Simple question … or so it seems. A faux finish on a heavy texture requires different tools and also a different mindset for the results.
What is the best type of faux finish to use when painting over a heavy swrilled plaster wall ?
When you decide to paint a faux finish on a heavily textured wall, you need to keep a few things in mind. All the gorgeous faux painting that is found in the decorator magazines and books are usually painted on smooth walls.
The thing about textured walls is that the texture grabs the paint and doesn't want to let go! This means that the wall texture is going to be highlighted and so it will be the design that is most predominate.
- If you rag on a finish and then take a soft dry brush and lightly drag it across the wall, it will pull the collected finish away from the deeper areas.
- Keep wiping the brush on a dry cloth and then dragging it cross hatch style across you finish.
- Work in 4 ft. square sections.
This technique should be an easy solution. It will highlight the texture on the wall, so make sure you love the texture design before you make a statement with it.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for answering this question. I was looking for something about this. But this leads to another question. What if you don’t like the texture? That was part of the reason for applying the faux finish. Should we try to sand down the texture before we begin or try to apply a different texture on the wall before we start? Or is there another solution?
My ideas about sanding down the texture are: step away from the sander!
I think the paint that covers the wall will goop up the sander very quickly and you will have a mess.
That said… yes you could re-texture the wall. Prepping the wall to accept the new texture should be investigated at your local hardware store. They will be able to advise you on the correct tools and products.
If you feel that the texture you have is dating your home or is something you can not live with… then either redo the texture or hire someone to do it for you professionally. This is such a permanent addition to the walls… that I would recommend the latter. The texture will be consistent throughout the space and for resell value this will be important.
oh, thank god for textured walls,,, you want em smooth? you gotta call captaindrywall to putty coat em.. ok you can do it , and should learn how.
ok so after 32 years of textureing and smoothing wall, i am learning to faux.
call me fickle
capt
We are trying to paint over a wall that has had a faux finish done to it. We would like to make it back to just a flat surface and use a solid color paint. What is the best way to accomplish this?
Hi Kathy, what type of faux finish is on the wall? Does it have a texture that you can actually feel and you would like it to be smooth? Does it have a sheen to it?
We just moved into military housing, we are not allowed to make any changes to the wall other than paint. Can you please tell me the best finish for a stucco wall…or is straight paint the only option we have? Also, when painting a living room or dining room is it best to use more than one color (Main wall and accent wall)? Thanks.