Texture Painting Tips

To enhance the look, feel, and comfort of any home, having well-designed painted walls is of the utmost importance. Painting the walls in your home not only adds color and texture, but is also a great way to cover flaws in the walls’ construction. For homeowners who want to add a little “spice” to their walls or cover serious cracks that ordinary paint does not mask, texture painting is an excellent solution. Whether you are painting the walls in a new home or are simply doing renovations on your existing home, texture painting helps you give your home a completely new look and feel. To properly apply texture paint, it is helpful to follow a few tips.

Selecting Texture Paint

When selecting the right type of texture paint for your specific needs, two things to keep in mind are timing and eliminating the look of seams in the wall. It is a good idea to pick a texture paint that has a longer drying time, as this will give you the freedom to experiment with the paint and ensure you achieve the finished look you want.

Prepare the Surface to Paint

In addition to selecting texture paint with a long drying time, it is important to properly prepare the surface you want to paint. This includes making sure the surface is free of grease, dirt, glue, or old paint. Also, fill all holes and cracks with compound and sand them so they are the same as the rest of the wall. In addition, you should prime all surfaces with a high-quality primer before applying texture paint.

Applying Texture Paint

When applying texture paint, it is important to follow these steps:

1. Determine the desired texture you want the wall or ceiling to have. Some commonly used texturing items are paint rollers, sponges, and crushed paper.
2. Apply texture paint in small 4”x4” sections. Avoid applying texture paint to an entire wall or ceiling at a time.
3. Most texture paint dries to an off-white or cream color. Avoid adding tint when applying texture paint, as this can thin the paint and result in color variations you may not want. Allow all texture paint to dry for at least 24 hours before painting the wall the color of your choice.

With some practice and experimenting with different textures and colors, texture painting can be a fun project for almost any “do-it-yourselfer.” If you have any questions about the best type of texture paint to use on your home, it may be helpful to contact a professional contractor.