Lydia Crowder walks through a traditional hand-applied level five skim coat over a finished level four wall. She thins her drywall compound, working corner to corner and top to bottom, applying mud and immediately scraping it back off to eliminate paper texture, seams, and high spots without building up thickness. Lydia explains how she paces herself to avoid the mud drying before she can wipe it down, and how she checks corners for tightness and consistency. Once dry, she sands lightly, listening and feeling for a smooth, almost glass-like finish before touching up any missed spots with the same mud and method to keep the surface uniform

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