How to Texture a Wall With a Roller
Wall texture is often applied out of necessity. Given the option, many homeowners would choose a smooth, glass-like texture for their walls and ceilings. In addition to being the style of choice today, smooth surfaces help bring out the color of the walls. Since there are no bumps to create a shadow effect, the surface appears lighter.
However, wall texture has the distinct advantage of being a quick method of finishing walls without the seemingly endless cycles of mud, curing, and sanding drywall compound. The wall texture can cover imperfect drywall or mud jobs, and it dries fast enough that you can start painting a few hours later.
Best of all, wall texturing, also known as wall stippling, can be done with a roller and with materials that are easy and inexpensive to obtain.
How does the wall texture work?
Wall texture is a substance thicker than paint, but thinner than straight plaster compound. The texture applied to walls and ceilings creates small shadows due to the protrusions and depressions.
Although these shadows tend to disappear in direct light, they increase as the light source moves at a sharper angle to the wall. This darkens the overall tone of the surface, slightly darkening the wall.
This darkening effect does an excellent job of hiding surface imperfections. If your plaster wall has visible seams, bumps, depressions, or other imperfections, the texture of the wall can go a long way toward disguising it. This is one of the reasons why ceilings are often textured: As ceilings get more light, it is very difficult to hide their imperfections.
Tip
The effects of wall texture can vary depending on how the material is applied and rolled. Practice the technique on pieces of drywall or even cardboard sheets before moving on to walls and ceilings. Practice with thin coats and thick coats. Also, try different drying times between coats.
What You'll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Drop cloths
- Plastic sheeting
- Drywall knife
- 5-gallon bucket
- Drill and paint mixer attachment
- Paint roller and cover
- Paintbrush
- Paint tray
Materials
- Painter's tape
- Drywall compound
- Flat paint or drywall primer
- Paint
Instructions
1. Protect the Area
By its very nature, texturing is a confusing operation that results in wet textured material flying in all directions. When splashing a ceiling, even the most careful painter will need to cover the floor and adjacent wall surfaces, including finishing the doors and windows. Use floor cloths and plastic sheeting for vertical surfaces, hanging with duct tape.
2. Repairing the surfaces
Wall and ceiling surfaces may need to be patched before applying dotted texture. First, patch the holes or chips with a drywall compound or light caulk. Use your drywall knife to force the compound into the hole and slide with the tip of the knife to smooth the compound on the surface. Don't waste too much time on this as it will be covered with textured material. Normally it is not necessary to sand the surface until it is smooth; just smoothing it out with a drywall knife is fine.
3. Prime the surface
Then apply a coat of regular white latex paint or drywall primer. Let it dry. This precoat is essential because textured paint applied directly to the bare plaster wall will be absorbed by the wall surface, compromising your efforts.
4. Mix the Texture Compound
Create your own inexpensive wall texture material by diluting drywall compound with water in a 4: 1 ratio. Use a 5-gallon bucket and paint mixing attachment on your drill to mix the texture compound well. Beat the mixture until it is thick with latex paint. It should be smooth and easy to roll.
Alternatively, you can buy paint with a pre-mixed texture. Popular brands include Sheetrock Texolite and Behr Premium Plus Texture Paint. Stir the paint well, per the manufacturer's directions, to prepare for application.
5. Roll Out the Wall Texture
Texturing involves a two-part lamination process: an initial application and then a second lamination of the applied material after it has partially dried. Setting the time is the most complicated part of the process.
Fill an ink tray with textured material or textured paint. Dip a paint roller into the paint tray, spread it out, and apply the texture to the surface of the wall or ceiling. A normal roll cover will produce a texture, but there are also special roll covers available that are designed for stippling.
Be sure to follow the product directions when using commercial textured paint. They may recommend a single coat.
Tip
In most cases, if you have problems with the wall texture, the cause is the ratio of water to the drywall compound. Little water produces sticky and spiky textures. Too much water results in spikes that are not supported or even water running down the wall.
6. Reach narrow areas with a brush
Where the roller cannot reach, the corners and edges around the wood, complete the texturing by applying the material with the flat side of a brush.
7. Let the texture dry
Allow the texture to partially dry, about half full dry. Test for dryness by pressing your thumb on the surface and pulling it out. The result should be sharp tips, almost like a meringue.
8. Texture a second time
When the applied texture material reaches the desired consistency, roll over the surface again. This will pull the partially dry material lightly, creating the desired three-dimensional texture. In places where the roller cannot reach, you can use the flat surface of a brush to lightly push the material off the surface.
9. Create a Knock-Down Surface (Optional)
Optionally, before the surface is completely dry, you can drop the surface by smoothing a drywall knife into the texture, using the tool at a right angle. This gently flattens the surface peaks, creating an appearance very similar to textured plaster. Again, the texture substance needs to be the right consistency for this to work. If it is too wet, the texture will stain; If it is too dry, it will not fall.
10. Paint a homemade texture
If you are using a homemade drywall mud mix to create the texture, allow the surfaces to dry completely, then prime and paint as desired.
When to call a professional
If you need to cover large areas with wall texture, itβs usually a good idea to hire a professional painter or decorator. They have the expertise and specialized tools, such as an air compressor texture sprayer, to efficiently apply textures like fog, orange peel, splatter, or knockdown effects.
Using a texture sprayer not only ensures a more even and consistent application but also speeds up the process significantly. This can be especially important for large rooms or entire homes, where the manual application would be time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Additionally, professionals are trained to handle any challenges that may arise, ensuring a flawless finish without the mess or mistakes that could come with DIY efforts. Hiring an expert also means the texture will dry evenly and quickly, typically within just a few hours, allowing you to enjoy your newly textured walls sooner without the hassle.
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Source: seejanedrill
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