Did you repaint the entire ceiling with flat white paint ?

 

Hi. No, the ceiling hasn't been painted yet. We're waiting to complete any texturing before painting. We will eventually be painting it a flat white that 'might' be a bit brighter/whiter than what is on there currently, not sure.
And while we understand that paint will even out any differences in color, the main concern is the vast difference there will be in highlights/shadows that will be evident due to the different textures. It's unfortunately right in the middle of the ceiling where it will be pretty evident, especially with different lighting.

 

Hi. We are trying to prepare our father's house for sale. Unfortunately, out of the blue, we got a minor water leak from an upstairs shower valve that required cutting a 2'x2' hole in the family room ceiling to inspect. The ceiling has a knockdown texture on it. And, of course, insurance wouldn't cover the repairs, stating that the water leak appears to have been occurring for a while (we jumped on it as soon as we noticed the water stain in ceiling).

So we couldn't afford to have the entire ceiling skimmed and retextured, as we were informed that was the only way to ensure a 100% perfect repair. The drywall contractor we hired said that he could repair the hole and do his best to match the existing knockdown texture, but it may only be a 80-90% match. We told him to do his best!

Unfortunately, the retextured area really doesn't match the existing knockdown texture and will stand out like a sore thumb to potential buyers . Want to see if there is anything we can do to try to salvage this, as we can't really afford to pay someone to come in and redo what he did (and just 'hope' for a better result).

Below are some photos that show the repaired area on the left, and the original texture on the right. It might be a challenge to see in photos, unless you zoom in, but the original texture is much rougher and deeper than the repair (i.e, the 'valleys' are deeper). You can also see fine 'grain' on some of the flattened areas (i.e, knockdown 'plateaus') rather than them being completely smooth & flat like the repair. The repair probably looks like what a standard knockdown texture 'should' look like, but just doesn't match what is existing. Not sure if what is existing was using a different technique (it's 30 years old), or if it was just a 'creative decision'.

View attachment 746986
View attachment 746985

• Is there any way we can 'roughen up' the repaired texture so it matches a bit better?
• Is there any type of fine 'grain' we could spray over it, sort of like the fine grain in the 'valleys' of knockdown or orange peel textures?
  We only see spray textures for orange peel, knockdown, or popcorn textures. Nothing else.
• Any other ideas?

I wish we could afford to have the whole ceiling redone, but that would be closer to $2k, and we just can't do it. Just want the repair to not stand out as much.

THANKS!!!

I'm sorry to hear about the issue with the texture repair in your father's house. Here are a few suggestions to try and improve the match between the repaired area and the original knockdown texture:

1. Knockdown texture patch: You can try using a knockdown texture patching compound specifically designed for repairs. These products are available in most hardware stores and can help you recreate the knockdown texture. Follow the instructions on the product carefully to achieve the desired texture.
2. Sponge technique: One technique you can try is using a damp sponge to create a rougher texture. After applying the knockdown texture patch, lightly dab a damp sponge onto the surface to create small peaks and irregularities that mimic the original texture. Experiment on a small test patch first to ensure the desired result.
3. Texture additive: You can consider adding a texture additive to the knockdown texture patching compound. Texture additives come in various forms, such as fine sand or silica, and can be mixed into the compound to create a grainier texture. This can help match the roughness of the original knockdown texture.
4. Professional assistance: If the above methods don't provide satisfactory results, it may be worth consulting a professional texture specialist. They have experience in matching textures and can offer solutions tailored to your specific situation.

Remember to always test any technique or product on a small inconspicuous area before applying it to the repaired section. This will allow you to gauge the match and make adjustments as needed.

 

Hi, thanks for the replies! Just some clarification here:
1) Knockdown texture patch – Are you referring to things like Homax spray-on knockdown texture?
2) I've seen 'knockdown texture sponges' to use with joint compound. But wonder if they'd deliver the small, fine specks of grain in the 'valleys' & some flattened areas we need?!?
- Is this where I may need the texture additives if using this method?

- For any of these options, would I need to sand down the existing texture and start again from scratch (hoping I could do better than the drywall pro)?

- Is there any sort of 'grain/additive' spray that I could shoot over the existing repaired texture? Maybe try an orange peel spray at finest setting (just don't want the bigger lumps)?!?

And here's a pick showing the whole area. It's about a 3' x 3' area right in the middle of the ceiling. So, unfortunately, there's no 'inconspicuous' place to test on.

