· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Drywall Repair
Drywall finishing has defined levels, and the appropriate one depends on the paint sheen and the lighting. Specifying nothing means getting the industry default, which is often not what the room needs.
The levels that matter
Level four is the common residential standard — taped, three coats over joints and fasteners, sanded. It suits flat paint and textured walls.
Level five adds a skim coat over the entire surface, which is what a wall needs under raking light, with gloss paint, or in a room with large windows or wall washing lights.
When level five is worth it
Any wall that will be lit at a shallow angle — a wall beside a large window, a stairwell with a rooflight, a hallway with wall washers.
Also any wall getting eggshell or higher sheen, since sheen reveals every difference in surface between compound and board paper.
- Level four: standard, suits flat paint and texture
- Level five: skim coat, for raking light and sheen
- Specify the level in the contract, not afterwards
- Primer choice affects the result too
- Inspect with a work light held against the wall
Photo flashing
The uneven sheen that appears where joint compound and paper absorb paint differently. It is the visible symptom of a level four wall under conditions that wanted level five.
A high-build primer helps and does not fully substitute for the skim coat.
Inspecting the work
Hold a work light flat against the wall and look along it before painting. Everything the light finds will be visible afterwards, and it is far cheaper to fix at that stage.
This is the single most useful thing a homeowner can do on a drywall job.