It was quite a process applying the texture to the walls and ceiling. The first stage was to just get the air compressor and spray gun set up. This went quite easily because I was able to purchase all of the accessories for the air compressor in the same 1/4" air outlet size. This meant I didn't have to buy any adapters to go from one size to another. However, I did hit one embarrassing snag with the spray gun.
I read the instructions, which stated that some guns come with a plug in the air inlet. This is the place where you connect the air compressor hose tothe gun. Well, I found (what I thought was a plug) and proceeded to spend about 30 minutes trying to unscrew it. It was only after utilizing my vice grips and a hex wrench that I finally got it out. I then proceeded to connect the air hose into it when I found out the air hose did not fit into the hole. I could not figure it until I looked over the rest of the gun and noticed a plug that looked like it should fit into the air hose connector. I tried it and it worked! I had spent 30 minutes of frustration on the dial that controls the flow of the texture! Thankfully, the plug went right back into the dial without any problems.
It took awhile testing the gun with various amounts of pressure. I wasn't really sure what I was looking for so I settled on something that I thought was in the middle. I was trying to go for an orange peel texture but at that moment, I was confusing it with a knockdown texture. The difference between the two is the knockdown texture is kind of goopy and you let it begin to firm up on the wall before smashing it down. An orange peel texture is a finely dispersed (i.e. a fine splatter) amount of texture that you just shoot onto the wall, leave alone and let dry for a few hours.
So I tried the knockdown and it kinda worked. I used the medium size nozzle and about 30 psi. It was really goopy and covered bigger areas than I had expected but I went with it. However, I was still kinda doubtful on it.
I talked over the results with my wife that night and did some more research. That's when I realized I was attempting the wrong texture. Allison and I came to the conclusion I needed to use the smallest nozzle size, raise the pressure and thicken the joint compound to be like pancake batter, if not a bit thicker.
I went back the next day, made the modifications and they worked like a charm! I used the smalled nozzle, raised the pressure to about 80 psi, practiced using a quicker sweeping motion and the results were much better. It created a wider dispersal pattern, very small dot-like splatters. In fact, it was quite good because the first attempt created a larger base area for the finer orange peel texture to sit on, which is what some websites suggested. I was very pleased with the outcome.
The downside in applying your own texture is managing all of the equipment, the set up and the clean up. You gotta mix the compound into the right consistency, set up the compressor, not make a huge mess, etc. The actually application takes only a few minutes. Once you're done, you gotta scrape out all of the joint compound, clean your equipment, put it away, etc. It's like 30 minutes of prep, 5-10 to shoot it and then 30-45 minutes to clean up. I highly suggest having someone help with this task. It just makes the process a lot easier that way.
I read the instructions, which stated that some guns come with a plug in the air inlet. This is the place where you connect the air compressor hose tothe gun. Well, I found (what I thought was a plug) and proceeded to spend about 30 minutes trying to unscrew it. It was only after utilizing my vice grips and a hex wrench that I finally got it out. I then proceeded to connect the air hose into it when I found out the air hose did not fit into the hole. I could not figure it until I looked over the rest of the gun and noticed a plug that looked like it should fit into the air hose connector. I tried it and it worked! I had spent 30 minutes of frustration on the dial that controls the flow of the texture! Thankfully, the plug went right back into the dial without any problems.
It took awhile testing the gun with various amounts of pressure. I wasn't really sure what I was looking for so I settled on something that I thought was in the middle. I was trying to go for an orange peel texture but at that moment, I was confusing it with a knockdown texture. The difference between the two is the knockdown texture is kind of goopy and you let it begin to firm up on the wall before smashing it down. An orange peel texture is a finely dispersed (i.e. a fine splatter) amount of texture that you just shoot onto the wall, leave alone and let dry for a few hours.
So I tried the knockdown and it kinda worked. I used the medium size nozzle and about 30 psi. It was really goopy and covered bigger areas than I had expected but I went with it. However, I was still kinda doubtful on it.
I talked over the results with my wife that night and did some more research. That's when I realized I was attempting the wrong texture. Allison and I came to the conclusion I needed to use the smallest nozzle size, raise the pressure and thicken the joint compound to be like pancake batter, if not a bit thicker.
I went back the next day, made the modifications and they worked like a charm! I used the smalled nozzle, raised the pressure to about 80 psi, practiced using a quicker sweeping motion and the results were much better. It created a wider dispersal pattern, very small dot-like splatters. In fact, it was quite good because the first attempt created a larger base area for the finer orange peel texture to sit on, which is what some websites suggested. I was very pleased with the outcome.
The downside in applying your own texture is managing all of the equipment, the set up and the clean up. You gotta mix the compound into the right consistency, set up the compressor, not make a huge mess, etc. The actually application takes only a few minutes. Once you're done, you gotta scrape out all of the joint compound, clean your equipment, put it away, etc. It's like 30 minutes of prep, 5-10 to shoot it and then 30-45 minutes to clean up. I highly suggest having someone help with this task. It just makes the process a lot easier that way.
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