How a smooth wall finish is accomplished.

At Mission Painting and Home Improvements, we not only strive for you to have a hassle-free home improvement experience, but we also want the end-product to be all you envisioned and potentially even better.

One area where people often accept "less than ideal" is in the finishing of their walls, but that doesn't have to be the case for you. You can have a fantastic finish and we can help.

The Gypsum Association, a group made up of many of the most well known gypsum board manufacturers and retailers in North America, sent out a publication outlining the different levels of finish for drywall, which is known as GA-214-10. If you would like to read about the 5 levels of finishes for drywall check out GA-214-10 pdf here.

This publication also refers to products that are suitable substitutions for skim coating that have been developed by gypsum manufacturers in recent years. To qualify as a level 5 finish these products must be applied by following the manufacturers' recommendations.

What is a level 5 finish and how is it achieved?

A level 5 finish is the smoothest of smooth finishes. It is a finish that can stand up against stringent examination in most types of light and regardless of paint type. If you are using a high gloss paint, a level 5 finish is highly recommended.

A level 5 finish is achieved by going above and beyond the normal Tape, Mud, Sand procedures by adding a skim coat of mud over the entire field of wall, not just over the seams. The skim coat is lightly sanded and checked for flaws left behind. No matter how skilled a tradesman is, using a skim coat will eliminate the difference in textures between drywall paper and the areas where mud was applied. For instructions on how to roll skim drywall check out this article.

Why we aim for it, and why we will not guarantee it

Level 5 is the standard we work toward. It is not something we guarantee, and we would be careful about any contractor who does.

The reason is that a wall finish is only partly about technique. It is mostly about what is already there. Homes settle. Framing moves with the seasons. Older walls carry the history of every previous repair, every texture that was applied and later removed, and every coat of paint that went on over the top. Plaster behaves differently than drywall. Substrate that is out of plane stays out of plane unless it is rebuilt, and no amount of mud on the surface changes that.

On a new, flat, well-hung wall, a level 5 result is realistic. On a lot of real homes it is not achievable at any sensible cost, and pretending otherwise sets you up to be disappointed by work that was actually done well.

What we will do is tell you honestly what your walls can become before we start, so the finish you are paying for is the finish you get.

Is it time to repaint your walls? The experts at Mission Painting and Home Improvements are here to assist you in all finishing and painting needs.