Knock Down Walls

A friend told me she used a texturing technique on her walls called "knock down walls", I had no idea what she was talking about. I researched the web and found several tutorials on knock down walls.

I have textured our walls before, I just never heard it referred to as "knock down."

In the tutorials a machine is used to spray mud or drywall compound on the wall followed by knocking the peaks off with a putty knife.

To me, this looked like a long drawn out way of putting texture on walls. I have always applied mud to walls with a putty knife when texturing.

The pattern of the texture is easy to control by the size of the putty knife and the strokes that are used to apply mud.

Applying texture is easy, but time consuming, however, I like the results. Our house has all plaster walls. I love the walls in the living room and dinning room, they are textured plaster walls.

There is a huge difference in the looks of textured plaster and textured dry wall. I like the looks of textured plaster but drywall is easier to repair and maintain.

Knock down walls are also a great way to hide any flaws or imperfections the walls may have. We had a water leak from the flat roof above our breakfast room.

When repairing the walls from the leak we had a hard time getting the archway wall between the kitchen and breakfast room smooth.

I applied mud with a one inch putty knife on the archway wall only. I painted the archway a couple shades darker than the kitchen and breakfast room so it would be more noticeable.

Texturing ceilings and walls can be messy so use a drop cloth. Decide on the look you are trying to achieve and choose the putty knife size accordingly. Apply the mud as is, straight out of the bucket. No thinning required.

After the mud dries paint the area with a mildew resistant primer. The primer will protect the wall and make it easier to paint.

The primer will soak in and take longer to apply and the paint will be easier to apply over the primer.

Another method to apply mud to walls and ceilings for a textured look is the way my friend did, with a paint roller. I have never used a paint roller to texture, but it sounds like the easiest way of the three.

Supplies needed to roller the mud:

1. Paint roller handle with cover and extension pole
2. Paint roller pan
3. Electric drill
4. Ribbon mixer (found in drywall taping tool area of the home improvement store)
5. Drop cloths
6. 5 gallon bucket of drywall compound (quantity depends on the size of area to be textured)

Start by thinning the mud with water. Transfer half the mud to a sturdy plastic bucket. Add a cup of water to the remaining mud and mix it in well using the ribbon mixer with your electric drill. You might have to add some more water or mud. The consistency should be like a milk shake.

Applying the mud:

1. Spread out the drop clothes.
2. Pour some thinned mud in the roller pan.
3. Practice with an area on applying the mud until you achieve the look you want.

The finished look of the texture is determined by the nap of the roller used and the speed the mud is rolled on the wall.

As you roll the nap will lift the mud off the wall in peaks. The slower you go, the higher the peaks will be. Start rolling up and down in one corner and work your way around the room. For a more erratic pattern, roll back over it at random angles. Try expermenting with objects to achieve a pattern such as a tiling troll or a putty knife in random areas.

If you want to eliminate or reduce the number of peaks, knock them down with a putty knife. Knock the peaks down before the mud dries compleatly, hence the name "knock down walls"!

Complete the textured area by applying a mildew resistant primer and the paint color of your choice.

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