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Lydia Crowder digs into a touchy subject in the drywall world: what actually qualifies as a level four or level five smooth wall finish. She argues that too many crews are cutting coats and rushing the final steps, leaving lap lines, shallow screws, and uneven joints that don't meet true smooth wall standards.

Walking through her own process—prefilling, taping, multiple fill coats, and a final hand-finished skim—she makes the case for adding an extra coat rather than skipping steps.

She also touches on pricing, timelines, and the pressure contractors put on crews to hit deadlines that don't allow for the level of craftsmanship high-end finishes require.

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