Friend just closed on a 20 year old house. NM. One wall in DR has wallpaper ugly enough to be original. She wants it taken off and the wall painted.
Started looking at the texture on the other walls so that I could match it. Whole house done this way and I’m sure that it was done by a pro….since it’s in a subdivision and there are dozens of the same house.
It looks for all the world like someone mixed soupy mud and used some type of mitt to put it on. You can almost see ovals the size of handprints with low, rounded ridges of texture. Not sharp peaks like you’d see if it was done with a sponge. Placement and shape of the ovals appear to me to be what you would see if you were twisting your wrist back and forth to get a random pattern.
Never saw this b4. Guy at the speciality DW supply house didn’t know what I was talking about. ‘Course, he was about twelve years old.
Anyone know how I duplicate it? Or, should I just get out my lamb’s wool car washing mitt and start experimenting?
Shelley in NM
Replies
First of all...how deep is the texture....Secondly would your friend rather a smooth finish? Thirdly....I doubt you'll match it with a mit but nice of you to want to try.
If the texture isnt too deep and your friend hates it what I would do is plaster over it and make it a nice proffessional smooth finish and start from there.
Be well
Namaste
andy
It's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Must not have phrased that right Andy.
She doesn't care. Smooth is fine with her. Either the wall paper is original or the installer sanded off the texture. I'm the one who told her that one wall smooth while the other walls are textured would look cheesy.
Ridges are rounded, smooth and not very deep. That's why I figure that the mud was soupy.
>> 'Course, he was about twelve years old.
Terrifying isn't it? It was bad enough when they started letting children on the police force, but now they're letting them be airline pilots!
Pretty easy to duplicate this type of texture.
Here is a pic of the brush that is used for this type of application. You just mix the mud thin, dip the brush into the mud, and slap it on the wall. You will need to experiment on some scrap drywall to get the thickness and the randomness of the pattern to match, but it is pretty easy to do.
The hard part is to determine when to knock down the texture. This takes some experimentation to get a good match. Again, use some scrap drywall. Just apply the mud with the brush in three spots. Wait 5 minutes for the first, 10 minutes for the second, and 15 minutes for the third. Then see which one best matches the existing texture.
To do the knockdown, wait the appropriate time, then take a 12" taping knife and LIGHTLY drag it across the applied texture. Keep the knife approximately at a 45° angle to the ceiling and lightly drag it across the texture. (Wipe off the blade after EACH pass. I use a small rectangle tub for this, and just scrape the mud off into the tub as I make each pass) This will knockdown the high spots, and leave a relatively smooth, even surface. The brush makes the oval patterns that you see, the dragging makes them all the same height.
And yes, the pattern is random. I personally use this procedure - dip, slap, dip slap, dip, slap, etc... The amount of mud that you apply will determine the thickness of the texture. Just twist your wrist a bit each time you apply the texture, and you'll get the random pattern that you describe.
The brush that I use is either a single, or double. If I attach the handle, I can make it a double. This works well on large areas. Single works best on small areas and walls. It gives a much better control. Mine is a Goldblatt brand (Stanley), and can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes for about $15.
If ya need more info, or don't understand something, let me kow.
James DuHamel
"The Power Zone" http://www.thepowerzone.org
Sounds like James has guessed right on this one , if thats not it try a six inch knife to pop the mud up there , clean knife and drag it down . You said it was palm size.
Tim Mooney
You guys are so cool! Have seen these brushes! I've had a couple of glasses of wine down the street. Will have to think this over.
The only thing that occurs to me at this minute is the knock-down. If I knock it down, I'll have square edges. These look like little, rounded worms. Doesn't look like anyone used a blade on this texture. Have any additional thoughts?
Im confused now . "rounded worms " Now its sounding like spanish texture . At any rate try our choices on some scrap and get back to us tomorrow.
Tim Mooney
Sorry, I told you about the wine.
Do you know what I'm meaning when I talk about the knock-down? That if you use a knife you get square edges? Perhaps I'm not using the correct term.
This looks as tho when you lift up with whatever you're using, you're done. Not stiff, like the peaks you would see if the mud were normal...but soft and wet and rounded.
Maybe they used the technique that you're describing with wetter mud. Maybe trying to describe it with writing is stupid. The brush has given me a place to start. Maybe tmo I'll mess around with it and see what i come up with.
SB, Would it be possible for you to post a picture?
And James DuHamel..could you post a pic of the texture you can do with those brushes?
Always looking to expand my repatoire(sp?)
jwwhat the heck was I thinking?
Hey Buddy!
Where the "Heck" you been hiding out? Kai was looking for you over at the shed a while back... wanted you to draw some pics.
Anyway, I'll post a pic or two of some various textures you can do with these brushes. In all reality, the sky (and your imagination) are the limit on the various textures you can produce with these brushes. James DuHamel
"The Power Zone" http://www.thepowerzone.org
Hiya James,
I've been around...life has been a little 'hecktic' lately :)
I saw where kai was wondering where the heck I had gone to...Still here and checkin' in,but haven't sketched in a while....will get back to that soon...
I am really interested in the possibilities of those texture brushes,as I do renovation work and sometimes have to match uncommon textures.
Really have got the bug for a digital camera...waiting for a deal on a good one...then I could show some of my stuff.
DuHamelfest is almost here! Wishing you and all that participate a great time!
SB,I will stop this attempt to hijack your thread now....:-)Hope you get your texture matched....as a fellow New Mexican,think rain!
jw
what the heck was I thinking?
Edited 9/4/2002 8:10:23 PM ET by Heck