Wall Texture Frustration

ahsoisee · 12-18-2011, 11:27 PM

I'm desperate for help on this one. I've taped and floated my brand new wall with no problem. Little did I know that matching the existing texture was going to be the real work. My house is about 10 years old, and the texture looks like a rolled-on skim coat. However, I've tried thin, medium, heavy nap and stiple rollers. Each time working both horizontally and vertically all with no success. I've even tried both the powdered wall texture and diluted wall compound. My wife is almost to the point where she'll be happy if it's just in the same ballpark. I would like to get it right. It's become an obsession now.

Each time I roll with any roller I get "v" shapes, and if you look at the picture of the existing there are more horizontal lines or flatter v shapes if you will. Much more random patterns without the well defined "v" I keep getting. I'm 99% sure it's not a knock down or orange peel (actually tried an orange peel variation too.) If anybody can help me I would make my Christmas.

joecaption · 12-19-2011, 12:03 AM

Any textured surface is nearly impossible to just patch a small area. Most often the whole area will need to be done over. One of the many reasons I hate textured anything.

Bud Cline · 12-19-2011, 12:23 AM

Wall and ceiling textures are applied by individuals at different times using different techniques and different thicknesses of product and different tools. You will not match what you have perfectly.

Just last week there was a hard-headed woman here that insisted she wanted someone to tell her the name of her texture pattern so she could duplicate it. She just couldn't/wouldn't get it through her thick head that it doesn't work like that. She said someone told her her pattern was called "rosebud" and she thought it was a pattern that she could go to the store and ask for the tool to do the rosebud pattern.

Texturing is like fingerprints, there are no two the same.

The texture in the above photo is not a standard orange peel and it is not a standard knock down. I agree it looks as if it has been rolled with a paint roller.

You guys are just going to have to get close and get happy.

**Gary in WA** · 12-19-2011, 12:50 AM

Never seen that one before, though it appears from a brush of some sort: http://www.drywallschool.com/textures.htm

Did you try a crumpled newspaper dipped/squashed in mud tray, or a common towel? It's not Saran-wrap.sp.

Gary

coupe · 12-19-2011, 03:06 PM

this texture, looks to me like was done with a very short napped roller. you might experiment with very thin skim coat with rolling at various drying times. rolling lightly to not go deep into the wet skim coat. maybe use a flat concrete trowel not curved drywall trowel. I'm sure you can get a close match in this way. time your drying times till you get what you need with not too much pressure on roller

as always, just my thoughts!

good luck

coupe/Larry

Stanchek · 12-19-2011, 03:24 PM

It is a rolled on texture with very thinned mud. I agree with bud that you'll never match it perfectly. Not sure how big the extent of your repair is, but texturing from one corner to the other instead of a patch of texture in the middle of a wall will dramatically reduce the visible differences in the room. If you're extremely compulsive about it, you could always float the whole room smooth, then texture.