Textured finishes which you can paint on walls or ceilings are an inexpensive way of covering up poor surfaces. They also give you the chance to exercise your ingenuity in creating relief patterns on them.
Textured wall and ceiling finishes can provide a relatively quick form of decoration. You don’t, for example, need to apply more than one coat. And, unlike relief wallcoverings (another type of product commonly used to obtain a textured wall or ceiling surface), you don’t have to go through the process of,pasting, soaking, cutting, hanging and trimming; you simply spread the finishes on the surface with a paint brush or roller.
One of the advantages of using a ‘texture’ on walls is that it will tend to mask the effect of any general unevenness in the surface. Similarly, ready-mixed textures are often marketed specifically as a solution to the problem of improving the appearance of old ceilings. They are very suitable for this and can save a lot of tedious repair work. However, there is no need to think of textures just as a cover-up. You may simply prefer a textured surface to a flat, smooth one. If you use patterning tools, the range of textured effects you can achieve is practically endless, depending only on your skill and imagination.
Choosing textured finishes
One of the factors which will influence your choice of finish is, obviously, how much you are prepared to pay. The traditional compound which you buy in powder form to mix with water is the cheapest type, but, like ordinary plaster, is rather porous and needs to be painted over. Even so, the cost of coverage, including over-painting, is very reasonable. Ready-mixed types are rather more expensive but you don’t normally need to paint over them, and some brands offer a reasonable range of colours. The traditional powder type, thickly painted on a wall or ceiling, has a slow setting time, which makes it ideal for creating a decorative impression with a patterning tool. Readymixed products can also be given a textured finish in the same way as the powdery type, but doing so will tend to vary the thickness of the finish so that overpainting might be necessary. (If you just paint them on without carrying out any follow-up patterning treatment, you will be left with a random textured effect.)
Some of the textured products suitable for exterior use can also be patterned with tools; check the manufacturer’s instructions for guidance here.
Tools and equipment
Apart from the texture finish itself, and paint if you’re going to overpaint, you will need a brush or roller to apply the finish. The most suitable type of brush is a 200mm (8in) distemper brush. The type of roller you use will affect the pattern created and special rollers are available to create certain effects (see step-by-step photographs). Sometimes you paint the material on first with an ordinary roller (or a brush) and then work it over with a patterning roller; follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the type of roller you will need. If you are dealing with a ceiling you will need some form of access equipment; two stepladders with a plank resting between them will usually suffice. Textured finishes, especially when applied with a roller tend to spray and spatter about, so it’s best to have goggles and a mask to protect your eyes and mouth when you are looking up; also, don’t forget to protect your hair. In addition, whether you’re painting walls or ceiling, you’ll need a dust sheet or some other form of protective covering for the floor.
You may also require a plumb bob and line and any equipment required for filling cracks or joints such as a caulking tool, jointing tape knife, filling knife, filler and so on. Where you intend to texture the surface after painting on the finish you will also need your patterning tool(s).
These can be proletary or home-made; you can even use equipment which was chiefly designed for other purposes which you may decide will create the pattern you want. Apart from patterning rollers, the proprietary tools available include combs (some of which can give special effects within the combed patterns such as ‘rose’ and ‘flower’), stipple brushes and pads and special ‘swirl’ brushes. You can also buy a tool called a ‘lacer’ to dull any sharp ridges; however a plastic straight edge or the blade of a filling knife is a suitable alternative.
Preparing the surface
Textured finishes can be applied to bare or painted surfaces but the surface must be sound and, in some cases, treated. You should not, for example, think of textured finishes as a means of covering up walls which really need replastering or a ceiling which should be replaced. All porous surfaces should first be treated with a stabilising primer recommended by the manufacturer of the finish so that the setting of the texture material is not spoilt by suction.
Surfaces requiring such treatment include brick, render, concrete, plaster and some types of wallboards. Texture finishes can be used to hide very fine hairline cracks and are usually marketed for their flexible ability to cope with normal movement so cracks don’t reopen. However, none of them can cover cracks or joints of more than 1.5mm (1/i6in) with any guarantee that these will remain covered up. You will have to caulk the cracks or joints with texture compound (perhaps thickened with a little ordinary filler). Ideally, joints between boards of any kind should also have a layer of jointing tape over them between layers of whatever types of filler you are using . Make sure you feather noticeable ridge when the texture covers it.
Painted surfaces should be clean, sound and sanded lightly to provide a key for the finish. Distemper and low-quality emulsion paint may not hold the texture; test by pressing adhesive tape on a small area first and remove any painted surface that has a tendency to delaminate when the tape is peeled off. If the surface has been painted in a dark colour it’s best to paint over it in a light colour first before you apply the texture. You will have to remove wallpaper or light tiles such as polystyrene tiles. You can, however, safely apply a textured finish over ceramic tiles provided they are clean, the gaps are filled and they are primed with a coat of PVA adhesive, diluted according to the manufacturer’s instructions.