Drywall Texture is a relatively simple and inexpensive way to dress up a room!
It is one of the most common and most affordable faux finish techniques that even a new ‘do it yourselfer’ can complete with minimal agony!
Purchase a large bucket of premixed drywall joint compound from a local home improvement center or hardware store. Also pick up a wide-bladed taping knife or straight-edged trowel
Remove everything from the walls including switch plates and receptacle covers. Make sure you remove any wallpaper or wallpaper borders on the walls as well!
Move your furniture away from the wall to be textured and cover it and spread drop cloths on the floor where you will be working. If you don’t have drop clothes, you can use old sheets, as long as you don’t mind if they become unusable for beds!
Start by edging all along the baseboard, corners and ceilings with a thin layer of the compound. About 1/8 of an inch is fine unless you want a very rough texture, in which case you will want to go thicker. This is not an exact science, experiment until you find the consistency you like best!
Cover only a small area at one time until you figure out how fast you can work. Drywall compound stays workable for a fairly long time, but don’t get carried away with how much area you try to cover at once. I find it best to work in about 5 foot sections, but you may work faster or slower than I do…experiment and see what works best for you!
You can create texture in a wide assortment of ways: use old paintbrushes, wallpaper brushes or sponges to stroke or swirl texture on the wet surface; use your fingers to make all kind of designs, even pinecones! One idea is to have your children make handprints in the wet surface. This is especially cute in a child’s playroom!
Alternate between applying the compound and texturing it until the entire wall is covered. Depending on the humidity level, allow 24-48 hours for the compound to dry thoroughly. If you used a thick coat of texture, add an extra day or so!
Remember, drywall compound will dry white, brittle and powdery if you rub against it.
Protect your wall texture and your clothes by painting the textured walls with a couple of coats of latex paint. This is when you would paint your newly textured walls in the color of your choice!
