Drywall textures: orange peel, knockdown, popcorn, and how much material

Why texture

A smooth wall shows everything: joints, screws, dents and the slight waves of the framing. A texture breaks up the surface so small flaws disappear, and it lets the board below be finished to a lower level, which saves finishing labour. Textures are common on ceilings everywhere and on walls in much of the southern and western US. The trade-off is that a textured wall is harder to patch invisibly and harder to change later.

The common textures

Spray textures are applied with a hopper gun and a compressor, both rented by the day; hand textures need only a trowel and patience. Practise on a scrap of board before the first wall.

How much material

Spray textures come as powder in 40 to 50 lb bags, mixed with water; popcorn comes in bags and boxes with the aggregate included. USG gives 300 to 700 sq ft per 50 lb bag of spray texture, depending on the pattern and how heavy it is; Homax gives up to 250 sq ft for a light coat and 150 sq ft for a heavy one per 13 lb box of popcorn.

What it costs

Published cost guides put sprayed orange peel and knockdown, applied by a pro over finished board, at about $1.00 to $2.25 per square foot. A 500 sq ft knockdown ceiling is about $500 to $1,125. DIY, the material is cheap, a bag or two, and the cost is the rental of the hopper and compressor, plus the practice. The texture cost calculator prices both, by region.

The finish under texture

Texture changes how much finishing the board needs. GA-214 recommends Level 3 under medium and heavy textures, such as knockdown, and Level 4 under light ones, such as a fine orange peel. On new work that saves one pass of finishing. The finish level selector takes the texture into account, and the guide to levels of finish explains why.

Prime the board before texturing. A drywall primer evens out the suction of the paper and the compound, so the texture dries evenly and the paint over it looks uniform.

Ceilings on wide framing

Water-based textures add weight and moisture to a ceiling. On joists or trusses 24 in apart, regular 1/2 in board can sag under them; the code and the board makers call for 5/8 in board or sag-resistant 1/2 in ceiling board there. The thickness selector checks it.

Removing popcorn, and the asbestos question

Popcorn ceilings were sprayed in millions of homes from the 1950s to the 1980s, and those applied before about 1980 may contain asbestos. Do not scrape, sand or wet-remove an old popcorn ceiling until a sample has been tested by an accredited lab. If it is positive, the US EPA’s guidance and your state’s rules apply, and removal is usually for a licensed abatement contractor.

A cheaper alternative, and one that avoids disturbing the old texture, is to cover it: screw 1/4 in or 1/2 in drywall through the old ceiling into the joists and finish the new board. The guide to removing old drywall and plaster covers tear-outs and the disposal.

Smoothing a textured wall

Turning a textured wall smooth means a skim coat: knock off the high points, prime, and apply thinned compound in two or three thin passes, sanding between. Orange peel takes about two thin passes; knockdown takes more. The skim coat calculator counts the compound, and the guide to sanding drywall helps with the dust.

Patching texture

Patching a textured wall means matching the texture: aerosol cans of orange peel and knockdown texture exist for small patches, adjustable for droplet size. Practise on cardboard, apply in light coats, and feather the edges into the old texture. Prime and paint the whole wall, not just the patch, or the patch shows.

Common mistakes

• Spraying unprimed board. The texture dries unevenly.
• Too thick on the first pass. Build up; it can always get heavier.
• Regular 1/2 in board under texture on 24 in trusses. It sags.
• Scraping old popcorn untested. Test for asbestos first.
• Level 5 under knockdown. Wasted work.