 alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | Good drywall primer? Level 5 finish? Couple of questions while I wait in place of my wife in a walk-in clinic cause she has the sniffles.
I'm thinking of doing a level 5 finish on my new drywall in the basement (skim coat applied with a paint roller) but only because there is a lot of lighting in there from low ceilings (=7').
With the mud I have left I can at least skim coat the ceilings, but if I want more. I would need a good extra bucket. For the same extra cash, I can splurge on a fancier primer instead.
Note - walls will be light color painted with satin gloss level (mid-glossy).
Bonus Q: should I sand down my drywall to a finish before applying the level 5 skim coat? Or I do the sanding after? |
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 dennismurphyPut me on hold? I'll put YOU on holdPremium
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ
 ·Verizon FiOS
 ·Optimum Online
| My $0.02: skim coat is unnecessary but spend the money on GOOD paint.
I'm still finishing up my basement (been a year now ... Ugh. Other priorities) but we put up fresh drywall and used Benjamin Moore Regal paint with BM primer .... Fabulous finish. Absolutely fabulous. I'll post a picture shortly.  |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | Oh for the paint that is a sure thing: Benjamin Moore or sherwin Williams. I don't want to have to deal with paint trickles or do a 3rd coat.
Though I will do the level 5 on the ceiling because I got the left over mud and it will be fairly quick and well it is a huge flat surface (what level 5 is reserved for).
Btw me too, it has been a year since I started demolishing the old basement. The end is near. |
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 John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to alkizmo
I prefer a level 5 finish since it provides a more consistent surface and reduces taping flash, especially where you have lighting that is oblique to the surface. |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | Well I'm not sure what qualifies as lighting that requires level 5.
»Basement re-finishing progress
Check picture 3 & 4, that's up to date with the pot lights installed.
The windows are pretty low, but they don't get a lot of direct sun light as they are facing North east (trees in the east blocking direct light). |
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John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | I should have said "there is" rather than "you have"... |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | said by John Galt:I should have said "there is" rather than "you have"...
I understood what you meant, hence why I asked: Do I have? |
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dennismurphyPut me on hold? I'll put YOU on holdPremium
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
·Optimum Online
| reply to alkizmo
Don't mean to hijack your thread, but wanted to show you what the walls look like with a "simple" finish ... (virgin "Mold Defense" LaFarge 1/2" drywall), Benjamin Moore primer, Benjamin Moore Regal paint (2 coats of each).
We still have to finish up the drop ceiling and the basement bar area ... It's usable, but I really need to get those done. All it takes is time and money, of which I have neither  |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | Don't worry, you didn't hijack the thread where i put my basement pictures 
Nice trim work, slightly considering it, but it will be a kids playroom for quite a few years, so the trims would get trashed anyway
One thing though: CARPET? I hope it's not because you wanted to not have a cold floor, that's a bad excuse |
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dennismurphyPut me on hold? I'll put YOU on holdPremium
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
·Optimum Online
| Thank you!
Part of the reason for carpet is because the concrete floor underneath is quite uneven. Off by a few inches with some dips and such. Covering with carpet and a nice pad makes it unnoticeable. Not to mention the concrete is still ugly with the remnants of glue from the vinyl tile I chipped off it. This entire room is a little over 800 square feet so that was a TON of chipping, believe me . The workshop / home office / furnace room / half bath / laundry room behind it (another 700 sq ft or so) is concrete with enamel paint.
The other (and primary!) reason is that the CFO prefers carpet.
The floor actually stays quite warm - even when the temperatures were in single degrees Fahrenheit, the basement was no more than 3 degrees cooler than upstairs (the house is a ranch style). Can't complain about that. |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | I went with (from bottom to top) DeltaFL, 1.5" XPS, 5/8" plywood as my subfloor.
My concrete slab wasn't level either, and that subfloor sort of evened things out (lots of tapcons too). Laminate floor planks will be installed at the very end (but before the baseboards of course). |
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John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | reply to alkizmo
said by alkizmo:I understood what you meant, hence why I asked: Do I have? In my opinion it is largely dependent on the wall surface finishes. If you are going to do smoothwall with a semi-gloss paint, then I'd suggest the level 5 finish. Room lighting, including floor/table lighting can show the flash dependent on where you are standing/sitting.
Insofar as flash is something that 'cannot' be repaired/remediated after painting, I'd suggest doing taking the time to do the skim coat with a careful sanding prior to priming. If this was going to be storage/shop, then it wouldn't be so important, but since it is living space, I believe it warrants the extra time and effort.
YMMV
--
No amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him. Well, you can try to...
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | reply to alkizmo
Personally I think a level 5 finish is a bad idea. This is mainly a kids playroom. It will get dinged up. Smooth finishes are extremely hard to repair and have them look good. I would just do orange peel on it. I have a ceiling that's about 7' tall with orange peel and it looks fine. |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | Orange peel? |
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John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | The standard sprayed texture... |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | said by John Galt:The standard sprayed texture... Yuck, that reminds me of my dead grand father's government subsidized apartment.
Anywho, I started sanding my ceiling today and I am starting to see why level 5 might be too much. I can barely see the tape lines yet no primer is on yet. The walls might give a different result though, since the pot lights won't be blinding me like they do for the ceiling. |
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John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | As you sand you are 'damaging' the paper adjacent to the tape joints. That will make the surface take the primer & paint differently.
In this particular circumstance (kid dump) it won't matter, but if it was in another part of the house, maybe more so. |
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alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | said by John Galt:As you sand you are 'damaging' the paper adjacent to the tape joints. That will make the surface take the primer & paint differently. hmmm I didn't think of that.
said by John Galt:In this particular circumstance (kid dump) it won't matter, but if it was in another part of the house, maybe more so. It will be a kid dump for 5-10 years, then it will be a man cave.
I guess this year's work will never be about an aesthetically pleasing area, but more of a refuge for the unwanted
I bought a box of lite ready mix compound. I guess it can't hurt to spend an extra day level 5ing.
TBH with all the bulkheads, the low ceiling height, and short walls, there is very little bare drywall exposed left to skim coat. I guess it won't be a lot of hassle. |
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