 

Can you post a pic from further back? Hard to tell from the close up pics just how bad it will be. Often things like that aren't as bad as you think and others won't obsess over it like you are.

I have knockdown and my living rm ceiling has been repaired a couple of times. I can point them out but most never notice .... and I rarely do.

 

make a rubber mold of the existing texture the same size or larger of the existing texture than apply to a flat surface & press in to the wet material it will leave the impression of the existing texture.
You can also make a roller to attach the rubber to roll a texture on.

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ouch, paint won't fix that
It looks like your texture guying didn't know how to replicate your texture.
Patting thinned down j/c on with a sponge and then dragging a wide drywall knife across it as it sets up will look better than what you have. Ideally you'd spray the texture and then knock it down with a knife. The 2 main things is getting the consistency of the mud right and waiting the appropriate time to knock it down.

 

ouch, paint won't fix that
It looks like your texture guying didn't know how to replicate your texture.
Patting thinned down j/c on with a sponge and then dragging a wide drywall knife across it as it sets up will look better than what you have. Ideally you'd spray the texture and then knock it down with a knife. The 2 main things is getting the consistency of the mud right and waiting the appropriate time to knock it down.

OK, thanks for response.

- So regarding adding new/additional texture, is the idea that I would do that over the current patch/texture? Or do I have to sand it all down first (which makes me a touch more nervous)?

And if I were to try spraying, I would be using off-the-shelf spray textures, as I don't see myself getting a compressor/hopper/nozzle just for this.

- So would spraying a really fine orange peel texture spray over this give better results than a knockdown texture spray? I mostly need additional small 'grain' type texture I think, not larger 'blobs'.

- And lastly, would it be smarter to let a texture dry first and use a flat sanding block to 'knock it down' a bit, so I'd have more control and be able to do it in minimal stages until right?

Thanks again. You see how much it will stand out to potential buyers, which is just not good

 

I don't think a fine orange peel will help any. I don't use the aerosol cans of texture I think they have a dial tip that will go from fine to coarse. A little experimenting should get you close. I don't think I'd bother sanding off the existing texture.

 

Ha. Yes, I agree. I would probably need to practice a great deal just to get to the level of a poor texturing job ; )

In this case, I suppose the only legitimate way to 'practice' a viable solution would be to first mimic as closely as possible the texture that the drywall guy did on something. Otherwise it wouldn't be a true apples-to-apples comparison. Unsure how well I could do this using just an aerosol sprayer when he used a big hopper from 4-5 ft away. And then I guess I'd need to hold my test cardboard up against the ceiling somehow to compare.

And the reason I mentioned trying an orange peel spray texture is that A) there aren't many other options; and B) the main thing I see when looking at the close-up photos is that the original texture has a lot more of the small grain/dots/lumps all over everything, and less of the really smooth 'plateaus' that the typical knockdown step does. So if I could add more of these really small specks to the existing texture, it might roughen it up enough along with making it deeper (the other main difference).

 

Your 'pro' either thinned the mud too much or knocked it down too soon - maybe both.

 

Yeah, or he just didn't really look too closely at the existing texture and just went with what might be 'standard'. What he did DOES appear to closer match knockdown in upstairs bedrooms, etc. So guessing our ceiling that needed repair just wasn't as 'standard' of a knockdown as is typical, where there are larger areas of very flat 'knockdown'.

Still need to determine what to do here. Would love to open a little hole in other part so I can run some track lighting wiring in the ceiling/walls (it's current external). But terrified to try to redo anything on this ceiling.

Sure hope all the repairs in the walls, which are orange peel, go a lot smoother...

 

I bet by this time you're getting the feeling that the only way to do this correctly is to skim coat and re-texture the entire ceiling. (Same with walls btw.)

 

I would just call another texture guy. Some are better at matching than others. You can save yourself some dough by floating the patch back smooth, and doing the masking for them, so all they need to do is set up and spray it.

 

Hi. We are trying to prepare our father's house for sale. Unfortunately, out of the blue, we got a minor water leak from an upstairs shower valve that required cutting a 2'x2' hole in the family room ceiling to inspect. The ceiling has a knockdown texture on it. And, of course, insurance wouldn't cover the repairs, stating that the water leak appears to have been occurring for a while (we jumped on it as soon as we noticed the water stain in ceiling).

