Home and Garden | Finishing Rough Walls - Inside Wall

Textured walls and ceilings add a low-tech, inexpensive design feature to any interior. These textures may appear finely wrought and difficult to achieve, but with a little practice, you can successfully imitate the effects of old-world craftsmen. Even better, they can hide some mistakes you may have made when hanging the panels. No matter what type of texture you intend to apply, however, you must first tape and finish the joints of the rough wall as well as the fastener heads. Although texturing can hide errors, it provides no substitute for proper finish work.

One common texture applied to rough walls is an orange-peel finish. You can create this texture by spraying watered-down joint compound through an airless paint sprayer. However, you must add just the right proportion of water, and mastering the spraying technique takes lots of practice. An orange-peel finish can also be applied by hand using a paint roller, as explained below. If the roller produces the texture you want, allow it to dry as is. However, you may have trouble getting a good orange-peel effect using this approach, especially on inside corners (though this can be achieved with practice and patience). If this is the case, try knocking down the half-dry surface, as explained in Step 5. This usually improves the appearance of this texture, making it more consistent with an orange-peel look.

PROJECT BASICS

Project: Moderate
Estimated Project Time: A few hours for an average-size room
Start Tips: Finish and prepare all joints, dimples, and flaws in the drywall panels
Safety Tips: Wear safety goggles when mixing and applying the joint compound and water mixture
Recommendation: Do-it-Yourself

TOOLS & MATERIALS

Stepladder or scaffolding, as needed	1/2-inch-nap paint roller
Safety goggles	Pole extension, as needed
Bucket of joint compound, half full	Roller pan
Water	Test scrap of drywall, approximately 2x2 feet
Hand mixer, a power drill with a mixing paddle, or a mixing stick	18- to 24-inch straightedge or finishing knife

Fig. 1

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Thin and mix the joint compound
Choose a bucket of joint compound that is at most half full, but not one that is brand-new and filled to the top; remove some compound and set it aside for now. Pour some water into the bucket. Then, using a hand mixer or a mixing paddle chucked into a power drill, mix the water and joint compound until its consistency matches that of paint or very heavy cream. Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes. (Fig. 1) This can also be done by hand. If the mixture does not seem thin enough add more water and mix again. If you think you added too much water, add some more undiluted joint compound. You might want to experiment with small batches first to derive the right proportion of water and joint compound.

Fig. 2

2) Check the mixture's consistency
Pour some of the mixture into a roller pan and, using the 1/2-inch-nap roller, apply it to a piece of scrap drywall held upright. The mixture should not sag or run. If it runs, add more joint compound; if it turns out to be too thick to roll, add more water. (Fig. 2)

Fig. 3

3) Roll a first coat onto the wall
Using the 1/2-inch-nap roller, apply the mixture to the wall. Roll it as you would roll on paint, covering every square inch of the wall. (Fig. 3) Get as close to the corners and edges as possible. Allow this application to dry for 10 minutes or until it loses its shine.

4) Roll on a second coat
After the first coat has dried, roll on a second coat. Work the roller over the surface until you achieve the desired effect. Make sure that you're satisfied with it, because you shouldn't touch the wall again except to paint it. Wash out the roller with water. Cap the joint compound mixture bucket, and then date it and label it "orange peel" so you won't mistake it for standard joint compound on future projects.

Fig. 4

5) Knock down the finish
You can modify orange-peel texture to give it a knocked-down look. Holding an 18- to 24-inch rigid straightedge or finishing knife almost flat to the wall draw it across the half-dry orange peel finish, applying extremely light pressure. (Fig. 4) Check your work as you go, because the finish you leave will be the final look. You can vary the finish by applying more or less pressure.