Light for light checking

PrairrieDogExpress

I dare you to go through with a light after your done just to see if you missed anything. You'd be surprised what you miss without one. The light just creates shadows so you can see the small scratches ect. that you cant get with the naked eye.

cazna

Thats right, So its everyone for a light and PDE against?? I wonder if we are all wrong and PDE is the only one in the world who does not check up on there work becouse its not needed??

Mudstar

Well I coat my wall more times and tighter then most and sand with a minimum 180 grit paper between coats then most.

All you 2 coat wonder tapers have no choice but to go over your work with a light to touch up spots that need be where that third and forth coat on butts and beads that should have been done in the first place takes care of this issues.

My final sand has no too very little scratches and if your seeing scratches in your work then I'd say your using to coarse of paper.

All my work is inspected by painter when he puts the prime on the wall any scratches created by trim or other trades is not an issue of mine and they know that.

If your touching up dings and scratches from others for free then your taking money out of your own pocket.


JS

PrairrieDogExpress

No I was saying that it is necessary to use a light.

PrairrieDogExpress

"All you 2 coat wonder tapers have no choice but to go over your work with a light to touch up spots that need be where that third and forth coat on butts and beads that should have been done in the first place takes care of this issues. "

My apologies. You are the man.

Mudstar

necessary if you jump ahead of the work that should have done before you moved on to the next wall

PrairrieDogExpress

Not everyone is as amazing as you so I'm saying for the AVERAGE taper a light is a good idea. But thats just my .02.

Mudstar

Amazing might be an over statement but I do know that most tapers skip or try to do it in less steps then suggested by the manufacture and end up having to go over there work because of that.

That's why I say that jumping ahead really gains no time or quality because going over work with a light takes more time then putting that third or forth coat on.

Unless you like looking for a needle in that hay stack I'd rather see someone skim it tight again. It guarantees your quality and coverage is not lumpy because of touching up.

2buckcanuck

man if I could coat something once and check it with a light and get away with it (acceptable work) plus get paid for it,I would!!
coating things more than you need to sounds like more time and extra cost to me.I do 10 ,12 and skim that by hand in common areas (not closets etc) and still check that with a light.do I find a lot when I check with a light? no, but my name is on the line so I do it
Plus its a lot faster to check with a light than to put a extra coat on every thing,she's a business not a hobby "get her done" money money money

taper71

Sorry but I have to call BS on this. There is no way I could put a 3rd and 4th coat on in less time that it takes to light out ( I use a 100watt halogen ) and touch up after prime. I do not care how good anyone thinks they are - everybody misses stuff even if you are doing more than 2 coats. ( just some less than others. )
The time of day when you are sanding , if its cloudy, sunny , or partially sunny, windows etc... all plays a factor in sanding. A tiny pebble that your paper picked up while pole sanding will cause a scratch that you will not see unless you put a light to the wall. The dust from sanding that falls into little dimples and covers up scratches that you cant see until the prime is on. The people that dont use a light around here still do a fairly decent job its just the painters do alot more touch ups, or the building sups just cant see it and aren t looking for it.
Drywall quality is different all over the country and from taper to taper. I personally went around and compared my 2 coats with another tapers 3 coats. In multiple houses . There was no difference except I drove a nicer truck and made alot more money than him.

tricounty dwall

i have to agree with taper. And plus when the painter primes and u go back and check it with a light u will find stuff. I dont care how long u have been doing it or how good u are. U might think u are the best but when u put a light on it u will be surprised. A 500 watt halogen is a finishers worst friend. But it needs to be done POINT BLANK

cazna

Twin 500 watts on a stand are my thing now, rise the stand up for ceilings and put it against the wall with one up and one down to cover a large area, its got enough power to beat the sunlight. Its good to check your work but its the scratches and chips/dents in the board that can show up too, depends how rough the board has been handled, sometimes its beatin up quite bad.

tricounty dwall

i use to do the same with the twins on a stand, but my stands kept getting broke and i got tired of buying them. And yes u also have factory defects also, dents dings grooves. Lately ive seen a lot of factory grooves in the stretch board

cazna

Hey Man, you say you skim by hand, i have just done a lot of that, but rolled it then troweled it off, works great, perfect level 5, my next house is all hanging and wall lights, no down lights and has critical sunlight so i was going to get a level 2nd coat then skim it all for the third a think it will come up perfect, interesting to hear someone else doing the same kind of thing.

cazna

We have had some strange factory marks too, big areas of it, kinda like the paper is stuck on plaster thats been stood up and hose with water and gone streaky in patches, dont see it till its painted and sun or light hits it at the right angle.

Seems like we all trying to get the perfect finish with completly un perfect materials, bit of a mission impossable but try to tell the home owner that, you sound like an un confident fool, and if the owner/builders loses confidence in you then your stuffed, Mr Bullsh!t then comes along and gets the work, Better to say its all good and nothings a problem and deal with things quietly yourself as you need to.

Capt-sheetrock

I've been doing this since 1973. I use a light to check my stuff, cause even tho I'm the BEST finisher that has ever lived,,, the light shows me stuff that I missed.

And we ALL know that the HO or the GC doesn't understand that the dimples that came in the rock THEY bought, is not really our problem.

And after this long time,, I have come to realize that I am not the HOT-ROD that I once thought that i was.

2buckcanuck

yeah cazna
we just hawk and trowel sunshine walls ,painted ceilings stair wells, what we call common areas in canuck land ,played with a roller a bit ,what mil are you using ? see every one talking level 5 jobs on here,I see level 5 coming our way (wont let us use nail spotters) if I had to go level 5 ,I was thinking (guessing) you could maybe roll a wall with out troweling (wiping) and only 2 coats on screws , just wondering ,and i think i went off topic here on this thread ,what u think cazna or anyone?

cazna

I started i thread on this as i was a bit stuck on what to do but sorted it myself.

Level 5, spraying mud???

I found it worked better than i could have dreamed of, I used a 16mm lambs wool roller 360mm wide with a huge ass roller tray that holds a box full of mud, the cheap roller will only fill the walls with pubes and fall apart.
you have to trowel it off but its easy as and smooths out great, almost no ridges and a radius360 idiot stick sand down under the double 500watts is all it needs, my next job will be the only job that i wont run a power sander on for the last 12years. Screw scooping from bucket to a hawk or pan then push it on the wall and wipe off, I leave it to uneven and to many ridges. You may not.

cazna

Sorry man, miss read it, yes i know, Im an arse, apoliges again. My comment was for Mudstar.

Mudstar

I believe that you light checkers that been in this business over 20 years never did before and have been told that you have to because got suckered into doing it so the painters job is easier. I have a question to you light checker. Do you follow the suggested manufactures way of application or do you try and do it with less steps to accomplish the finish inevitable of the systems. I only say this because anytime I follow this methods I don't see anywhere on the seams angles or beads that there's imperfections. Maybe you guys don't have you tools setup right to apply the proper amount of mud on the joint or something.