Want to create a dramatic effect on your home's walls and ceiling? These basic drywall texturing techniques get you started in developing your own creative style.

Easy Ways to Texture Sheetrock

Many people look at a professionally textured wall or ceiling and wonder how it's done and how difficult it must be. Actually, there are methods that are simple for the DIY'er to tackle that only take a few moments to master. The purpose of this tutorial is to teach the homeowner just two of the many easy ways to texture sheetrock. You can use these to apply texture a sheetrock wall or a sheetrock ceiling.

Why texture? One reason is to cover up any imperfections from warped studs or taping and floating.

Method One: The Roller Sheetrock Texturing Method

This is the easiest of the two wall and ceiling texturing methods outlined in this tutorial. You will need:

• paint roller handle with cover and extension pole

• paint roller pan

• electric drill

• ribbon mixer (found in sheetrock tool area of the home improvement store)

• drop cloths

• 5 gallon bucket(s) of sheetrock mud (drywall compound)

Begin by thinning out the mud with water. Transfer half the mud to an airtight bucket. Add a cup of water to the remaining mud and mix it in well using the ribbon mixer with your electric drill. You might have to add some more water or mud. Ideally, it should have a consistency of a milkshake.

Apply the Texture

First, spread out the drop cloths in the work zone. Pour some thinned mud in the roller pan. There are two factors that determine how pronounced the finished texture will be – the nap of the roller used and the speed with which you roll the wall. Play around with this with the first area before it dries until you get it where you like it.

As you roll the nap will lift the mud off the wall in peaks. The slower you go, the higher the peaks will be.

Start rolling up and down in one corner and work your way around the room. For a more erratic pattern roll back over it at random angles. Set your internal artist free!

Method Two: The Knockdown Sheetrock Texture Method

For this method you will need:

• everthing from the previous list except for the painting tools

• crow's foot stomp brush or this homemade drywall texturing tool.

• wide (about 10”) taping knife

• mud pan

Thin out the mud as before but leave it a bit thicker. You'll get a feel for your personal preference by trial and error.

Apply the Texture

For the knockdown texturing method, you still want to raise peaks in the mud on your drywall. The difference here is that rather than rolling the mud, the crow's foot brush or the homemade knockdown texture tool is dipped in the mud, pushed onto the sheetrock, and pulled off. Do a section that you can conveniently reach and then knock it down and do another section.

Knock Down the Texture

This is the step that gives this texture its character. What you want to do here is lightly drag the knife at about a 45 degree angle across the peaks in the mud to flatten them off (think plateau). As mud accumulates on the knife scrape the excess into the mud pan.

The knockdown takes a little practice but you can re-stomp anywhere as long as the mud is still wet.

And in Summary...

As you can see, neither of these techniques is set in stone; they are jumping off points for your personal decorating style. For example, with the roller texturing method, a heavy, slow nap can be used and knocked down for a semi-corduroy effect. With the crow's foot, you might try a slight swirling movement while pulling off. The point is, experiment and have fun!