How to Spray Knockdown Texture on Walls

Get rid of boring smooth walls by learning how to apply knockdown texture.

Knockdown texture is one of several types of texture you apply to walls and ceilings to create an interior design element. You spray this texture on the walls, and then knock it down down or flatten it. The act of flattening the drywall compound gives this texture its name. Applying texture creates depth and beauty, and also helps hide less-than-perfect walls. Allow yourself a minimum of two to three days to complete this project.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic
• Painter's tape
• 5-gallon bucket
• Mixer bit
• Variable-speed drill
• Hopper
• 6-mm spray-gun bit
• Compressor
• 12-inch drywall knife
• Premixed drywall compound

Instructions

1. Remove all furniture from the room when possible. Cover remaining furniture with plastic. Take down pictures, curtains and window blinds. Place plastic over all the windows, and tape the plastic in place. Tape outlets and light-switch covers with painter's tape. Place plastic on the floor, and tape the edges of the plastic to the top edge of your baseboards. Spraying texture is a messy job, and taking time to protect your floors and furniture will eliminate hours of clean up.

2. Fill a five-gallon bucket half full of drywall compound. Cover the top of the compound with approximately 1 inch of water. Insert the mixer bit into your drill, and blend the water into the drywall compound. The drywall compound should be the consistency of a cake mix. Slowly add water and continue to mix the compound until you achieve the appropriate consistency.

3. Connect one end of the air-compressor hose to the air compressor, and the other end of the hose to the hose adapter on the base of the hopper gun. A hopper has a plastic tub on top that allows the drywall compound to flow through the gun, which is attached to the bottom of the hopper. Insert the 6-mm spray tip into the gun nozzle. The size of spray tip you use will determine how large the splatters will be.

4. Plug in the compressor and turn the dial on the top of the compressor to a minimum of 60 pounds of pressure. Do not use more than 80 pounds of pressure to apply the texture, or you will have drywall compound splattering everywhere. Fill the hopper with the mixed drywall compound after you attach the hopper to the compressor and have inserted the appropriate-size tip in the gun nozzle.

5. Plug the compressor in and aim the nozzle of the hopper gun at your wall. Squeeze the trigger on the gun and spray the texture on the wall. Use a back-and-forth or up-and-down motion while you spray the texture. Spray the texture in a consistent pattern across the wall while keeping the nozzle of the gun at least two feet away from the wall.

6. Spray one wall at a time. Sprayed texture must set undisturbed for at least 10 minutes before you knock it down.

7. Lightly drag the flat side of the drywall knife across the sprayed texture. Use only enough pressure to flatten the highest point of the splattered drywall compound without applying too much pressure. You can re-spray the texture if you flatten it too much. Repeat each step for the remaining walls.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice before you attempt to apply texture to your walls. You can practice spraying compound on a board or scrap piece of drywall. This will help you learn how to control the amount of drywall compound that flows through the hopper.

References

• Plaster-Wall-Ceiling-Solutions.com
• DrywallInfo.com: How to Apply a Knockdown Drywall Texture
• House-Painting-Info: Apply Knockdown Drywall Texture
• Homax: Professional Texture Gun and Hopper