Drywall Finishing

[Anonymous]

I need some help.

I added a closet to a room and closed in two half walls. The existing drywall has a textured finish. I need help in matching the finish.

What I can tell you is that it is not popcorn, knockdown or orange peal. What I cant tell you is what it is. So here is my best shot at describing it.

When the house was being build I saw the texture on the wall before it was painted. It was put on from top to bottem in rows. The installer, using a trowl or some other tool, seamed to put a smear on the wall every 3 to 4 inches. I dont think (or know) if they went back over it at any point. The finish looks like it was very liquidy, much thiner than joint compound.

vvvvvvv vvvvvvv vvvvvvv
vvvvvvv vvvvvvv vvvvvvv
vvvvvvv vvvvvvv vvvvvvv
vvvvvvv vvvvvvv vvvvvvv

and so on.....

I have the new drywall up and about 1/2 of my taping done. I need to put the finish on b4 I paint. I am in a bit of a hurry because I had to rent scaffolding to reach the part of the wall in the valted foyer.


Thanks in advance,
Matt

[Wgoodrich]

What I suspect you have is a textured wall. This is an art exclusive to the installer at the time is was done. I suspect that most probably the finisher used a trowel with a serrated edging on the trowel. Then the compound was most likely a white topping compound like you would use on a textured ceiling, only thinned much more with a possibility of a sand or other mix added to the compound while mixing it. Problem is unless you are quite an artist you will never succesfully match what was done. You would have to experiment using different additives and different mixes of the thickness of your topping compound. Even then you would have to apply it then see how close it matches and again make a mix in hopes that you come close to the same mix. Kind of like a good cook telling you his or her recipe. I added a dash of this and a pinch of that and a fistfull of this other. Looking for a needle in a haystack is you quest.

My best advice is to knock off any spikes or other protrusions using the scrap edge of a trowel on the existing wall smoothing that existing textured wall.

Then make your own mix and using a serrated trowel of you liking create a new textured finished wall finishing over not only the new drywall but also the old drywall in the entire room. Shouldn't take long.

Then let it dry and see if you have a constant pattern that you like. If you fail to make it a matching style to your liking in your texturing attempt then you may use a thick paint with a sand or small gravel or other type of filler in your paint that will mix together making a paint that will again be your own creation only using the thick paint with a sand type filler or even a normal nonfilled thick paint then using a serated trowel to make wavies etc. in your design.

Both paint and topping compound can make for a seat of the pants special to you finished wall from starbursts to sea waves to even splashes and if you like just a thick rough surface paint to hide the original texturing design to blend the two walls to gether.

You also have a choice to make a two pattern finished wall design using a different even a smooth surface wall on top then installing chair railing wood trim as a divider between patterns.

The finished design is an art and only limited and made beutiful by your artistic ability. Don't be afraid to experiment. You can always put a tough con style finished topping over the hole thing making a new design.

They even have reusable molds that when pressed to the wet paint or reusable molds type paint rollers that will put a pattern as you desire onto the wall.

You are just going to have to refinish the entire wall with your own artistic flare overall for the entire room or at least that certain wall. The look and design method is your choices and limited only by your imagination.

Let us know how you come out.

Good Luck

Wg

[Anonymous]

Thanks

I think I can match the pattern since its not much of a pattern. Im just not sure what material to use to create the pattern. I tried on some scrap drywall using watered down joint compound but the consistency wasn't there.


Here are 3 pics of what Im doing. One is a pic of the finish that is there. You have to look very close but its there.

Thanks,
Matt C

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/89610eb9/bc/Remodel/Existing+wall+finish.jpg?bcdHXw9Az6P9OkTy
http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/89610eb9/bc/Remodel/__hr_Half+wall---1.jpg?bcNmem9AqAfhT4k2
http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/89610eb9/bc/Remodel/__hr_Half+wall.jpg?bcNmem9ASZheQFFW

[Wgoodrich]

I can barely make out some design. Looks like they finshed the wall rather smooth then took a live end of a tree branch with the leaves removed and dipped that live tree branch in the white topping compound around a consistancy what would match the thickness of the topping mixing water into the topping preparing for texturing a ceiling. After dipping the green tree branch end in the topping the laying it to the wall ran a roller over the tree branch then slowly removed the tree branch from the wall leaving the humps in the form of the tree branch.

There are many different tricks that is unlimited to create the artictic designs you want.

Not sure I am accurate no better than I can see the design in the picture but suspect it was something like that that created the design as best that I could see it.

Some People use a live tree branch with leaves and swat the walls leaving the imprint of the tree and leaves.

Look closely at the design and see if you can figure out the trick they used to make the design. Try it on a wall and let dry a couple of hours and see what it looks like.

Let us know what you come out with.

Good Luck

Wg

[macstr]

Ok,


Here's the deal.

I called the builder and asked if he could fill me in on how they did it. He had the drywall finisher give me a call.

First thing he said was they do it fast & cheep!!!

He said they use joint compound and water it down to a syurp consistency. Then they just use a trowl and start at the bottom and skip it up the wall. The watery consistency lets it run back down the wall just a little bit.

He said that like anything else there is a bit of a knack to it so experiment on some scrap first.

I hope to give it a shot tomorow night. I'll let you know how it goes.

Matt C.

P.S. Hey Wgoodrich, your ideas sound a lot more creative and once I finish the high parts that have to match the old walls, I might do some experimenting on the gameroom walls.

[Wgoodrich]

Why not you have nothing to lose but a bit of topping mix and a lot of labor of love. I was born on a farm and grew up there. It was a common knowledge on the farm that the most abundant commodity a farmer has if lots and lots of free labor and sweat.

Go for it you may have a result that is unique and limited only by your imagination.

Let us know how you come out

Wg

[macstr]

Im Back,

The cheepest, fastest way; I should have known!

Some Joint compound watered down, way down, and a trowl. I mixed it up in a 5gal. bucket. Dipped the trowl in in and ran it down the wall. It doesn't look like much b4 its painted, but matched real well when it was done.

BTW Had to rent scaffolding from HD. $80 for the week, worth every penny.

Later,
Matt

[Wgoodrich]

Congrats, you are now a semi-experienced drywalling artist. How does it feel? Glad you were successful.

Wg