth out my walls. You have a link to that product or name? I use "joint compound" for 99% of my drywall work
getstuk for what? Spackle/ joint compound/ mud? Whatever you want to call it. The pre mix in the tubs. That’s what I’m referring to. At any Cheapo or Blowes.
Run over the first coat of primer/paint with a sanding pole before the second and third coat and that example you showed will look just fine.
Ha! That answers my "after video" question. Thx :)
@@claudews529 You're welcome. I've been in the drywall/painting profession for almost 34 years now. Always sand between first/primer coat and the final coat. You'll get great results!
@@williamfreeman3331 Most homeowners can't tell the difference between a pro and how bad it looks when they do it themselves but it's a huge difference. If you use a 9 inch sanding disc it only takes a few minutes to do the whole room.
@@deckmonkey1459True for sure
well, it didn't for me. Still have bumps. Been told to skim mud with light compound, sand and then paint. Wall is under bright lights and the "streaks" are from texture, not the paint. Trying to find info on how to fix after the painting... just sand and mud etc.?
So house with plaster walls is automatically a level 5 finish since there’s no tape or screws?
Comprehensive, but clear and informative. I guess the purpose is to replicate the old lath and plaster finish that was common back in the day before drywall. Is there a comparable specification for levels of precision on interior trimwork ?
#4 then sweep dust off surfaces , prime/seal dry ,sand primer to knock down fibers ,sweep then paint .
"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.
There’s no secret that there’s people who do really shitty jobs, doesn’t mean a level 5 is misleading if done how it’s supposed to be
Basically you do need a level five because almost all rooms should have a window or more, this is where texture comes handy correct??
every time I watch his videos I learn something new!
Is that not the point?
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 channel 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.
🙂
This is perfect. I have a huge doctor office I’ll be building and a Wall is a Level 5 finish. I was just about to research it when this popped up on my You Tube feed. Thanks again Ben for an awesome explanation...and for being psychic!!
Sometimes a level 5 doesn’t look great either. You can do what some call a level 6. Do your level 5 in one direction. Then do a second coat in a parallel direction. Kinda like a crosshatch. Will level out any imperfections. Lot more time and material but if it needs to be perfect, it’s worth it.
James D thank you for that tip! I will definitely do that! It’s going to have some type of artwork painted on the wall and needs to be a perfect finish. Thank you again!
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.
😂 been there
In the uk I use a gypsum 2 coat plaster system which is polished flat for L4/5 finishes. good video thanks
I was in "Van" doing some work last year. TH-cam 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 videos 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 ; )
A coat of primer can expose imperfections. Follow that with a little touch up.
Primer and a skim coat after usually does the trick for me to bring that L-5 interior finish. If a painter/contractor doesn't use primer on fresh drywall they're doing it wrong. Tell them to go to the nearest Paint store or go home.
Outstanding! I appreciated learning about the levels and finishes.
You have no videos about soundproofing walls with drywall. Is there any possibility you can do some videos on that?
Great information. I have been going to drywall college on youtube lmao. Lots of information
I had a level 5 finish done in my studio condo way back when, but it was more that the walls were so terrible that spending a bit extra at the time wasn't that big of a deal. Nowadays, I'm happy with a 4.
I watched several of your videos 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
Hey folks, be cautious with those popcorn finishes. Most contain asbestos, and asbestos is still the #1 occupational killer here in North America.
Thank you for correcting my ignorance level 5 and definition.
wow this is amazing....thanks a lot fot the detailed explanation.......this information helps immensely.
It means they took the time to do it properly.
The drywall guy we hired (in AZ) actually knew what it meant and knew how to do it.
And because our house faces east & west with lots windows, we did need level 5 in the great room
On point perfect said only skim walls like corridor’s elevator lobbies and general lobbies with high ceiling and big walls
Here level 4 finish we do 2 standard coats on on all joints, beads, and screw holes, and then a skim coat over all of those. Standard 1 coat inside corners.
Thanks. Simple but very informative for those that like 'to be right'
Did my first drywall work in 1994, made a living remodeling for twenty years. Got really good at matching textures and blending patches.
This is the first time I ever heard proper definitions of "levels", even though every skylight shaft I ever did was level 5... Great video!
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! :)
Excellent video. Can you elaborate on your experience with how the color or type of paint affects the decision of 4 vs 5?
Level 5 finish is hard to achieve and a sign of excellent workmanship!
Excellent explanation... again! Thank you sir for your clear and succinct presentations!
Yeah but you didn't prime. And what roller nap did you use? Also you can sand with a 220 grit between coats and or go all out and do a light wet sand before your final coat! All in all its good to know what the different levels mean. Though I have never heard anyone use them before.
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 like this - similar process to what my dad taught me. Do you also sand after first coat of mud and sand after second coat mud? Or just do one big sand after all mudding is done?
Also would like your opinion of hanging drywall vertically (to maximize the chance of matching up factory edges and less butt joints) or horizontally (and just dealing with the inevitable need to float out butt joints). Home construction with wood studs that is, not commercial.
Correction - I heard that Kilz PVC Paint is not great for making the transitions from drywall to mudded joints look great and more even.
