[NA] Re-texturing walls. Do it or hire someone?

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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My walls look like this:
2LUX7.jpg


I want them to look more like this except w/ a bit of a glaze:
celling.PNG








I was thinking about taking on the task myself but I learned this morning it is highly advised to remove the existing texture first. I think that pushes it into the "more messy than I want to deal with" category.

Anyone ever done this or had this done?
Is it too big a pain in the ass to take one oneself?
Is it expensive to have done?
 
I'd let the person handling applying the new finished product dictate the removal (if at all) of the existing.

If you take it off, gouging the walls in places in the process, then hand it over to Joe the drywall man to re-texture, you might not have saved much if he has to "rework" some of it based on your removal technique.

If you're planning to do the whole thing soup to nuts, you have kids right? Couple of shop vacs and some parental persuasion... Cleanup done!
 
Oftentimes the texture was put up to cover shoddy drywall work & imperfections. Many/most people don't like it (popcorn ceiling included).

I'd strip it off, fix the imperfections, and paint the wall.
 
No reason to remove the old stuff. If it's not painted, you're golden, use joint compound. If it is, clean the hell out of it, and use plaster or stucco. That stuff sticks to paint. Plus, glazing over textured surface hides a myriad of mistakes. Worse comes to worse, you can cover the wall with nylon mesh and plaster over that. We used to do that when there were a lot of cracks in the wall.

Gonna be messy no matter what you do.
 
Knockdown texture is the default here. The houses are come that way.
I like the more elegant look. I think it is called skip trowel or skim coating. I am not sure the proper term.

Whoever does it is doing it all. I am not going to remove the old and have someone do the new texture.
If it is fairly straight forward and can be applied over the existing texture, I would likely do it.

If the old has to be removed and the walls sanded down before application, then I am going to leave the whole project to a pro.
 
I think wsuffa nailed it... It usually is used to mask a not-so-perfect drywall job. It might also be that I simply don't like the look in the first place. But if you really want it, and have never done it before, let a pro do the whole job. It's not just the cleanup that is the pain. It really isn't as easy as it might seem to get a nice, even, look.
 
Do the inside of a closet, like the coat closet to get a feel for it.

Then you'll hire the job out when you realize you hate doing it are not satisfied with the outcome.

Don't have the closet fixed though. Keep that so @Mrs. SixPapaCharlie can show it to you every time you consider a new DIY project. :)
 
drywall work - one of those trades that the skilled make it look so easy that a 4th grader could do it... and one of those that frustrate the snot out of me. I've never been happy with any of my attempts (and that's why they're relegated to the basement areas in my house.)
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Knockdown texture is the default here. The houses are come that way.
I like the more elegant look. I think it is called skip trowel or skim coating. I am not sure the proper term.

Whoever does it is doing it all. I am not going to remove the old and have someone do the new texture.
If it is fairly straight forward and can be applied over the existing texture, I would likely do it.

If the old has to be removed and the walls sanded down before application, then I am going to leave the whole project to a pro.
Click to expand...
Wet the old texture with warm water to remove. No big deal except for the size of the home. How are you at eating an elephant? (one bite at a time)
 
I’d hire out the popcorn removal and skim coating. Then do the painting yourself.
 
The reason all the houses come with that knockdown stuff is it's cheaper and easier than a good drywall job, and it hides shoddy work.

Removing that would be a nightmare. Don't know who suggested it, but, no.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
The reason all the houses come with that knockdown stuff is it's cheaper and easier than a good drywall job, and it hides shoddy work.

Removing that would be a nightmare. Don't know who suggested it, but, no.
Click to expand...

What would be the alternative? You can't just have flat walls
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
What would be the alternative? You can't just have flat walls
Click to expand...

Flat/smooth is the default here. And there's no way I'd tackle retexturing an entire house. That would be a horrible, messy, endless job.
 
Any drywall contractor would give you the stink eye if you suggested "removing" the existing texture. The fix is to mud over the texture to make it smooth, then re-texture the way you want it.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
What would be the alternative? You can't just have flat walls
Click to expand...

Of course you can. The last time I saw plaster work like that was my in-laws place built in the late 1950s.
 
Removing the old will be nearly impossible. Skim coating it smooth and then doing a skip trowel is the best alternative. Slick wall is expensive, that's why residential contractors use spatter texture. Get a pro tape and texture guy to do your walls and the job will be done faster and look better.
 
