How To Texture A Ceiling

Are you bored of your old dull ceiling? Then you must try adding a little texture to it in order to impart a fresh look to your room. People pay very little heed to their ceiling and hardly do anything to embellish it. Plus, it is also a common misconception that texturing a ceiling requires professional assistance and is a big investment. However, the truth is that you can texture ceiling quite easily at home and sans blowing away a fortune. Though texturing a ceiling can be a little exhausting, the result is nevertheless stunning. It makes as bold a statement as your lavishly decorated walls or other expensive furnishing. However, there are a few considerations that should be borne in mind before you start texturing your ceiling, such as, the color or pattern. This write-up provides you complete information on how to texture a ceiling. Go through them carefully and start texturing your ceiling.

Things You Will Need 

• Drywall Joint Compound
• Thick Cloth/ Plastic Sheeting
• Paintbrush
• Sponge
• Stencil
• Stepladder (for reaching the ceiling)
• Taping Knife/ Straight-Edged Trowel
• Wallpaper Brush

Instructions

• First, take out all the furniture from the room. Cover all the remaining items with a thick cloth or plastic sheets.
• Repair the ceiling’s plaster to get rid of the cracks, holes, etc.
• In order to avoid the floor from being stained, cover it with thick drop cloths or plastic sheets, before you start the process of texturing the ceiling.
• If in case your ceiling is covered with wallpaper, strip it off. It is never a great idea to texture ceiling over the wallpaper.
• Now begin the texturing process by edging the whole of the ceiling with a thin layer of drywall joint compound. All you need to do is to apply 1/8” thick layer of the compound. However, if you wish to get a very rough texture, then opt for a thicker coat.
• Now go for the texturing part. However, make sure to prime the ceiling before texturing. If the texture compounds are applied to an unprimed ceiling, it might dry up very quickly, resulting in lap marks where wet compound is applied next to dry compound.
• Now make a decision regarding the compound you want to use. You may go for ready-to-use multi-purpose joint compound, a ready-mixed texture compound, or a powdered texture compound. However, you may have to mix water into the ready-to-use compounds in order to attain the proper density.
• One more decision you need to make is whether you want to mix color into the compound. Color can only be added to powder compounds. If you add color now, it might obviate the necessity of painting your ceiling later. Pour the coloring agent into the water.
• With the help of mixer attachment on your drill or a mud masher, mix the compound. Keep the mixture overnight to settle. Mix it again to get out any lumps, adding more water if needed.
• Fetch old paintbrushes or wallpaper brushes in order to create patterns.
• By using sponges, stroke or swirl on the wet surface to create a texture.
• However, if you fancy a pre-created design on your ceiling, make use of a stencil.
• Now try different patterns on drywall scraps or cardboard. You may use all sort of tools as well as different patterns. Paint rollers, paintbrushes, sponges and knives are some great options in this case. Once you find a pattern of your choice, see whether you can make it throughout the ceiling or not.
• You may also use sand to get the right texture and to get the look of old plaster. Sand is graded by mesh size with higher numbers indicating finer sand. Generally, 30 or 70 mesh sand or a combination of the two is the best suited for the purpose.
• As soon as you finish the first round of texturing, apply a thin layer of compound on un-textured parts.
• Keep switching between applying the compound and texturing until the entire surface is covered. And voila! Now you have a brand new ceiling that looks like a million bucks.