# Ceiling flats



## Lovin Drywall (May 27, 2016)

Just curious if anyone has a solution or reason why sometimes after a month or more you can see the bevel in the ceiling flat even though its been coated 3 times 1st coat 10 inch box sanded second coat 12 inch box sandex 3 rd coat 16 inch trowel and floated acordingly to make flat then months later or even a year u can see the bevel through the paint under certain light


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## Wimpy65 (Dec 17, 2013)

Of course there can be many reasons why this happens, but one I've run into is the painter didn't use primer. The painters have even admitted the visible joints were their responsibility! :thumbsup:
Cheaper, faster, and better rarely go hand-in-hand!
I check the joints with a straight edge and if they are flat, my work is done.
Although a level five finish would help, most customers in my area are not willing to pay for it.


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## MrWillys (Mar 10, 2014)

Crowning in areas of critical light is not something that will go away ever. The Gypsum Association recommends level 5 in all areas that receive critical lighting as well as a high solids primer to reduce shadowing. Anything else is substandard and not the drywall contractors fault.
Our industry pays for the Gypsum Association and I would recommend that all familiarize themselves with this document.

http://www.lafarge-na.com/GA-214-10e.pdf


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

Lovin Drywall said:


> Just curious if anyone has a solution or reason why sometimes after a month or more you can see the bevel in the ceiling flat even though its been coated 3 times 1st coat 10 inch box sanded second coat 12 inch box sandex 3 rd coat 16 inch trowel and floated acordingly to make flat then months later or even a year u can see the bevel through the paint under certain light


I would check them with a straight edge. If they are not flat, they will probably show under the right light conditions. Could be the fill coat shrank back. Could be there is a high shoulder to the board that didn't get addressed. No amount of Level5 primer will straighten a joint that isn't flat and even to the surround surface. Level 5 primer does a pretty good job of creating an even texture and porosity to the surface so that there is no flashing from the unevenness between the mud coated surface and the paper surfaces.


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## Lovin Drywall (May 27, 2016)

I am super anal about flat i do 48 inch wide buts as standard and bigger when needed i coat flats way wider than they ever should be leveling betwwen high shoulder and trusses ive done ceiling flats 48 inch or 120 cms wide lots of times and bigger to flatten the ceilings and ya obviously level 5 hand skim with a 20 inch trowel on multi million dollar ocean front homes with lots of natural lighting


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## Lovin Drywall (May 27, 2016)

But the bevel shows up sometimes


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## VANMAN (Jan 14, 2011)

Lovin Drywall said:


> Just curious if anyone has a solution or reason why sometimes after a month or more you can see the bevel in the ceiling flat even though its been coated 3 times 1st coat 10 inch box sanded second coat 12 inch box sandex 3 rd coat 16 inch trowel and floated acordingly to make flat then months later or even a year u can see the bevel through the paint under certain light


Is it the bevel or the tape?


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

Most likely High shoulders


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

Lovin Drywall said:


> I am super anal about flat i do 48 inch wide buts as standard and bigger when needed i coat flats way wider than they ever should be leveling betwwen high shoulder and trusses ive done ceiling flats 48 inch or 120 cms wide lots of times and bigger to flatten the ceilings and ya obviously level 5 hand skim with a 20 inch trowel on multi million dollar ocean front homes with lots of natural lighting


Hmm. If you carefully shimmed things flat prior to hanging the rock you wouldn't need to coat things out that wide. It is very difficult to control the fill when things get that wide. You really have to use a feather edge or slicker (36" - 48") to screed from high ridge to high ridge to keep the fill coat straight. When you use a 12" blade to fan the mud out that wide it is easy to create hips, valleys and waves in the mud where the original surface was fairly flat. When we are working in a highly lit wall or ceiling for a smooth finish, we use straight edges to check the framing. On wood framing we will power plane low joists and rafters. Or high wall studs. And we will shim flat any concavities. If you shim things out properly it saves a lot of mudding. Butt Boards for the butt joints is another useful tool. One warning though. Once you pull out the straight edges, forget about making any profit on the job.


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## Lovin Drywall (May 27, 2016)

Ya i hear ya there forget profit doibg that 
I use a 16 inch or 20 inch trowel for coating ceilings and ya nobody i work for shims and planes framing or even dries it out past minimum requirements so fight with that all the time just try and do a good job with what i have


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## cazna (Mar 28, 2010)

Lots of reasons why this happens, To thicker coats, Not prefilling, rushing it, high shoulders, Sanding too soon after finishing. mud only drys to its enviorment at the time so homes get finished then heated up, Seasons change etc.

I prefill, do many thin coats, Allow plenty of time between coats often go do somethig else for a day or so half way through, Watch the weather and vent or heat if needed, Leave it for a week before sanding and so on, It all helps greatly but at the end of the day i believe the mud just wont dry to a set point before a givin time frame unless drastically heated, Even then heat goes winther comes and its changes again so really we cant totally win.


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

Sometimes a board will catch on another and not seat properly along the bands. When I see this I use a hammer and a piece of 2x4 and tap the protruding board in. Then refasten the effected area. If this happens and is not addressed, it will give results similar to what has been complained of in this post.


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## Lovin Drywall (May 27, 2016)

I do that as welk when i prefill whith concrete fill or fadt setting compond i watch for board hang ups and bang them level then fasten i have 5 construction heaters in the place im doing now and 5 construction grade fans and 2 de humidifiers but am rushed on every job to get done as fast as possible no body wants to wait even an hour after i complete yesterday started a new house and the tile setter came up to me as i was uploading my tools and said when do you think you might be done i said soon lol so i tape out 10000 ft woth and install 100 pieces of bead baby chamfer arches and 90 degree coffered ceilings 3 of them and a few bulk heads coat the screws and thats day one today i load everything tommorow i try to rough sand whats hopefully dry lol


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## endo_alley_revisited (Aug 9, 2016)

Lovin Drywall said:


> i have 5 construction heaters in the place im doing now lol


Too much heat under a ceiling can cause a lot of problems with the joints also.


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