I’m in the middle of finishing a basement in a 1940 home. The drywall is hung a knock-down texture was applied. The only problem is that it was supposed to be a an orange peel texture, not a knock-down. Miscommunication and an unfortunate oversight. Now I’m faced with whether it is worth the pain to try to remove the texture and start over or live with the knock-down texture. Does anyone have experience with removing unpainted/unprimed texture from sheetrock? I’ve been told that sanding it down, followed by a skim coat and a new texture is the only way. I did hear from one person that it might be possible to somehow wet the texture and scrape it off — but they had never tried it. Suggestions?
Thanks,
Mike
Replies
i would think if there was no paint added to the texture and no paint has been applied it would sand off pretty well.maybe go rent one of the pc sanders? you might try a little water and see if it loosens up.
but wow what a lot of work to acheive a little different type texture. i'd grab the paint and call it good. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Thanks alwaysoverbudget and RW for the input.
I agree - a lot of work for a different texture. But when you have a specific look in mind and orange peel throughout the rest of the house, it's hard to get used to a new look.
Mike
Absolutely. You'd be surprised how fast the PC with an 80 grit disk will make that smooth or almost. From there, skim it over and its flat. You can eithere decide you like flat, or spray your orange peel.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
If it is unpainted, and it is the normal latex (not setting type) joint compound, spray it good with a pump-up sprayer and let the moisture soak in. Then it will scrape off with a little effort and a wide joint knife. Or while it is wet you might be able to roller it into a smoother texture. be sure to let the moisture soak in and keep it damp.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Mike
this is a tip I saw in FHB it might help when you start scraping so the mess isn't all over the floor I thought it worth a look
REMOVING TEXTURE FROM CEILING
As my client watched over my shoulder while I began removing the acoustic texture on his ceiling, I thought about the incredible mess I was about to make. There just had to be a way to gather the dusty particles as I scraped them off the ceiling. As shown in the drawing, I modified a $4 plastic gas can into a hopperlike vacuum nozzle. I cut out the bottom and one side of the can, and then I hooked up my shop vacuum to the can's pour spout. Armed with my scraper and this big nozzle, I made short work of that old ceiling.
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Wet it, sponge it off or have your sheet rock finisher come back and skim it smooth.