Home Repair NewsletterSummer 2008 This is our home improvement newsletter. We hope that you find this issue useful. Some of the articles included are in response to queries we receive. Links are provided to our website when needed for more information. If you have questions or comments about this newsletter or other do it yourself issues, feel free to contact us using this form. If you want to unsubscribe to this newsletter use the link at the bottom of this page. | ||
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About Drywall Texture FinishesDrywall texturing is usually done for a quick and easy finish on ceilings but sometimes a textured finish will be used on walls or ceilings to hide imperfections. In fact, texturing will only work to hide the most minor flaws in a drywall surface. It will not hide cracks or holes, uneven drywall joints or depression in the surface. Most textured finishes will cover rough joint compound but not extreme differences in wall surfaces. If you want to apply a textured finish to drywall be sure the surface is generally level. Drywall textures can be applied in several ways. Some textured finishes like knockdown, orangepeel and popcorn are applied with a sprayer or hopper. These are usually done by professionals because they require specialized tools and practice to get them right. Fortunately these finishes are also available in spray cans for touch-up over drywall and plaster repairs. Another method for creating a textured finish involves the use of sand or stucco paint and a specially made roller to apply it to drywall. The roller has nylon loops braided into the surface. The loops pull the coating away from the smooth surface as you roll to create peaks in the finish. This is a common and fairly easy method of texturing a ceiling. Another easy ceiling texturing technique involves adding paint to joint compound. The mud is then spread over the ceiling about ¼ inch thick. While wet, a long handled, nylon broom is used to slap the surface leaving an impression in the finish. An ordered pattern can be created by slapping the texture in straight, diagonal lines across the ceiling. Some other texturing techinques using joint compound: To leave a stippled finish press a wide brush or concrete trowel into the mud and pulled it straight off in an ordered or random pattern. To create a circle turn the tool 360° or half circles to create a pattern of arches across the ceiling. These techniques usually work best in a random pattern. Repairing Drywall TextureDamage to drywall texturing is usually due to water leaks. In some cases the extend of the damage may be a brown stain that can be touched up. But when a wall or ceiling gets very wet the bond between the texture and the drywall can be ruined. The texturing usually will bubble or peel off the surface. In these cases all the loose material should be scraped off the drywall. Around the edge of the damage scrape back a couple inches. Prime the whole area before restoring the textured finish. If the wallboard is warped and you want to replace it, use these drywall repair tips to fix the damage before re-texturing. Cracks in textured drywall ceilings are harder to deal with. Remove a couple inches of textured finish along both sides of the crack. Use a razon blade glass scraper if necessary to get all the texturing off. Sanding may also work to remove the last bits of material. Prime along the crack and tape it with fiberglass mesh tape. Use a small putty knife to spread mud over the tape. Use a couple applications making sure to skim the edges so you don't build up a ridge. Lightly sand the dry mud and restore the textured finish. Matching a Drywall TextureWhen it comes to drywall textures there are an infinite number of finishes out there. Because textured finishes are applied using several different techniques, with different tools, the resulting finishes can be hard to match when doing repairs. The best that can be done in most cases is to simulate the texture over the repaired wall. Start by removing all damaged material from the repair area. At the edges remove the surrounding textured finish, back a couple of inches or more to allow room to make the repair and then blend the new texture into the old. Make a smooth repair to the damaged drywall or plaster using these repair techinques. Let the repair mud dry completely and lightly scrape or sand to remove ridges and bumps in the surface. A perfectly smooth surface is not really necessary with most textures because the mud or aggragate will hide any minor imperfections. Prime the repair with flat latex paint or primer and then apply the appropriate texture over the repair. 
