Working on my basement renovation and trying to decide if I should go for level 5 finish or just stop at level 4. The walls are going to be painted a light gray. My husband thinks level 4 is fine but I've read that light colors show imperfections more. Is the skim coat really necessary or am I overthinking this?
5 Comments
For a basement with light paint, I'd say level 4 is probably fine unless you're getting natural light down there. Level 5 matters more when you have big windows casting shadows across the walls. In a basement with mostly overhead lighting you won't see the difference
We have 2 egress windows but they're small. Mostly recessed lights. That makes me feel better about skipping level 5
this is good advice. i did level 5 in my basement and honestly cant tell the difference from my level 4 upstairs hallway
Level 5 is insurance. You might not need it but you'll never regret having it. That said, skim coating a whole basement is a LOT of work for a first timer. If you're already feeling overwhelmed stick with level 4 and use a good primer.
Second the good primer advice. High build primer will hide minor imperfections almost as well as a skim coat for a fraction of the effort