Smoothing out rough paint texture
#1
02-24-14, 07:42 PM
Smoothing out rough paint texture
I'm getting ready to have my kitchen repainted, and was thinking about trying to smooth out the texture of the walls first. They have a very rough texture, I don't mind some texture, but this is kind of over the top (maybe called halk and trowel texture?). I've looked into having it professionally done, but it seems prohibitively expensive. Parts of it look relatively smooth, with ridges like they went back and forth with a trowel, but then there are these big lumps here and there.
Anyone know how hard it would be to smooth out the texture? Is there an easy way to do this? If I sand down the bigger bumps, would I need to go over the wall with some kind of joint compound? I don't need it to be completely smooth, just less "hilly."
Anyone know how hard it would be to smooth out the texture? Is there an easy way to do this? If I sand down the bigger bumps, would I need to go over the wall with some kind of joint compound? I don't need it to be completely smooth, just less "hilly."
#2
02-24-14, 07:54 PM
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I think those mudders were in my house too. I'm not sure how smooth you want to make it but I'd use some 60 or 80 grit sandpaper on a floor sanding pole and smooth a lot of that off and then go to a finer grit depending on the finish you're looking for.
#5
02-25-14, 03:48 AM
The walls may not sand too good assuming they are painted with latex. Latex paint tends to heat up and plug the sandpaper when you sand. I'd scrape the walls, sand with 80 grit and then skim coat the walls with joint compound.
Any time you expose any raw gypsum or j/c you need to use a primer. Other than texture paint there isn't any type of paint that will smooth out or otherwise lessen the texture.
Any time you expose any raw gypsum or j/c you need to use a primer. Other than texture paint there isn't any type of paint that will smooth out or otherwise lessen the texture.
#6
02-26-14, 07:25 AM
I was thinking of renting a drywall sander to go over the texture and smooth it out, is that the right kind of tool? Or will it be too powerful? I've never used one, I don't want to sand off the drywall under the paint.
#7
02-26-14, 10:13 AM
The paint is generally tougher than the joint compound [what the texture is made of] While I've never used a powered drywall sander, their biggest attribute is they suck up the sanding dust. There is a lot of dust generated when sanding j/c BUT there shouldn't be a lot of dust sanding your painted texture. You might be better off with using an electric 1/2 or 1/4 sheet sander [or any oscillating sander] Be prepared to go thru a lot of sandpaper. Sanding generates heat and the latex paint will melt and plug the paper in short order.
