Before board goes up
Framing plane verified with a straightedge rather than by eye. A stud crowned outward by an eighth of an inch produces a bulge across three feet of finished wall, and compound is a surfacing material rather than a leveling one.
Blocking confirmed for every known and likely future mount, because adding it after the wall closes means opening it again.
During installation
Small details, checked as we go rather than discovered at the end.
- Fastener depth dimpled just below the surface without breaking the paper face
- Fastener spacing per the assembly requirement
- Sheet layout planned to minimise butt joints
- Joints landed on framing wherever possible
- Board type correct for the location, particularly ceilings and wet areas
- On rated assemblies, layering and staggering per the listing
During finishing
Each coat fully dry before the next. This is the check most often skipped under schedule pressure and the one that causes the most callbacks.
Tape properly bedded with excess worked out from underneath so it bonds across its full width rather than blistering later. Each coat feathered wider than the last so no ridge forms at the compound edge.
How to check the work yourself
Turn the room lights off, hold a bright flashlight almost flat against the wall, and sweep it along the surface. It takes two minutes and it is the same test we use.
- No ridges at joints or bead lines
- No dips or depressions along seams
- No fuzzy patches, which indicate the paper face was sanded through
- On a Level 5 wall, the plane reads uniformly with no visible joint bands
- Running a hand across the surface, no transition felt at any joint
- No dust on ledges and sills, because primer over dust will fail
