I finally finished my new bathroom…been a long job.
All I have to do now is the ceiling. In my living room and one of my bedrooms the ceiling looks like it’s coated in spackle and wiped with a sponge to give it a pattern, guess it hides alot of mistakes.
Need to know how they did it….any ideas?
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Replies
We call that a "skip troweled" finish. One way it's done is to thin joint compound with water. The thinned compound is painted on with a heavy roller, then skipped over with a trowel. The surface can be painted.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hammer,Is that really a skip trowel texture? It looks more like a dragged sponge texture to me. Perhaps a brush texture as well?Kirk
I think that brush would give more uniform lines.Looks to me more like a rag or wadded up paper.Looking at it in detail it also appears that some of it the tool was pulled off "wet" and leave peaks. Other is was drier and just left drag marks.
Edited 6/11/2006 5:37 pm by BillHartmann
Maybe dragging a roller?
In my area, the 'skip trowel' term is used for more than just using a steel trowel for a semi-smooth surface. Different applicators use different tools and get a variety of "looks". Some of their tools, especially brushes, are totally worn out. This makes duplicating a bit of a challenge. There are also different materials used and a variety of application methods. As you know, the angle that you hold the edge of a trowel changes depending on what you are doing. For a buttering stroke, you hold the blade fairly flat to the surface and adjust pressure to distribute the material. From the look in the picture, I'd say that just a buttering stroke was used. Something like a magnesium concrete float or a wood darby, tools without sharp edges and ends, would work for that type of texture. It looks like a minimalist approach, rolled up and buttered out. You can see the typical sweeping, arc shaped, pattern, at least to my eye. The mag float, when held flat, will leave striations in the mud like those in the picture. I was thinking a brush or sponge would leave a more uniform texture, striations that would repeat. The original poster didn't say if he was matching, patching, painting or changing. Hopefully he doesn't have to do too much since the ceiling was left for last. Beat it to fit / Paint it to match