01 Hang & fasten
Board up, seams tight.
Sheets hung to break joints, screws set just below the paper, outside corners beaded.
Drywall
Walls that appear flat and smooth.
Hanging, taping and mudding, patches, and smooth-wall skim coats for walls that face windows or wear dark paint.
- Finished to the industry-standard levels
- Paper tape, three coats, feathered wide
- Checked under a work light
- Jordan on every job
- 2-year workmanship warranty
From board to smooth walls
Five coats of patience.
02 Tape coat
Paper tape bedded in mud.
Every seam and inside corner gets tape pressed into compound. Quick-setting compound prefills the gaps and butt joints first.
03 Fill & finish coats
Wider each time.
A fill coat, then a finish coat, each one wider and thinner, feathered until the joint disappears. That’s the standard finish for most homes.
04 Skim coat
One thin coat over everything.
For dark paint, sheen or big windows, the whole wall is skimmed so paper and mud take paint the same way.
05 Prime & raking light
Checked with the light low.
Sanded with dust control, primed with a drywall primer, then inspected with a work light held flat to the wall.
Scope
What’s included
Not included: framing changes, insulation or vapour barrier, electrical, popcorn-ceiling removal in pre-1990 homes without an asbestos test, mould remediation.
- Hanging board on walls and ceilings (basements, additions, rebuilt rooms)
- Taping and mudding to the standard finish for most homes, with paper tape and three coats
- Smooth-wall skim coat where the light or the paint calls for it
- Patches: nail pops, doorknob holes, water-damage cut-outs, cracks
- Corner bead, butt joints and ceiling seams done properly
- Sanding with dust control and plastic walls around the work
- Drywall primer, ready for paint (or painted, if we’re doing both)
Proof
Real work, 2025.
A basement taken from framing to boarded, ready for tape and mud.
A low-light photo of a finished smooth wall is coming. Until then, the top image is an illustration of what it looks like.
Read client reviews on Google and Facebook.
Every space is different, so pricing comes after a free walkthrough.
Process & timeline
From walkthrough to finished.
- 1
Book a walkthrough
Pick a time that suits you, or call or text. A short note about the space is plenty.
2 minutes
- 2
Walkthrough
Light, paint plans, finish level, access, dust plan.
20–30 minutes
- 3
Written quote
Square footage, level of finish, products and dates.
Within a few days
- 4
The work
Tape, fill, finish, skim if needed, with drying time between coats.
Patch 1–2 visits · basement 1–2 weeks
- 5
Light check
Inspected with a work light, primed, ready to paint.
Last day
Care & warranty
After we leave.
2-year workmanship warranty: if peeling, cracking at joints or seams showing from our work turn up within two years of completion, we come back and fix it. It doesn’t cover damage, moisture or structural problems, or normal wear. Your written quote spells out exactly what’s covered.
- Primed drywall should be painted within a few weeks. Raw compound marks easily.
- Small hairline cracks in the first winter can come from framing settling. Tell us and we’ll look.
- Use a damp sponge, not sandpaper, for tiny touch-ups before painting.
- Keep humidity moderate while compound dries. A dehumidifier helps in basements.
What is a smooth-wall finish?
It’s the smoothest finish in the drywall industry standard: normal taping and three coats, plus a thin skim coat over the entire surface. It makes the wall take paint evenly so seams don’t show in side light.
Do I need a smooth-wall finish?
Usually only where it shows: walls facing big windows, long halls, ceilings with low side light, dark colours, or any paint shinier than a low shine. Most rooms with paint that has little or no shine look great with the standard three-coat finish.
How much does drywall repair cost?
Every space is different, so pricing comes after a free walkthrough. The size of the repair, how much board work is needed and whether you add a smooth-wall skim coat all shape it. You get a written quote after the walkthrough.
How long does it take?
Each coat has to dry, usually about a day for ready-mixed compound, longer in a damp basement. A patch takes one or two visits. A basement takes about 1–2 weeks of finishing.
How much dust will there be?
Some, but it stays contained. Plastic walls go up around the work, sanding is kept light with dust control, and everything is cleaned up daily.
Why do my seams show after painting?
Usually the finish level, sanding or primer, not the paint. In side light, paper and compound take paint differently. A skim coat and a proper drywall primer fix it.
Paper tape or mesh?
Paper tape for most seams and all inside corners, because it’s the strongest. Mesh only with setting-type compound on flat joints and patches.
Can you match my texture or remove a popcorn ceiling?
