Finishes are usually done near the end of a house\u2019s construction. The finishes bring out the homeowner\u2019s personality as it sets up the mood and feel of your indoor spaces. Some of these finishes can give a texture to your walls and ceilings; the question now is, what\u2019s the difference between them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knockdown texture and orange peel use similar materials and follow the same installation process; using drywall mud and a sprayer to apply. Orange peel is a simpler finish and only needs to be sprayed on. Knockdown texture takes more time and effort to install, but has more room for customization and variety.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With finishes such as these, there\u2019s no correct or standard way of doing them. You have the complete freedom to choose how your textures will turn out. It\u2019s good to know your choices and then add your twist to them to make your home personalized for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we discuss finishes, let\u2019s briefly cover what drywall is. Contrary to the name, drywall isn\u2019t the wall itself but rather the outer portion of it. For example, the drywall would be the sheet covering your studs and joists in a stud wall. Instead of applying finishes to bare concrete, drywall is there to provide a flat and uniform surface for you to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drywall is often made with gypsum boards. What makes gypsum a popular choice is its durability, ease of use in construction\/DIY, and its fire-resistant properties. The great thing about gypsum board is it\u2019s made out of minerals; think of it like paper made out of rocks. This property of gypsum board allows homeowners to apply sorts of paint, adhesives, drywall mud, etc., without worrying about damaging the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drywall, by itself, isn’t enough to handle finishes. Of course, you want to give a texture or a good feel to your walls or ceiling. Plaster or drywall mud is usually applied evenly across a wall to achieve this. Before you do anything else, you\u2019ll first need to prepare your drywall to handle these finishes(Note: We\u2019re assuming that your drywall is already prepared on the construction end.). It\u2019s important to get this part because your finishes might not be set right, which will waste all of the time and money spent installing them in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are only three things that a homeowner needs to do to prepare their drywall for finishes which is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanding smoothes out the texture of your bare drywall, which makes it much easier and less of a hassle to achieve that uniform application that we\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, you wouldn\u2019t want any dirt or dust mixing with your finishes and becoming a permanent part of your wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like paint, primer is applied to allow the drywall mud to better stick and set on your drywall. Primer changes the characteristics of drywall\u2019s surface by creating a thin layer that ensures that it finishes uniformly dry. Usually, latex-based or water-based primers are used for DIYers because of their ease of use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These steps are just the basics of it. You\u2019ll need to use specific materials(Ex. Wallpaper primer vs. Paint primer). For both orange peel and knockdown texture,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of whatever texture you choose as your wall finish, you\u2019re going to have to go through this step. A great DIY tip is always to have everything you need on hand already. Especially with these finishes, as time is an important factor, waiting too long can result in the drywall mud hardening. Lastly, make sure to know what type of materials you\u2019re working with (Ex. Water-Based vs. Oil-Based)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we\u2019ve gone through drywall and the preparation work for it. We can now go into knockdown texture, orange peel, and comparing the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knockdown texture is applied by applying dry-wall compound(often referred to as mud) with certain techniques or tools to achieve a specific look. The process used to achieve this finish is rolling, spraying, or troweling drywall compounds. What makes knockdown texture special is the dynamic finish to a wall cause of its lack of uniformity and versatile texture that can be mixed and matched. There are three primary techniques when it comes to applying knockdown texture; which are namely Stomp, Trowel, and Splatter. The names of these types of knockdown texture finish are derived from the look achieved when that technique is applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stomp involves applying a pre-coat of a dry-wall compound, layering it with another coating, and then stomping down onto the wall until you get your desired look. The texture that you\u2019ll get from this finidependsent on the type of bruat you\u2019ll use to \u201cknock down\u201d the dry-wall compound and make that dent that creates the texture itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a short youtube video that showcases how it\u2019s done:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Drywall: What you need to know.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Drywall and Finishes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Sanding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Cleaning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Priming<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Knockdown Texture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Stomp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n