Walls and Ceilings - Knockdown Texture Horror Story

Hi All,

I had a guy apply knockdown texture to the walls in the home I just bought, but he did a very poor and uneven job and then used a satin paint on the walls. I hired a company that only does texture to come in and they put another thick coat of knockdown on the wall.

I asked the new guy if the walls should be sanded prior to priming and he said no. I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts on sanding knockdown to make the wall feel a little smoother or if you just leave it alone. Thanks!

I'm not an expert on knock down by any means but I will tell you that I did it in my bathroom and I think I know how you are feeling.

When I first put the knock down on it looked terrible! I wasn't sure if it really was the look I wanted to go with even though I had seen the completed project in other houses. I was assured though that although it looked bad before painting, the look would change once it was uniformly covered. (This advise came from my father who has been a contractor for 40 years).

I decided to follow his advice and paint it. I'll tell you it makes a world of difference once it is covered. I was pretty taken aback by the change it made and I really like the look of it now. He also gave me the same advice of not sanding it prior and to just go ahead and paint it. Maybe if you try a small part of the wall first and paint it, then step back and picture the entire wall it may help you. I also used the store bought knock down in an aeresol can and I know that it would damage slightly if directly touched or scraped (chips and nicks). I don't know if this is the same stuff you used but if I would have sanded it, I think I would have taken it right off the wall.

Don't know if this helped but it may give you a little to think about.

MCMBIC

Thanks. The first guy to do the knockdown did a terrible job. Some parts of the wall were bare while other parts had texture that was allowed to set and not knocked down. I was just a little concerned about some of the jagged parts that are sharp and protruding from the wall. Should I leave those alone?

Hello Pill-Cutter and welcome to the forums.

The areas that weren't knocked down would probably look better if you would go over them real lightly with a pole sander or sanding block. I always prime the board both before the texture is shot and again after wards. I use a PVA primer for both coats. Doing this will ensure that you have an equal absorbtion rate over the entire surface and the best possible finished results.

Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is a PVA primer? Is it much different than a regular primer? I want to put satin paint (again) over this knockdown, will the PVA primer be good for that?

PVA stands for Polyvinyl Acrylate, basically it's a water based very fast drying primer which is what you want over fresh mud work. It will typically be dry and ready to apply finish paint over about an hour after it's application. This is important since raw drywall paper absorbs liquid faster and more thoroughally than areas of the wall coated with joint compound. It is suitable for all types under all types of paints, ..satin, flat, etc, and works just as well under latex, acryllic, oil-based paints. That's the short answer, hope it helps. :coffee: