Patching and Plastering - Knockdown texture in a spray can....

Have any of you had luck with getting knockdown texture by using the texture in an aerosol can?

I have used it a couple of times, and each time, the texture smears instead of knocking down. The directions say to wait for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Definitely not long enough to set up. I have waited 10 minutes before and I get a weird smear...kinda like rubbing vanilla pudding on a wall....but no knockdown.

Fortunately, these have been for small projects where the texture is mostly out of site. So I have not worried much about a smeared but smooth texture surrounded by knockdown.

But generally speaking...have any of you been successful with texture in a can?

I'm not overly fond of the spray can textures [prefer hopper gun] but I can't imagine getting enough of a splatter out of a can to give much of a knockdown look. Do they have an adjustable or changable tip? You want the largest size.

The nozzle does come with a twist knob that technically should adjust the splatter, but I usually cannot tell the difference between the settings. When I spray (no matter what the setting on the nozzle) I get a fair looking pattern on the wall, but it never quite sets up. It usually goes from being loose/watery, to suddenly being too dry to knockdown. I can't find a nice middle ground where it is firm enough to knockdown.

For the patches I have worked on, they have been mostly out of sight, so the poor texture is still better than the pre-patched wall. But I am leaning towards trying a different method next time.

Yet I would LOVE to figure out how to get the texture spray can to work....seriously, only a couple of seconds to spray on and then a couple of moments to knockdown...almost worth the aggravation. :o

those cans don't work!!! The big problem for me is whats inside. No seriously, whats inside??? Whatever it is is nothing like mud. Its more like fluffernutter.

For small patches I can take my clean up brush and do a good job stomping on mud and knocking it down. But I always set up my spray rig for bigger patches.

I agree with coops28. Smaller areas, use a brush or roller to put up a "stomp", then after about 30 minutes LIGHTLY knock it down. It may be you are applying too much pressure or using too narrow a knife. Use no less than a 12" knife to do the knock down in the smaller areas. Keep an angle on the knife, dragging it across the material. Methods may vary, but I find it works fairly well.

I use 20 minute or 40 minute mud depending on the size of the patch. I dip my dash brush into the mud and then flick the mud from the brush with my hand. If you don't have a dash brush use a whisk broom. Just as it sets knock it down. My patches are pretty near invisible to everyone but myself and the owner. I tell them that someone walking in off the street should not be able to find them and that is about as good as one can hope for.

When I am doing an orange peel or a little heavier spatter texture that is not knocked down I've had pretty good luck with the can texture. Not so for knockdown.