Drywall texturing question

[AndyS]

Andy asks:

I have just taped and bedded a new room in my attic. Eventually, I will hire a professional to come in and "orange peel" texture it to match the rest of the house. I cannot do it well enough myself.

However, for a year or two, I would like to use the room as it is while I do other work. I would like to paint it , and, at a later time, have the pro come in and put on the texture.

So , my question is, " Can I paint the drywall without compromising the integrity of the texturing job, and without making the pro's job harder or more costly ??? "

Also, " If painting before the texturing is OK, what kind of paint should I use ? "

My preference would be a flat white latex, but, IF there is no paint that will be acceptable, I'll just skim coat the wall with joint compound and leave it alone.

I would appreciate some comment on this proposal from any knowledgeable person, especially professionals...

Andy in Eureka, Texas

[Mike Paulsen]

(snip)

It depends on what you want the taper to do. If you just want the taper to come in and spray, without fixing any imperfections in your taping job, then painting isn't an issue. (provided you use the right paint)

If you want the taper to fix imperfections, then it's easier if it isn't painted. It's also better to have sins of omission. It's easier to fill in low spots than feather out high spots.

Drywall primer followed by flat latex would be good. The flatter the paint the better adhesion the texture will have.

Try using a medium-long nap roller cover (1/2 or 5/8") and a primer/filler like Sheetrock Firstcoat followed by a normal drywall primer/sealer and then flat paint. You may find that the resulting texture is close enough to a light orange peel that you won't feel the need to have it sprayed.

[DanG]

Here are two ideas:

Mix drywall mud into your paint. Use a long nap roller, get generous with the paint. Make sure you roll out any roller ridges and/or drips. This will give you a roller stipple texture which you might find just fine.

Another fairly easy texture, blend in 1 cup of corn meal per gallon of paint. Use a medium to long nap roller, make sure your final pass leaves an even distribution without runs or ridges. This will give you a texture virtually identical to old sand finish plaster. In fact it works great if you have new gyp walls butting into old plaster.

[marson]

Andy, you can paint away. If your future drywaller is concerned about adhesion (and orange peel sticks pretty well) you could always reprime over the finish coat. In fact, you could just use several coats of primer instead of paint since this is a temporary solution anyway. But at any rate, you are OK to paint. I have remodelled a number of old plaster houses that got sprayed out with texture, and we haven't had any problems sticking new orange peel to old paint, even glossy old paint.

[AndyS]

Andy writes: I want to thank all those who posted here for the advice. I think I will put on a latex primer coat, and if it looks OK, just leave it at that. Otherwise, the flattest white latex I can find.....

Re-priming later isn't a very big job on a 12x18 room and it that's what it might take, regardless of what I do, it isn't going to be a problem at all....

Thanks again, and I will continue to read this thread for any additional insights or ideas..

Andy in Eureka, Texas

( Where if you are abducted by aliens, you will need to be able to speak Spanish, un pocito )