The hardest textured finishes to match are popcorn and orangepeel. Because these are specially made coatings, applied using specialized sprayers, they are virtually impossible to simulate exactly for a seamless repair. You can buy small amounts of these finishes in a spray can. Use one of these to spray over the repair area. Do the center first and then lightly spray the edges to blend the finishes together. Knockdown texture, pictured here, while originally applied with a sprayer, is easier to simulate than popcorn and orangepeel. Because knockdown texturing is just watered–down ready–mixed joint compound, spattered randomly across the wall, it is much easier to simulate with standard drywall tools. Mix joint compound with water at about a 10 to 1 ratio. The resulting mud should be thin enough to pour but not so runny that it slides right off a joint knife. With a small putty knife (about 1½inches wide) spatter the repaired drywall evenly with the wet compound. While the mud is wet, lightly drag a wider joint knife (about 6 inches wide) over the mud spatters to flatten them. You may want to practice this technique on a scrap of drywall or cardboard to match the existing texture before moving to the repair. — Simulating random textures created with a brush swirl, concrete trowel or other tool will require a little analysis and experimentation. First decide how the original texture was created and experiment with that method on a scrap of cardboard. For example, to simulate a circle texture, apply a coat of joint compound and twist a wide brush or trowel 360° in the wet mud to try and recreate the same finish. Or if there are arches randomly spaces over the ceiling make a half circle with the tool. To copy a stippled texture, press a trowel in the wet mud and pull it away to create peaks. The thicker the mud coat the thicker the peaks will be. If you have small, delicate peaks in the original finish use a thinner coat of mud to match them. Painting a Textured FinishAfter your repairs are made and the textured finish has been recreated to your satisfaction you may want to paint the repair to match your existing wall or ceiling color. If you have the original paint you're all set. Let the joint compound dry for several days before attempting to paint it. Use a paint brush to gently apply the paint. If you're using a semi–gloss or other shiny paint, prime first with a flat latex or latex primer. If you're using flat latex finish paint it will be self–priming. See Touching Up Paint for more about the ins and outs of paint touch–up on walls and ceilings. If you want to paint a textured finish a new color you can, with a little care and preparation. First get a roller with a long nap of about an inch for thick textures and ¾ inch for finer finishes. Thin your paint slightly to make it easier to push into all the nooks and crannies of the textured finish. If the texturing is subtle you may not have to thin the paint at all. If it is very thick however you will want to thin the paint a bit and maybe do two coats to cover. Press gently with the roller to avoid breaking peaks in the mud or pulling the material off into the wet roller. Removing a Textured FinishRemoving an existing textured drywall finish may or may not be possible, depending on the material used to create it. In addition, if the texturing has been painted it will complicate the job further. Joint compound texturing can sometimes be scraped off with a broad joint knife. If the mud was applied over a primed or painted surface it may pop right off. If not the joint compound texturing may be sanded down although this is a very dusty, difficult job. Another approach to eliminating a textured finish is to skim coat over it with joint compound. This may work well for finer textures but will be more difficult for thicker ones. If you want to try skim coating over a thick texture, first sand or scrape to remove the thickest peaks and minimize the need to fill in with mud. Expect to do 4 or 5 skim coats and plan to sand all the ridges in the dry mud to get a smooth finish. Popcorn texture can sometimes be removed using a wet scraping method. Before proceeding check to see if your popcorn ceiling contains asbestos. This may be true if it was apply before 1980, at which time asbestos was banned as a building material. If your popcorn ceiling contains asbestos you are prohibited in the US from hiring anyone other than a certified asbestos abatement contractor to do the job for you. This doesn't necessarily mean you can't do it yourself. You are allowed but you must use caution if you choose the diy approach and check your local regulation for the laws concerning asbestos removal in your area. Have your popcorn texture tested by a lab to see if it contains asbestos. If it does, follow the guidelines and procedures at this link for help with removing asbestos yourself. You will have to block off the room involved and cover every square inch of wall and floor space with thick plastic to contain the asbestos. Wet scraping is the only accepted procedure for asbestos removal. If you are not able to wet the popcorn texture because it has been painted, you will not be able to remove it because any release of the asbestos by dry scraping is prohibited by government regulations. If your popcorn texture doesn't contain asbestos you can simply spray it with a soapy water solution and scrape off the resulting goo. This spray and scrape technique may also work well for some joint compound textures. Because the wet scrape method is the easiest way to remove a textured finish it is worth trying first before you decide you have to use another method. |
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