Hey everyone! I recently had my drywall done and I'm kinda confused about whether it's actually ready for paint. I had a drywaller come in and he insists that it's all smooth and good to go for priming and painting. I had previously thought it was just a Level 2 finish, which I don't think is good enough for my needs. When I asked the drywaller about the finish levels (you know, Level 2, 3, 4, 5), he seemed confused and said there are just three steps to drywall work: tape, mud, and sand. From what I've read, it seems like I'd need a final skim coat or extra mudding and sanding to really get it ready, especially since I want to use this Limewash Paint which has a flat finish that can show imperfections. I have a pic of the drywall that I can share (link in the original post). Should I sand it more? Add another coat myself? Or am I wasting my time here? Would love your thoughts!
4 Answers
Hope you didn’t pay him yet! That’s far from finished in my opinion.
Honestly, those close-ups don’t look paint-ready at all. There are ways to fix it; a skim coat or some more sanding would definitely help. I’d suggest getting a couple of estimates from some painters just for a second opinion before you dive into the DIY route.
From what I'm seeing, that drywall could really use a final skim coat at the very least. I've done a fair bit of my own drywall work and honestly, it doesn’t look ready for paint. If you're planning to add a texture, it can be a bit more forgiving, but I'd lean toward using an eggshell finish rather than flat paint just for durability. If you're considering doing it yourself, the skim coat isn’t too tough, and starting in the closet is a good idea to practice! Just make sure to be careful with the texture you apply, especially since limewash is pretty unique.
Is the skim coat relatively easy for a beginner to DIY? Half of it is in a closet so I could start there as I'm improving lol, I voiced my concerns and he disagreed. He's doing it pretty cheap and is doing several other odd jobs so I don’t think I’ll make a big fuss if I can just fix it up myself. I don’t want to apply any rough textures like orange peel, etc., but the paint I'm using will be limewash which you paint on with a brush in this sort of cloud-like texture that I think may disguise some of the irregularities.
You definitely didn’t hire a pro finisher if he thinks that’s ready for paint. That looks like a Level 2 finish at best, which is typically fine for garages or storage but not for living areas. You might want to think about hiring a finisher if it's a big job. If it’s small, maybe try your hand at fixing it up yourself. Just be prepared that it might not look perfect.
I'm going to be painting it myself, what do you think would do the job best for fixing? A skim coat? More sanding?