How to Paint Over Textured Paint

Painting over textured paint can be a very difficult project indeed. Some textures are rough and peaky like the top of a cake. They are set hard and firm and painting over the surface of a wall that has that sort of texture will require twice as much paint as the amount used on a flat wall. There will be peaks and troughs that you will need to get the paint into and this takes a lot of time.

Step 1 – Preparation

Make sure that the wall you intend to repaint is perfectly clean and free of dust, cobwebs and debris. This is vital for a good bonding of the new paint. Many roughly textures surfaces are, by their very nature, magnets for dust and cobwebs. Their rough, almost sharp surface holds the dust and contains it, so use a powerful vacuum cleaner and remove every particle of dust and debris from the wall before you start.

Step 2 – Taping

Tape off the areas that you do not want covered with paint, like door frames or window frames. Use drop cloths to cover floors.

Step 3 – Priming

It is still as important to prime the surface of the textured wall, even if it already has a coat of paint on it. So, using a very deep pile roller prime the wall. The deep pile on the roller will allow you to get into the peaks and troughs much easier than using a fine thin pile roller. The deepness of the pile will reach into the peaks and troughs and coat as much paint into the all the areas of the textured surface and cover more of it. Use the classic "M" or "W" shape when painting the wall. This will let the paint into areas that may not get good coverage with straight up and down painting.

Step 4 – Painting

Again, you will require the use of a deep pile paint roller to get into all the peaks of the texture. Load the roller liberally with paint and roll the excess into the bumpy runners of the tray to prevent dripping. Using the "W" or "M" shape again, coat the walls evenly in paint. Try to be as uniform as possible as you roll the paint into the walls. Once the entire wall has been covered, step back and look for any areas that need touching up. If the color of paint you are using is different from the original covering then you have an easier chance of noticing any missed bits, but if you are painting the same color you will need to view it in a good light to pick out any areas that need rectifying.

Step 5 – Fine Textures

If the texture of paint that you are painting over is not the peak and trough sort, but more of a sand texture, you will still similar issues. You can still use a deep pile roller but you have a better chance of covering the entire wall very neatly with that. Sand texture and fine texture walls will still have sharp elements that can leave tiny threads of roller material hanging in the paint, so keep that in mind as you roll.