Flatten your wall's textured appearance to bring a new look to your room.
Texture on your walls and ceiling helps hide any imperfections in the taping and finishing. However, overly textured walls and ceilings may detract from the room's appearance and make it look outdated. Your wall is textured with either drywall compound or a texture mix; remove both types with the same process. Once you remove the texture, the wall is restored to its natural flat appearance. This project is messy and time-consuming, but the end result will be a truly transformed appearance to your room's walls. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Remove as many items as possible from the room. Place any large furniture you cannot remove in the center of the room and cover it with a plastic tarp. Cover the floor with plastic tarps.
2. Turn off power to the room from the main breaker box. Check the electrical outlets with a circuit tester. Back out the screws securing the electrical outlet cover plates and light switch cover plates to the wall. Cover the electrical outlets with painter's tape.
3. Apply a gel paint stripper to a small section of one wall with a paintbrush or sponge. Allow the stripper to work for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer. Scrape away the area with a 5-inch floor scraper. Hold the scraper at a 45-degree angle to the wall. Apply enough pressure to remove the paint and texture without damaging the drywall.
4. Apply the gel paint stripper to a larger area of wall. Work in manageable sections so the gel has enough time to break down the paint but not enough time to dry. Work your way around the room.
5. Run your hands over the walls. Sand down any ridges you come across with a sanding screen. Wipe a damp sponge over all the walls to remove dust.
6. Apply an even 1/8-inch-thick layer of joint compound over one entire wall using a 6-inch mud knife. Move to the next wall and apply an even 1/8-inch-thick layer on the wall. Repeat with the remaining two walls. Allow the joint compound to dry for approximately 12 hours.
7. Smooth any bumps or ridges from the joint compound's first layer with a sanding screen. Vacuum away as much of the dust as possible. Apply a second layer in the same way you applied the first layer. Wait approximately 12 hours for the second layer to dry.
8. Smooth the second layer with a sanding screen. Go over the wall a few times to get rid of all the bumps and ridges. Vacuum up all the dust and go over the walls one more time. Wipe the walls with a damp sponge. Prime the walls with an interior primer, then paint.
Tags: joint compound, over walls, sanding screen, second layer, with sanding, with sanding screen