So we couldn't afford to have the entire ceiling skimmed and retextured, as we were informed that was the only way to ensure a 100% perfect repair. The drywall contractor we hired said that he could repair the hole and do his best to match the existing knockdown texture, but it may only be a 80-90% match. We told him to do his best!

Unfortunately, the retextured area really doesn't match the existing knockdown texture and will stand out like a sore thumb to potential buyers . Want to see if there is anything we can do to try to salvage this, as we can't really afford to pay someone to come in and redo what he did (and just 'hope' for a better result).

Below are some photos that show the repaired area on the left, and the original texture on the right. It might be a challenge to see in photos, unless you zoom in, but the original texture is much rougher and deeper than the repair (i.e, the 'valleys' are deeper). You can also see fine 'grain' on some of the flattened areas (i.e, knockdown 'plateaus') rather than them being completely smooth & flat like the repair. The repair probably looks like what a standard knockdown texture 'should' look like, but just doesn't match what is existing. Not sure if what is existing was using a different technique (it's 30 years old), or if it was just a 'creative decision'.

View attachment 746986
View attachment 746985

• Is there any way we can 'roughen up' the repaired texture so it matches a bit better?
• Is there any type of fine 'grain' we could spray over it, sort of like the fine grain in the 'valleys' of knockdown or orange peel textures?
  We only see spray textures for orange peel, knockdown, or popcorn textures. Nothing else.
• Any other ideas?

I wish we could afford to have the whole ceiling redone, but that would be closer to $2k, and we just can't do it. Just want the repair to not stand out as much.

THANKS!!!

I can offer some suggestions to help you address the issue with the repaired ceiling texture not matching the original knockdown texture:

1. Feather the edges: You can try feathering the edges of the repaired area by lightly sanding them to blend them with the surrounding texture. This can help create a smoother transition between the repaired and original areas.
2. Texture additive: Consider using a texture additive to create a slightly rougher texture on the repaired area. These additives are available in various forms, such as powder or liquid, and can be mixed with paint or joint compound. Test the additive on a small area first to ensure it matches the desired texture.
3. Texture patching compound: Look for a texture patching compound specifically designed to match knockdown textures. These products are available at hardware or home improvement stores. Follow the instructions provided to apply the compound and achieve a closer match to the original texture.
4. Consult a professional: If the above options don't yield satisfactory results, it might be worth consulting a professional who specializes in drywall repair or texture matching. They may have additional techniques or specialized tools that can help achieve a better match.

 

AI Supreme compound justice doesn't give more than elementary answers but it's trying to learn how to run through the mud without splashing the white sidewall tyres whilst staying out of the barr ditches and hollows of the fields and swamps. Mud wrestling demos are next up.
How to use a cheese grater will baffle the catalytic conversions of mental acuity required for seal skin coating before primer saturation of the hardwoods.

 

Uf his 80-90% match is not very acceptable to me...

I don't think you can fix that patch now as all the "valley" sections are completely filled in >.< You could try blowing popcorn up there then flatten/knock down that, you'd have to feather the edges and you'd have a bit of a bump, but with it being in the center of the room it might not be too too noticeable.

I have tried sand additives for texturing, but it was really terrible. Possible I did it wrong, but I don't know how it could have possibly looked better if I had done it right. Unfortunately that was decades ago, plus it would not match your ceiling texture. You'd have to add in something like the styrofoam balls from shipping packaging to get the right size from the looks of it... Some toys and smushables, maybe some squishy chairs, have a slightly smaller foam ball in them that would be close, but I have no idea how either of those would go on the ceiling in mud.

 

I don't think you can fix that patch now as all the "valley" sections are completely filled in >.< You could try blowing popcorn up there then flatten/knock down that, you'd have to feather the edges and you'd have a bit of a bump, but with it being in the center of the room it might not be too too noticeable.

I have tried sand additives for texturing, but it was really terrible. Possible I did it wrong, but I don't know how it could have possibly looked better if I had done it right. Unfortunately that was decades ago, plus it would not match your ceiling texture. You'd have to add in something like the styrofoam balls from shipping packaging to get the right size from the looks of it... Some toys and smushables, maybe some squishy chairs, have a slightly smaller foam ball in them that would be close, but I have no idea how either of those would go on the ceiling in mud.

Thanks for the response! I don't think the 'valley' sections are completely 'filled in', per se. Just that the 'plateaus' aren't quite as tall and rough. They're too shallow and flat, probably like it 'should' be.

