how to get rid of textured wall

[niki]

I have textured walls in my bedrooms...pretty rough ones. I would like to get a smooth wall surface, can anybody tell me how to do that?

Thanks, Niki

[Eric in North TX]

I have a suggestion but, you might not like it. Take down the old drywall and put up new. It sounds a little extreme and messy, but the results are amazing.

[PipeDown]

Overkill, just skim coat the wall with drywall mud, prime and paint. Depending on your skill at mudding, this can be easy or a real dust storm (due to the need to sand out your mistakes). Even if you put up new drywall, you would still need to mud the seams (maybe not the whole wall but I still think that would be a lot more work and expense).

In most cases you do not even need to prep the wall before mudding but if it had a very glossy coat I would sand/ score or prime that.

A little sanding beforehand to knock down the tallest peaks of the texture will save you a lot of time and material trying to bury them.

SInce you'll be making a mess, get rid of that popconn cieling if you have it while you're at it.

Another option, put a second layer of drywall and mud normally. This would add sound proofing to the room which may be a desireable trait dispite the extra cost and effort.

[Tim Killian]

I faced the same deal here - basement walls that some genius "textured" with a roller and a bucket of cheap paint. The same yahoo taped the joints and his handiwork was popping loose in several places. We decided to just rip it all down as the work involved with skimming and sanding would never fix the bad tape job hidden under all that goop. If you don't have much experience, hire a pro as it's often cheaper and quicker to let them put up the wallboard and finish it.

[Hugh Glass]

Yea & take off the moulding & simply replace it.

But it might not fit right.

Agreed.

Do it yourself if you're hurting for the bucks & want the aggravation. I'll bet you lunch that you'll be ahead by hiring a decent drywall finisher & let them float it out for you.