Here is What You Need to Know About Plasterboard Finishing

Plasterboard is needed for making every portion of a house, but you need different finish for different portions. The desired level of finish is predetermined, and it is engineered at the design stage. The decision about plasterboard finishing should not be kept pending till installation or decoration state since that would not yield the desired result. However, for domestic buildings a level 4 finish may just be perfect. Let us look at the levels first.

Level 3

This is for areas that don’t require any decoration. You will find it in areas like above the ceilings, inside the service shafts etc. These areas are not usually painted and decorated, and appearance does not matter much.

Level 4

This is the standard level of finish. This is needed for places where you would expect normal decoration or painting. This is the default level of finish for domestic buildings and offices. 

Level 5

This is the highest level of finish. Here the predetermined outcome is to have such a finished surface which is more or less free from blemishes and defects. However, there may be texture variation. Nevertheless, level 5 finish needs to specified. 

Realistic Expectations 

House owners do have an expectation that the surface of the walls will be completely free from blemishes. This means that plasterboard finishing would be perfect with no defect. But this is unrealistic in nature and is difficult to achieve. A more realistic scenario is to have a surface that does not have any visible joints and has a uniform finish that is serviceable and decorative. 

Achieving a level 4 finish

A level 4 finish is the default level and can be used in any place unless level 5 is specified. To achieve this, a three coat system is used. After the first coat of joint cement is employed, all the joints and interior angles are embedded with tape. Thereafter, two more coats of the joint cement is applied over the surface, joints, angles, fastener heads etc. You must see that the joint cement or the plaster you are using is evenly finished and there is no tool mark on the finish. 

Unsatisfactory outcome

The house owner may not be satisfied with the appearance of the finish after the job is done. The contractor may then consider upgrading the plasterboard finishing to level 5 by skim coating the surface. This would apparently hide the blemishes, if any, and impart a satisfactory appearance to the walls. Skim coating is done with a plastering material or some kind of a special paint. Though the job does improve the appearance, it is never equivalent to a level 5 finish. It is not possible to achieve a level 5 finish at this stage. You need to have a discussion between the builder, designer, plasterer, framer as well as the decorator to have such a finish. In short, for achieving a level 5 finish and to meet the expectations of the consumer, it must be factored in at the design stage.

When level 5 finish is called for

A level 5 finish may be required in places which are exposed to critical lighting such as spot lights, low angle glancing lights etc and have dark colors. Such lighting arrangements and color combinations tend to highlight blemishes and imperfections. This is why such places call for a level 5 finish. But achieving the finish is easier said than done.

If level 5 is specified, be it in dwelling unit or commercial units, you cannot achieve it singlehandedly. It calls for close coordination between builder, installer, framer, plasterer and the painter.

Achieving a level 5 finish

A three coat system is followed for achieving a level 5 finish too. Here too, after the first coat of join cement is applied, all joints and interior angles are embedded with tapes. A further two coats of joint cement is applied over angles, fastener heads, joints etc. Since the surface is meant for painting, the joint cement must be uniformly finished and free from any tool mark or ridges. The final finish is achieved by applying a specialty paint or by spraying or rolling a plastering material over the surface. However, even that may not be enough. The final outcome may only appear after sanding the required areas. This would only make the surface ready for painting.