I've only seen the textured walls on older construction. Anyone, at least around here, building new is just doing flat walls which I personally like better but I imagine the textured plaster stuff makes it easier to cover imperfections.

We've been working on taking down our wallpaper and fixing all rough/gouged areas left is kind of a pain but flat is what we're going for.
 
If you think texturing is a challenge, try taping. There really is an art to doing it well and it's easy to see when it was done by the artist's assistant.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
What would be the alternative? You can't just have flat walls
Click to expand...

My house has flat/smooth in the kitchen and bathrooms while everywhere else is knockdown textured. I always thought that was because kitchen and baths are messy spaces and flat walls are easier to clean.
 
Ravioli said:
If you think texturing is a challenge, try taping. There really is an art to doing it well and it's easy to see when it was done by the artist's assistant.
Click to expand...

You ain't kidding. I did drywall finishing for a couple years while in college. The guys who really knew what they were doing were just amazing. Bedded in with one pass of the trowel...didn't even have to sand. I wasn't worthy of carrying their mud.
 
Drywall and stucco is an art form that around here is accomplished by Mexicans. And by that, I mean that one guy on the crew speaks broken English and the others don't at all. But they make it look easy - it isn't.
 
Ravioli said:
The alternative is wallpaper!
Click to expand...

Or a combination of paper and paint. That requires careful framing, good boarding and an experienced taping & finishing crew.
I framed and boarded the house we currently live in, but hired a crew to do the taping & finishing (gawd what a mess that makes).
Here's a shot of the entry hall finished with a combination of anaglypta, patterned and paint.

IMG_0304.JPG
 
As a favor to those like me...

"Anaglypta is a range of paintable textured wallcoverings made from paper or vinyl. It is produced on traditional paper and paste-the-wall substrates."

You're welcome. ;)
 
Zeldman said:
Make it easy.... buy a new house...:lol::lol:
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Why stop there? Order up that new house, and while you're at it have your banker line up the funds for that tricked out Gen 6 SR22T you always craved. :D
 
GRG55 said:
Why stop there? Order up that new house, and while you're at it have your banker line up the funds for that tricked out Gen 6 SR22T you always craved. :D
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That's the kind of thinking I like to see..!!!! :lol::lol::lol:
 
I own 80 some units of apartments and have guys for different jobs. Timbeck is absolutely correct saying drywall work is an art form. I have a guy...who is an artist with that stuff. You aren't around my area or I would hook you up with him. Do it yourself? Oh no, not worth it and wouldn't come out half as good. Find yourself a guy with skills in your area. Maybe look on craigslist.
 
Kidding on that one
Some people would never! ... but, there are some pretty nice paneling options out there now.
I have a buddy that just did a kitchen and it looks amazing. no pics of it unfortunately..


Traditional-Walnut-5---Web-Version.jpg

50cd592dbea8de6bfa6c3201cef78f50.jpg

1.jpg

arrcc-wall-paneling.jpg
 
What do people have against wood paneling anyway? I always thought it looked nicer than a plain painted wall, plaster, or wallpaper but they tear it out on every home improvement show and everyone says it's what ugly?
 
cowman said:
What do people have against wood paneling anyway? I always thought it looked nicer than a plain painted wall, plaster, or wallpaper but they tear it out on every home improvement show and everyone says it's what ugly?
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The problem with paneling is it limits your options. You either keep it or tear it out. There are few intermediate options.
 
kyleb said:
The problem with paneling is it limits your options. You either keep it or tear it out. There are few intermediate options.
Click to expand...
Sometimes you can paint it, but yeah.

We have a place down on the Outer Banks of NC. I suspect it’s because of the environment, but down there everything is either textured drywall or paneling. My wife made a lot of faces as we did our house shopping.
 
Drywall work doesn't scare me. Drywall finishing scares me.

Get a couple of pros to give you quotes. They won't be cheap, but they will make it look easy, get done in a short time and maybe even teach you a trick or two.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I told my wife "It would be easier just to move and cost less out of pocket".
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Wifey may decide it may be easier and cheaper to acquire new husband unit. One who doesn’t complain about wifely demands for new wall texture...
 
Clark1961 said:
Wifey may decide it may be easier and cheaper to acquire new husband unit. One who doesn’t complain about wifely demands for new wall texture...
Click to expand...

When Mrs. GRG55 starts musing about building "the next house" I tell her she will be building it with "the next husband". One major period restoration, and one build-from-scratch is enough for one lifetime imo.
 
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