The finished appearance of a drywall wall or ceiling is largely dependent upon the quality of the framing job and the care exercised in applying the drywall panels.The better the framing and cladding, the easier it is to have a near-perfect wall.Once that is accomplished, the last remaining challenge is to finish the joints to meet your appearance expectations. A collective effort of four industry trade associations— Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industries-International (AWCI),Ceil-ings and Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA), Gypsum Association (GA) and Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) — has resulted in the adoption of a industry-wide recommended specifications on levels of gypsum board finish.The work identifies five specific levels of finishing,enabling architects to more closely identify the sophistication required and allowing for better competitive bidding among contractors. Key factors used in determining the sophistication level required include the location of the work to be done,type and angle of surface illumination (both natural and artificial lighting),orientation of the panels during installation,type of paint or wall covering to be used and method of application.Critical lighting conditions, gloss paints and thin wall coverings require a high level of finish,while heavily textured surfaces or surfaces that will be decorated with heavy gauge wall coverings require ess sophistication.