Remodel Update - Texture

We got through another big step today. Both rooms and the hallway have been textured and are ready for paint. Lu will do the painting on Thursday.

Texture is very straight forward and isn't terribly complicated though it is messy. To get started you'll need just a few things.

You'll need a goodly quantity of spray on texture. Trust me on this. It vanishes like smoke from the electrical system of a British sports car. We used almost 10 pounds on 2 rooms and a smallish hallway. Get texture if you can as opposed to joint compound. Joint compound will work but you'll have to thin it with water to get it to work properly through the gun.

You'll need a spray gun to apply the texture. Mine comes with three tips for various densities, small, medium and large. Medium works for most applications but test spray something before you begin to make sure it's exactly what you want. If you have a minor repair or a really small job you can buy spray on texture in rattle cans the same size as regular paint. For anything else I recommend investing in a good gun.

And you'll need a compressor to supply high pressure air to the gun. Get one big enough to supply a constant air pressure of at least 60 psi to the gun continuously.

Take a couple of minutes to take off the doors and sover those things you don't want textured like windows. It makes clean up much easier and faster.

 I know the bucket of texture says premixed but I find it works best if I stir it up before application. It gives you a better consistency and better flow through the gun. If you have joint compound, which is thicker, this is the time to thin it out.

Then it's just a matter of filing the hopper and spraying on the texture to the consistency you desire. Over and over again. Lu and I both hate popcorn ceilings so I sprayed the texture on walls and ceiling. Just be careful not to tip the hopper too far back lest you end up with a large glob on your face. Not that you won't get messy anyway because you will.

Body, clothes, floor and tools. The texture will get everywhere. Just be as careful as you can and figure on doing a lot of wash up.

It's kinda hard to see but this is what you'll end up with. Walls and ceilings covered with texture and ready for paint. The texture gives depth to the drywall surface and hides lines, divots and imperfections. Remember, perfect is the enemy of good. I guarantee you even professionals have mistakes in their drywall. We're looking for consistency and uniform coverage not absolute perfection. When the primer and paint go on they'll also do a lot to add to the surface look you want.

This is pure Do It Yourselfer territory. Anyone can do texture you just have to have a few things and the desire. Checking labor rates for professional crews will provide all the motivation you'll need. Besides, nothing feels better than a job well done.

Another box checked and one step closer to being finished. Tomorrow we'll do a complete cleanup including scraping the floors and those areas not supposed to be textured that caught some anyway and moving all the tools out and back to my shop. Then we'll buy the primer and paint. Lu is our painter and has decreed Thursday as paint day. I think I'll find somewhere else to be on that day. I hate painting. After paint we'll have the rooms carpeted. I'm going to hire that job out though most flooring companies figure in the cost of installation in the price of the carpet. Then it's just touch ups and fixture installation. When we're finished I'll do a review and present the final cost breakdown. I'm figuring we'll come in right about $2500 total.

Man, we're getting close. I can't wait to be done.

Six