Texture Paint on Ceiling

adgjqetuo · 10-20-2011, 10:56 PM

Hello,

My name is Mike and I'm a first-time homeowner so please bare with me.

Here is a quick back story:

I have a completely finished basement - all the walls and ceiling are drywall.

Recently, I had a HVAC hose disconnect from the duct work in the ceiling and the only way to get to it was to cut a square hole out of the ceiling.

I cut an 18" square hole and was able to fix the problem great. I specifically cut the piece so that one side was half way on the joist so I can place it back in easier. I added some support beams on the other 3 sides and then placed the square back into the hole and screwed all 4 sides in. I then speckled around all 4 sides for some additional support.

Now for my problem...

My ceiling is not painted regular. The previous owners decided to use a type of texture like the picture below. I thought the Spackle would blend into the ceiling since it's white and has a similar texture. I was wrong - the ceiling happens to be a very slight off white. I had Home Depot color match paint and painted over the Spackle some but you can definitely still see where the square is. And even though I used flat paint, you can see that it still appears to be a little more glossy then what was previous. It blends in a little more with the paint, but I want it to ideally vanish.

How can I fix this so that the square I cut out is nearly invisible?

Example Texture:

Actual picture of what I tried to repair:

Thank you for any help you can provide!

Brushjockey · 10-21-2011, 07:18 AM

Ceilings are a tough one , no matter what kind of texture , to get a patch to completely disappear. It is kind of arty.
But what needs to be done is the patch area needs to be sanded flat and the sanding fanned out about 6" in all directions. if the ceiling is painted, I'd prime the flat area then to make it not to absorbent.
Then skim your flat area with slightly thinned taping compound. Get a flat trowel with a handle ( on top) and press into the mud and pull. this will create suction and made those tips. Best to practice on loose piece of wallboard or something until you figure out how to replicate the look.
Good luck!

Gymschu · 10-21-2011, 07:42 AM

Yeah, that's a tough one. Even though I've been in this biz for 35 years, I cringe when a customer asks me to do a textured ceiling patch job. The reason: There's just so many ways texture is done.......with a stomping brush, sponge, balled up plastic, rubber rollers, etc. As BJ said, you have to experiment. From the looks of the pic, it looks like a stomping brush was used. You can buy them at Lowes/Home Depot for about $12 bucks. As Brushjockey said, you gotta sand/feather out where you patched or else that patched area will "telegraph" through your final texture. Now, if you're lucky enough to actually match what's on your ceiling & apply it properly, you will likely have to paint the entire ceiling to make it disappear as the joint compound used for the texture will dry to a different color than the rest of the ceiling.

ltd · 10-21-2011, 09:47 PM

ok here's how i would do it. scrape or sand 6 to 8 inches around cut ,fiber glass mesh tape around cut .then easy sand 45 set joint compound over tape.this is the stuff you mix with water and its quick setting.keep it thin. its ok if you can still see tape.next ,get a beer or pop and ponder what ever it is you ponder

.ok now regular joint compound scoop it out with your hand into a 5 gal. bucket and add water to a consistency of a thick milk shake.use your hand to stir.a roller with a 3/8 nap cover,load up your roller and roll on a big piece of cardboard

that's to practice ,oh ok.as gym shoe said that might be a stomp brush or it just might be rolled on .when you see what you like, go for it .......p/s on youtube their are some good demos on texturing

brother A · 10-22-2011, 09:57 AM

this kind of problem is difficult to solve, what I can suggest here is you install something nice like a picture or something that really can cover the ceiling patch. Or you can hang a decorative item on it...

barry709 · 10-31-2011, 10:34 PM

I had a similar issue with some water damage. As I wasn't a fan or the stucco ceiling to begin with I chose to remove it.

In my case the ceiling hadn't been painted so I just sprayed it down with a pump bottle of warm water, let it sit for 5 or 10 min and used a plaster knife to scoop it off. I worked in about 6 sq ft areas at a time, covered the floor and cleaned up the mess as the water penetrated the next area I would scrape.

It really came off easily. After that I touched up the plaster, a light sanding and painted the whole ceiling. Turned out great.

In one area on a stairwell the previous home owner had painted the stucco with an oil based paint so the water would not soften it. I scraped over the area with my handy 12 " drywall knife and leveled the high points, then I plastered right over it, it was surprisingly easy, and turned out flawlessly.

I'm just a DIY er but with courage to take it on and lots of patients you can do a great job of it.

Barry