Texture can usually be matched closely, and we test a patch first. In homes built before 1990, popcorn ceilings should be tested for asbestos before anyone scrapes them.
Do you paint too?
Yes. Drywall and paint by the same person means the primer, sheen and lighting are planned together.
Is there a warranty?
Yes, a 2-year workmanship warranty. If peeling, cracking at joints or seams showing from our work turn up within two years of completion, we come back and fix it. It doesn’t cover damage, moisture or structural problems, or normal wear. Your written quote spells out exactly what’s covered.
Book a walkthrough
Book a walkthrough. We’ll go from there.
Coffee, a video call, or a visit. Then a written quote.
- 705-300-9204 call or text
- jordan@heartmindspaces.com
- Mon–Sat, 9 AM to 5 PM
Levels of finish
From bare board to smooth walls, in plain words.
Drywall finishing follows an industry standard with set levels of finish (the trade names are in the glossary below). The level depends on where the wall is, how it’s lit and what paint goes on it.
- Out of sight
Hung and taped
Board hung, tape set. Attics, above ceilings, service areas.
- Garages, under tile
One coat
Tape plus one coat. Fine where looks don’t matter.
- Under heavy texture
Two coats
Two coats. The texture hides the rest.
- Most homes
Three coats
Three coats, feathered. Right for paint with little or no shine in normal light.
- Dark, glossy, bright
Smooth walls
Three coats plus 1-2 skim coats over the whole wall. For shinier paint, deep colours and big windows.
If a wall faces a window, a long hallway or a pot light, or you want a deep colour or a sheen, a smooth-wall skim coat is usually worth it. How sheen affects this →
How the space helps
What you may notice afterwards.
Calm in every light
Walls that look the same at noon as they do at sunset. Nothing catches the eye.
A finished basement
A space downstairs that feels like part of the home, not a storage room.
The colour you wanted
Dark, moody walls that look rich instead of showing every seam.
One less repair
That hole behind the door, finally gone, and painted to match.
While we work, we practice Dissolve: nothing carried into the space but care. About the practice
Glossary
What the terms mean
The words you may see in your quote.
GA-214 / ASTM C840
The industry standards for drywall finish levels and how board is hung and finished.
Level 0 to Level 3
The lower finish levels: Level 0–1 is board hung and tape set (out of sight), Level 2 is tape plus one coat (garages, under tile), Level 3 is two coats (under heavy texture).
Level 4
Joints taped and given three coats, plus screws and beads. The normal finish for flat paint in normal light.
Level 5
The trade name for a smooth-wall finish: Level 4 plus a thin skim coat over the whole wall, so it takes paint evenly in strong side light.
Flat and eggshell
Paint sheen names: flat has no shine, eggshell a low shine. Anything shinier (satin, semi-gloss, gloss) shows more of the wall underneath.
Critical lighting
Strong, low-angle light from windows or fixtures that skims across a wall and shows every ridge.
Tape, fill and finish coats
The three passes at each joint: bed the tape, fill wider, then feather wide and smooth.
Skim coat
A thin layer of compound troweled or rolled over a whole wall, then smoothed.
Hot mud
Setting-type compound mixed from powder. It hardens by chemical set (20–90 min). Used for prefill, patches and mesh tape.
All-purpose vs topping
Ready-mixed compounds. All-purpose beds tape; topping is softer and sands smoother for the last coats.
Paper vs mesh tape
Paper is strongest and used for corners and most seams. Mesh goes only with hot mud on flat joints.
Corner bead
Metal or paper-faced trim that makes outside corners straight and tough.
Tapered vs butt joints
Factory edges are tapered so mud sits flush. Cut ends (butt joints) aren’t, so they’re feathered extra wide.
Feathering
Thinning the edge of each coat so there’s no hump you can see or feel.
Nail or screw pop
A fastener pushing through the finish. It’s reset and recoated.
PVA primer
A drywall primer that seals paper and compound evenly, so paint doesn’t look patchy.
Dust control
Vacuum sanding, plastic walls and daily clean-up to keep dust in the work area.
Often paired with
Interior paintingWalls, ceilings, trim, doors and stairs. Careful prep, clean lines, two finish coats.Details
Exterior painting & stainingSiding, brick, trim, soffit and fascia, doors, decks and cabins. May to October.Details
Illustration
Fall exterior caulkingWindows, doors and siding joints sealed before the freeze.Details
Where we work
Serving Simcoe County, York Region and the Grey Highlands. See the map.