How to texture a sheetrock wall

[Bobby]

I would like to texture? lightly a sheetrock wall to simulate the old plaster wall. This wall needs to be sanded down before painting due to a contractor leaving the job and was not finished.

Can I use the sheetrock joint mud the contractor left here.

Can I do this with out having to sand down the joints he left mudded but not sanded and also can I mix paint into the mud so that when the wall is textured it is also [ainted the color I want.

Thanks Bobby

[Jimmy]

A hammer?

[John Willis]

On Thu, 16 Jun 2005 19:20:55 GMT, "Bobby" scribbled this interesting note:

Sounds like a hack and not a contractor.

Yes.

No.

No.

The quality of the finished paint job depends upon the quality of the prep work.

To prepare a sheet rock wall for paint in ten steps:

1. Hang the rock.
2. Mud and tape all joints and mud all screw or nail heads and allow to dry.
3. Smooth the wall with a drywall knife or lightly sand it and float it out.
4. Repeat step number 3 until wall is smooth and there are no cracks in the drywall compound.
5. Sand wall until it is absolutely smooth. Any flaws will show through your light texture.
6. Decide upon what style of texture you want. There are different methods ranging from crow's foot texture to using a hopper to spray texture onto the wall and then either let it dry or drag off the tops (this simulates a stucco look.) You can even use a roller to apply texture. You can use the mud you have if you thin it down sufficiently. You may even apply a thick layer of mud to the wall and cut in designs with a broad-knife for yet a different style of texture.
7. After the texture is dry, prime the wall with a good primer.
8. Paint with any high quality interior paint of your choice.
9. Repeat step number 8.
10. Allow paint to dry.

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[Bobby]

Was affraid it would not lessen the work..Thanks for the infor I will give her a try. Yeah this guy really ripped me off..

Bobby

[gfretwell]

The best plan is to get a real drywall guy to float the wall smooth. It may cost a bit more but you will thank yourself later. Textured drywall is a scam sold by builders who want to save money by hiring lesser qualified finishers and it makes a wall that is a pain to paint, clean or attach another finish to later.

[John Willis]

On Thu, 16 Jun 2005 19:47:48 -0400, [e-mail] scribbled this interesting note:

Not in the houses we build. In ours, the sheetrock is properly taped and floated out. Until smooth. Then sanded, until smooth. Then textured. I don't find it difficult to paint a textured wall. It really isn't all that hard to do.

Sure, I too have seen those quarter million dollar (and higher) new houses with finish work I wouldn't allow in a dog house. But not all builders allow such as that in the houses they build.

I recently had a good time when a friend from college, upon moving back to the US, asked me to walk through a house they were considering purchasing. And it wasn't any low end home either at nearly $500,000.00. In this area there is a certain realty company known for high end houses and areas. It was great fun pointing out walls out of square, an undermined patio slab (due to poor water control), and especially the rat hole on the exterior. Obvious rat hole, I might add. This house backs up to a golf course with a creek on the other side. When I kept repeating the problem about the rat hole, the realtor pointedly told me they don't have rats in their neighborhood (she lived just a few doors down!:~) I calmly told her that the rats don't even notice the golf course and love living in the attic of this house! Great fun.

The moral of the story? I dunno'. I just had a good time annoying a realtor from a snooty company. Funny thing was, many of the things I mentioned during my walk through were fixed. The professional home inspector caught the rat hole, but he missed the problem with the concrete patio, as well as the fact that the secondary drain for the HVAC had been in service long enough to leave rust stains for fifteen feet up one side of the house...

Sloppy builders are to be found in all price ranges. As I told that realtor, I don't care who the builder was since what matters is who actually performed (and approved) the work?

As I told the original poster, the quality of the prep work will make or break the quality of the finished product. Don't skimp on the elbow grease.

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

[Rudy]

"Hand texture" can be done by thinning the mud the other guy left. It IS possible to do this without sanding the joints. That said, if you haven't done it before, I STRONGLY advise you to get a pro to finish your job.

Nothing will ruin the look of a wall more than a botched mud/texture job and you'll never match the desired finish. It will cost twice as much to fix as to get it done properly in the first place. Dont do it !