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There's a Better Way Video Tips

Small-Scale Drywall Texturing

By Chuck Miller Issue 201
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      Letter from Don Mathis of Macomb, Ill,.
      On a recent job, I installed an oak staircase in an existing stairwell. The walls had a well-defined orange-peel texture that had to be matched in a few places to make everything blend together seamlessly. I had the hopper gun in the truck, but it seemed like overkill for the few spots that needed touching up, only about 1 sq. ft. total. I decided to try something different.

      I emptied a plastic bottle that had a nozzle and put some thinned drywall mud inside. Practicing on a sheet of cardboard to get a feel for it, I squeezed out just a little and shot it with an air gun. It was a fairly fast learning curve, and in no time, I learned how to imitate the correct texture.

      This isn’t a substitute for the hopper. But for a small job like this one, it worked just fine.

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      1. AL49 | Mar 22, 2010 08:43pm | #1

        I do not get how this could be a good way of matching an
        existing orange peel texture which is allways round i.e,
        when you sprayed it with air the mud had tails which would
        look bad when trying to match an orange peel textures

      2. Nonny2 | Mar 27, 2011 08:04am | #2

        I agree. I don't think this would be a good match. I am looking for a product that I have used in the past. It is a paint made by USG/Sheetrock that has an orange peel texture. I was very happy with the results. I have not been able to locate it again. USG's website still promotes it. I wrote to them inquiring about it but got no response.
        Thanks for any leads!

      3. Nonny2 | Mar 27, 2011 08:24am | #3

        I just checked USG's site again and the paint is no longer listed. I will experiment with making my own.

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