- So you think trying a spray popcorn texture would be preferable over orange peel or knockdown?
I think I really need some build up of smaller dots/grain that I could then maybe shave off randomly to flatten a bit again (i.e, getting up there with sand paper when dry). The existing just doesn't have the really large areas of flat, more sporadic as if it just wasn't knocked down very well, or maybe had dried a bit too much before they tried?!? Hard to know for sure.

- And yeah, reading not so great comments about using the texture additives, like 'sand'.
The ones I found so far seem to have to be applied to paint, but that would mean a bit harder to correct course if not great. Hoping to paint last, when the general texture looks pretty decent. And just no idea what 'size' grain/sand I would need. Again, I think it's similar to the smaller grain I see in valleys of orange peel or knockdown (guessing those two start similarly).

 

If it was my ceiling, and I was doing it myself, honestly, I'd get a stiff 8" mudding blade and scrape off that entire disaster of a patch that was done. Practice on something, I'd try a slightly thicker mud and popcorn spray it (for what it looks like you might already have up there), or do a slightly thinned mud and use a brush to splatter mud on there (more of an orange peel texture), then let it sit for some time, and knock it down with a stiff mudding blade or a foam knock down tool. But then you're talking about basically starting over... so yeah.

What you could try, time consuming, but basically free, is get a dental pick, or tooth picks, and poke out some of the blobbed mud to get your texture valleys back, but that's going to be some time invested... Like rent a scaffold for a week and set it high enough that you can lay down and poke up at it. It'd take forever, but again, it'd be free but for the hours and days invested...

 

I fell asleep in my chair and had a thought/dream something on this. Could try lightly scraping over the texture, possible you could scrape off enough of the "top coat" to expose the valleys you think are not filled in. No idea if it would work, but I have messed up on texturing my walls and manually "excavated" the texture back in, with paint on it no one ever knew... until now.

 

I would not introduce popcorn texture to the mix!
I think knockdown could be done right over the botched texture BUT I'm not there to get eyes/hands on it. It isn't a big deal to skim coat over that texture and start over.

 

So skim & retexture the patch area then feather out into the ceiling?

Probably worth a shot at this point, isn't the whole reason we put texture up there to hide the unevenness? Sound like a perfect case study

 

Texture can only hide so much although the heavier the texture the more it can hide.

I've always found knockdown one of the harder textures to match [at least for me] but the OP's repair doesn't even look like a good attempt. While I'm not convinced it needs to be skimmed over, doing so brings it back to where it was before texturing started. Except for minor repairs it's usually best to blend the repair texture over a larger area.

 

Hi, thanks for the continued efforts & insight here! Much appreciated.

I fell asleep in my chair and had a thought/dream something on this.

That's a bit scary, but I can DEFINITELY relate! More nightmares for me, though ; )

I was just down staring up at it. I think I really need to maybe first determine the best way to get some additional small 'grain/spots' on the repaired flat 'plateau' areas. That is the biggest difference when looking straight on. The repaired plateaus are dead flat, but not the originals. The original 'plateaus' have specs/spots/grain on them, which makes them look rougher and probably adds to the depth.

Now to just determine if it would be best to try to sponge that on or spray. After looking at popcorn texture, I suppose that 'can' be more of the fine grain I might need, but all reviews on those sprays are pretty dismal. I just don't need the larger globs that a traditional knockdown sponge or spray might introduce.

I feel like if I could safely sand off or skim this first attempt easily enough, it might be safest bet. But again, I ultimately have no idea what I'm doing ; )

- And when I feel like I'm 'done' with any attempted repair, should I prime over the repair area before painting? I see a number of recommendations about doing that to 'seal in' the texture.

 

And when I feel like I'm 'done' with any attempted repair, should I prime over the repair area before painting? I see a number of recommendations about doing that to 'seal in' the texture.

While it's best to prime first it's less critical with ceiling paint.

 

Could try the splatter technique if you want kind of "dots" - I mix up my mud a bit wet and use a vehicle wheel cleaning brush (stiff plastic bristles) and brush my hand over the brush onto the wall. Usually knock it down after that, but if you get the mix right the splatter should stick (even on the ceiling.) Here are a couple pictures of the splatter technique "grain size" range or whatever with my wheel brush, first two were on the wall in my office with a thinner mud. The third one is from my dining room wall where I had mixed up a slightly thicker mud than in the office [still wet though] (Thumbnails, click and expand)