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Step by Step Photos with Instructions 1 - 5
1. Mask your windows and doors with 3M’s
Hand-Masker or plastic sheeting. The Hand-Masker is ideal because it clings to
any vertical surface, making it easy to tape in place. Then cover remaining
trim, outlets and light fixture bases (remove glass covers) with masking tape.
Cover your floors with a heavy canvas or multiple layers of those bed sheets
you haven’t had the heart to get rid of. Don’t use plastic sheeting
on the floor or your work area will become a skating rink. Can you say
“strained groin muscle”?
2. Thin the joint compound, or “mud,”
with water.
Use a blade mixer
mounted to a variable-speed 1/2-in. drill (most mixers are too large for 3/8-
in. drills). You can also mix the mud by hand with a 5-gal. paint stirring
stick (available free at paint stores). Scoop half of a full bucket of
unthinned mud into an empty 5-gal. bucket and add the correct amount of water
to both buckets. Hug the bucket firmly with your feet and stir. After the
initial stirring, scrape the sides and bottom with a stick or your hand and
stir again. The second stirring helps remove thicker clumps that can clog the
spray gun.
Click image to enlarge.
3. Spray an orange peel base coat on the walls and
ceilings. This step will help blend areas where new walls meet old, allow
consistent drying for the topcoat, and act as a background for the final
texture. Hold the gun about 30 to 36 in. from the surface. Starting in a
corner, spray the ceiling first, working in grids sized according to what you
can comfortably reach from a stationary position (see photo). On the
walls, work from side to side and from top to bottom. Let the orange peel coat
dry (three to eight hours).
Click image to enlarge.
4. Apply the topping coat using the same techniques
you used to spray on the base coat but with different gun settings and mud
consistency. If
possible, practice in the closet or on a spare piece of drywall before moving
to the main area. Hold the gun a bit farther from the surface, up to 48 in. The
splats should be 1/2 in. to 1-1/2 in. in diameter. Finish spraying the entire
room before going to the “knock-down” step. After you apply the
first coat, spray on a quick second coat to help even out slight
differences.
Click image to enlarge.
5. Knock down the topping coat with an 18- or
24-in. Plexiglas knife and light pressure after the mud has set up for 10 to 15
minutes. Start in the closet until you get the feel of the knife and the effect
you want. Knock it down in the same order you applied it. On the ceiling, knock
down in a direction across the joists or framing. This helps compensate for
unevenness of the ceiling. On the walls, start at the top and bring the knife
two-thirds of the way down, then start at the bottom and bring the knife up to
finish off the knockdown.
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