If primed correctly you'll never see transition but if framing is bowed you will see it if the light hits it.....ive never had an issue with paint flash from taped to paper on finsih product......prime the shit out of it and it all becomes same sealed surface
If someone wants a hoity toity level 5 in their damn water heater closet im going give it to them as long as they don't mind paying for it. Who the hell am I to tell someone what they want or need???
dAMN you Need that stuff in the closet.. - the in-laws may peek inside.
Exactly
I’ve seen a level 5 in a lot of hospitals and medical facilities. Not sure why but this is where I remember them the most.
Those aren’t truly level 5 it’s a business and a hospital which would see a lot of traffic going on. They won’t do delicate work on those
So does level 4 finish mean that you're only mudd'ing the joints, corners, screw holes and leaving all the remaining drywall surfaces "factory" with nothing but primer and paint to be applied?
Level 5 Finish, I thought this was a language course, :)
Fuck, that’s a good joke
@@brendanmullen751 LOL Thanks, :)
Level 5 Finnish made easy, 5 CD's, learn a new language while you sleep!
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.
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?
There is a level 0; proving drywallers are moonlighting C programmers.
Yes the Zero'th level... (People hate when I number things from Zero...)
All arrays start from element 0. Sorry pal...your (and my ;) ) C arrays take from mathematics concepts that are 300 years old.
Great video. Informative, quick and concise, and not overdone.
I think level 5 means it unlocks the third word of Chaos-type spells.
I just ask for a skim coat on the entire wall and finished with a fine grit sand paper. I like a drywall finish that is smooth as polished stone.
back in 1980 they started to use recycled paper on sheet rock and it made everything flash. so we would skim coat the wall to make it turn out right. others would put topping in a spray bottle and shake it up then spray the paper parts of the wall to not make it flash and it works good
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.
Thank you for this informative talk on drywall. Very nice. Thanks for posting.
Great videos 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
That was excellent. I needed a good primer right now and that was well done
Strange question: if you are REALLY worried about moisture could you put mud over cement backer board and then paint that?
I wouldn’t risk it because of many drawbacks. HOWEVER, HardiBacker can take spackle and be painted according to manufacturers instructions. Good luck.
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.
Thanks for this. I asked you about a level 5 in your last videos comments! Thanks. Wanted to skim coat the paper!
Great, informative video. Your communication skills are really excellent - as good as your hand tool skills.
Thank you very much!
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 videos) 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.
It would be a huge amount of work to skim every part of all wall and ceilings in a sizable building I guess.
two coats of primer, then a sanding, then two coats of paint should eliminate any texture difference between paper and mud.
I was just wondering yesterday and what do you know, up pops the VC on my feed!! My mud pan is branded “Level 5” and I thought; I wonder what that means?!
High gloss paint makes 5 necessary and a lot of office building walls have windows that cast light across the surface of the walls that butt into them
That shows everything
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!
Another great video. Quick question, how does paint primer affect (or not affect) the smoothness of the finished project? Thanks in advance.
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 www.usg.com/content/dam/USG_Marketing_Communications/canada/product_promotional_materials/finished_assets/cgc-construction-handbook-ch05-finishing-drywall-systems-can-en.pdf
Excellent explanation. Thank you, VC
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?
My mother's house that was built just after WW2 here in the US has a cloth wallpaper type of layer against the plaster like you're talking about, she had some problems around a few windows that got left open while it rained over the years and on a wall where the chimney is on the other side of the wall on the outside of the house from where the cloth layer delaminated and pulled away from the wall, the chimney needed sealed up along it's edges to stop doing it, I fixed all the problems everywhere by mudding all of it and tapering it out.
Between the cloth and the layers of paint over the years it left a pretty thick step after I cut the cloth back to where it was still stuck to the wall, I had to do a lot of tapering with layers of mud to get it all leveled out so after it was painted you couldn't tell.
Why the cloth was there was a big mystery to us for years until finally I came across an old timer painter that knew about it, he explained that it was an option years ago that not many people had done because of the added expense and that it was to prevent the cracks that eventually form in plaster to keep from showing.
Where is it that you're from that they do it?
@@dukecraig2402 I'm from Belgium, Europe. The vast majority of our houses are brick (the most abundant resource here is clay, not wood). The inside walls are normally plastered, but we do use drywall to make some inner divisions from time to time, and drywall is also a popular option for ceilings.
The thing with brickwork is that it's sturdy, but it easily creates micro-cracks, mainly caused by ground movement or temperature fluctuations. In the old days, they used to cover the plastered walls with printed wallpaper (actual layered paper, with flowers or other designs printed on it).
Starting from the nineties, for a more modern look, people went to painted walls instead. The first paintable wallpapers that arrived were textured ones, and meant at hiding really uneven walls. For even walls, people started painting the bare plaster. But that seemed too fragile, many new-built houses showed cracks only after a year. Now, everyone who has some budget to paint walls also installs a paintable wallpaper and paints it.
I'm unsure if fiberglass wallpaper is a correct term for those papers though. It used to be pure fiberglass (the old, textured designs), but currently it seems to be a combination of fibreglass, polyester, vinyl and paper for different properties (thickness, glossiness, strength, moisture resistance, ...). We call it "vliesbehang" (film-wallpaper) locally, which is a very generic term.
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
If you want to stop the problems with raking light just put up window dressing.
The witching hour, the hour when the sun light exposes all your fuck ups lol.
As a commercial hvac tech, I learned from this