Patching and Plastering - matching patched sheetrock area

In our family room (with very tall walls/ceilings), we had to take out a piece of the drywall that is about 2x3 feet to repair a pipe.
It is now patched, but I want to match the wall surfaces when repainting.
The rest of the wall is drywall that was painted with a smooth nap roller several years ago.
I intend to prime the area that was repaired and then repaint the whole wall.
Are there any tricks so that the repaired area does not appear a different texture (smoother) than the rest of the wall? I've seen this many times with patches.
Is there any primer that is good at hiding the repair so when I repaint everything will blend in well?

paint does not hide nor create texture. paint just adds color. you need to get the patch to an invisible state well before you start painting.

so i've moved your question into the Patching & Plastering forum.

good luck!

I understand that paint is for color, but I am talking about the way the patched area tends to seem smoother and flatter than the surrounding drywall.
I know there are primers for drywall. Will they prevent this?

the reason patch jobs show is because the original wall was probably orange-peel texture or knockdown texture, etc and the patch is just smooth joint compound over smooth drywall. the patch needs to be textured the same as the wall, which is something these drywall guys will be able to walk you through. ...if and when they see this!

guys? :o

prime the patch with the same roller you initially did the ceiling with and let it dry . Now paint the patch [the existing color] with the roller and let that dry. Then paint the whole ceiling. Don't do anything until the repair is invisible. That means feathering out a considerable distance[maybe 18" or more] from the tape and sanding smooooooooothe without exposing tape.

joneq: he's patching a wall, not a ceiling. and i think the problem is that the patch is smooth, but the wall has a texture. he needs to texture the patch to match the wall texture.

Dave, you need one of the drywall guys to help you........where ARE they?????

"the rest of the wall is drywall that was painted with a smoothe nap roller"
"I intend to prime the whole area and then repaint the whole wall"

Wall, ceiling same animal. When I do repair work there is never any telltale evidence of the repair. I know what I am talking about.What about the initial post leads you to believe that the rest of the wall is textured? I read it the exact opposite, that it is smoother than most painted walls because of the nap used. If it is textured ,how,given the limited info from Dave4242, could anybody advise on a fix. My advice to Dave4242 is to repost with more info if I am wrong. If not, do what I said or any other advice you feel will produce the desired result. It is more than I would have to do but gives him the best chance of producing a great looking repair with limited experience.

Again, all bets are off if the repair is not done properly. Since it is a wall I would seriously consider finishing 2 sides from floor to ceiling eliminating 2 potential "bumps" for lack of a better word. If it is textured I suggest a little clarification from Dave4242.All of the above imho.

What about the initial post leads you to believe that the rest of the wall is textured?

this:


Are there any tricks so that the repaired area does not appear a different texture (smoother) than the rest of the wall?


i hear him saying that he doesn't want the patch to appear smoother than the rest of the wall.

if you're a drywall pro, please advise him on how to duplicate whatever texture the rest of the wall is, onto his patched area.

of course, Dave will have to reply with info regarding what exact texture he's got.......

i'm not trying to be difficult........i just want him to get advice so he can finish his project (and i'm a little curious how to do it, too).

thanks!

Will have to wait for Dave.
There is really no trick to it. The drywall patch has the same texture[none] as the original drywall.Do the repair as if it was a little wall and paint it the same way as the whole room was painted originally. Theoretically this should look the same as the whole wall when done. I only say this because I think he knows what was used to paint the wall. Sometimes the paint that covers the drywall compound will produce a slightly different effect[smoother],but that is what they make primer sealer for

Regarding the advice about doing the wall from floor to ceiling. Only if it is in the middle[or near it] of the wall.Another thingis to make sure the drywall compound is mixed to a creamy consistency. It probably was when it was done originally,although Dave4242 is probably done patching[or at least he thinks he is]I Hpe he is right.

If everything looks good after painting just the patch I might consider primer sealing the whole wall. It will provide for equal absorbtion of the paint,just make sure the paint is dry.

Really hope this wall isn't textured!!!!!!

The wall is not textured per se. It's just that it has multiple coats of paint applied with a roller so there is a certain "orange-peel" texture to it.
It just has seemed like in previous repairs, even though I have primed the area with a roller and then rolled on new paint, the paint area did not have as much of an orange-peel texture as the surrounding wall.

I was sort of under the impression that you knew it was done with a short nap roller cover, but any way. Do like I said in the previous post. The idea is to produce a similar orange peel effect on the patch without adding to the rest of the wall and then paint the whole wall. I think that I might try using a 3/4 nap roller for the final coat. This will produce some orange peel[all rollers do,exept for foam], but will hide the patch better. Using flat or eggshell paint will also help. Keep the roller wet and watch for lapmarks. Forget the "W" technique. Just go up and down the wall like 2 times and dip for more paint. Having somebody cut in helps a lot.Don't go over what you already did after you leave that area. Do it right the first time.Don't miss any spots and pay attention to what you are doing. Turn off the heat or at least turn it down[helps keep a wey edge]. Last but not least make sure the patch is good. You should be able to run your hand from the original wall over the patch and not feel any hump, otherwise you will have a nicely orange peeled bump on your wall---forever----- or until you do it over. Make sure all coats are fully dry before recoating. Good luck.

Thanks, Joneq. Actually the area is being patched by a drywall guy, so I assume it will be nice and smooth. It looks great. Our wall is about 19 feet tall and 22 feet wide, so I'm not really looking forward to repainting the whole thing. I was thinking of cutting in the ceiling with an extension ladder and then painting with a roller on an extension handle. What do you think?

sounds good to me. Make sure you come down on the wall enough when you are cutting in so you don't hit the ceiling with the roller when you paint.It is more likely on a high ceiling. Definitely keep the heat down. it gets HOT up there and dries the paint fast. I would definitely use "floetrol" [in the depot] it makes it easier to paint. It makes it dry slower so it is easier to keep a wet edge,which may be a problem.Shake it good and strain it in a clean kitchen type strainer It also gives you more paint to work with. It will reduce the orange peel effect so make sure it[the orange peel effect]is there before you do the final coat.

Check the repair for any needed sanding that the dude may have missed, but don't expose and tape. Make sure you remove all the sanding dust.Probably best to go from the ceiling to the floor and then move over and do another line from the ceiling to the floor overlapping a little.Before you start get plenty of paint on the roller cover and reload for each line. Keep the ladder handy but out of the way,in case you need to get any crapola off the wall. I assume you will have help but if not I would probably do all the cutting in first. Maybe even two coats if that is how many coats it will take to do the wall,just feather in the bottom of where you cut in so as not to leave an edge

If you fall off the ladder try to push the ladder away from the wall.He He

I would use a 3/4" nap roller, lambswool or 50/50 lambswool/poly with acrylic primer. Roll out the patch at least twice, with 2 thick coats of primer. Don't roll it thin/smooth, just kinda slather it on and roll over it once or twice to create a stipple. When they are dry, hopefully it will appear to be painted several times before, and when you apply the finish paint, it will blend. Super-smooth walls are pretty hard to make patches blend in, especially on long, high walls because when light hits them at an angle, it shows everything because it is so smooth. Good luck. :D

Sounds like some good advice given here. I would only stress again that using a flat wall paint as your topcoat would be best (why highlight the patched wall with a satin or glossier hue)?

Gregg

i would recommend 1/2 nap sherman williams pro block 400i think white and blue can primer patched area first let dry then primer the whole wall primer tends to to show if the whole area isnt primered. expecially if using satin or eggshell or semi. then roll 2 coats of of finish paint over entire wall wala