Orange Peel Wall Texture Styles
Orange peel texture is a wall or ceiling finish that looks a lot like the bumpy surface on the skin of an orange. Another term for orange peel texture is splatter. Orange peel texture drywall finish is a thinned out, light drywall compound that is sprayed onto the wall using a drywall texture gun. This look is particularly popular in Spanish homes. It adds beauty and depth to your room, as well as distinction and dimension. Orange peel texture is considered a faux finish and can be quite striking. Does this Spark an idea?
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Speed
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To acquire this look you will need the texture material, hopper gun and an air compressor and spray nozzle. Pour the texture material into the hopper after which you attach the spray gun to the compressor. You then spray the dry wall. The level of uniformity is determined by the speed at which you apply the texture. If you want a light texture, use rapid motions.
Pattern
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Adjust the splatter gun so that you are achieving the texture that you like. An orange peel pattern is different from a splattered texture in that there is organization to the orange peel pattern, while the splatter technique is more random and appears less finished.
Orange peel texture and splatter are both sprayed onto the walls using a hopper, but the orange peel look requires greater consistency in spraying whereas splatters simply pass through the nozzle of the gun and the outcome is a less finished look.
The texture of orange peel is rough but the patterns and densities of the orange peel texture can vary by diluting the compound or changing the orifice of the hopper nozzle. A fine orange peel texture is acquired when you use more water in the compound. The splatter size is determined by the pressure that is coming from the compressor. A small platter occurs when there is a lot of pressure. Larger splatter results when there is less pressure.
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What You Need
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You will need powdered mix and a drywall texture gun that you can rent from your home center store. You will also need an air compressor and an air hose gun that is about 25 feet long; a half-inch corded electric drill; a paddle for mixing and two five-gallon buckets. One bucket is used for the mixing compound and the other is used for water. You will also need a large sponge.
Mix the compound in one of the buckets. Add small amounts of water and mix with your paddle. You want a consistency that is comparable to thin pancake batter. Load the hopper and start spraying.
Experiment
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Ideally, you should practice on a spare piece of drywall before you do the orange peel texture on an actual wall. It may turn out that you don't like the effect and choose not to use it. Or it may be that you like a big splatter better than a small splatter or you prefer a fine texture rather than a heavier one.
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References
- Photo Credit Dynamic Graphics Group/Dynamic Graphics Group/Getty Images
