What's not right with my mind? Good question, I have been trying to figure that out for years.
If you made this far, you might have what it takes to create a amazing room full of textures.
Well lets do a checklist.
1 I am avaliable to do some jobs,843-997-7249 or rosmundson@yahoo.com
will travel for right jobs and currently in NC/ SC area
2. Your walls are finish coated (gloss is best)
The reason for gloss is its reflective surface allows your texture colors to reflect off it and
add depth.
3. Your trim is finished and masked.
4. The floors are are covered and doors and windows are covered with plastic.
5. Electrical outlets, plates removed and masked..
6. You have your colored mud, preferably gloss (washable walls) in the room with you.
7. Texture equipment and knockdown blades in the room with you.
Now its time to get your mind right, you can do this!
Just remember no two jobs will ever be the same
Each and every one is a unique piece of art.
OK , lean your texture hopper in a corner, don't let it slide and spill, and fill it a little more than half full.
You will want to do the room in small sections so you don't get in trouble with mud setting up before you can blade it.
Good stopping points are doors and windows, you just feather the splatter together when you start your next section.
Now walk up to a window and aim your texture gun at the plastic.
Turn up the air pressure valve on the gun and pull the trigger for a quick burst and look at the splatter.
You want a mix of bigger and smaller blobs of mud,so find the right mix.
Too little pressure and your mud will run down the wall, too much and you will have orange peal texture.
Pick the wall you want to start with and splatter both side of corner starting at the ceiling line and moving to the bottom.
Always keep the gun tip moving back and forth while the trigger is pulled.
Continue to the other corner of room spraying texture from top to bottom and stop about a foot past the next corner.
Grab your knockdown blades and get the light spray on outside of corners first, it will set the quickest.
Now start at inside of corner and gently pull mud into different patterns with blades, you may have to give a few minutes to set if its to wet.
Once you have corner done start at ceiling line and work down to middle of wall, then bring blade back up from bottom and overlap,
Make sure to keep your blade clean each time you pull away from wall, and continue until all mud is knock downed.
Double check your work for misses and take a breath, repeat for rest of room in small sections at a time.
Once you are happy with your work then remove all masking before it gets too dry.
Enjoy, for you have a one of a kind room!
Well I hope I haven't bored you to much and if nothing else you know what to look for in a quality job.
Feel free to leave comments or questions and I will do my best to provide you the answers.
I have noticed the sponsors are right on subject here so please stop and look at one or two ,
You will be helping me even if you don't buy anything.
I'm open to ideas on what to teach next, any suggestions.
Thank you for reading
Ozzies Textures
Coming soon, a step by step video download, just in case you want to see it done
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Rainbow of Colors and Clouds in the Sky
What in the world am I talking about now, what does any of this have to do with textures?
It has always amazed me that the endless array of colors we have to choose from comes from those few primary colors mixed together.
What colors should I use for this job is a question I often hear.
The combinations are endless and really reflect your individual personality.
Your team colors or school colors can be great for a man cave or sports themed room.
You can match colors to your furnishings or just go wild and pick something out of the blue.
The color cards at paint stores are painstakingly matched so they go well together
So you get the idea, the choices are endless , one of my favorites that I have done was a gloss bright yellow with a dark chocolate knockdown over it.
The walls looked like they were shimmering with gold in between the knockdown patterns.
I am going to go back there and take a few pictures in a few days for all to see!
So what does this have to do with clouds in the sky?
You know when you used to lay on your back and imagine all the strange shapes that floated by in the sky.
The eyes always seemed to make it into a image you could relate to.
Well done two toned knockdown texture has the same effect.
What you see depends on what angle you are looking at.
As you move around the room the walls are always changing depending on what your
mind tells you are seeing!
I can tell you this much, never have I done one of these jobs where the owners regretted it.
They just turn out beautiful when done correctly.
I always let them know that if they don't like it we can just paint over with one color
and they end up with beautiful knockdown textured walls anyway!
Well, that's my entry for the day.
By Sunday the final chapter should be in.
Please visit a advertiser while your here to show some love for the info!
It has always amazed me that the endless array of colors we have to choose from comes from those few primary colors mixed together.
What colors should I use for this job is a question I often hear.
The combinations are endless and really reflect your individual personality.
Your team colors or school colors can be great for a man cave or sports themed room.
You can match colors to your furnishings or just go wild and pick something out of the blue.
The color cards at paint stores are painstakingly matched so they go well together
So you get the idea, the choices are endless , one of my favorites that I have done was a gloss bright yellow with a dark chocolate knockdown over it.
The walls looked like they were shimmering with gold in between the knockdown patterns.
I am going to go back there and take a few pictures in a few days for all to see!
So what does this have to do with clouds in the sky?
You know when you used to lay on your back and imagine all the strange shapes that floated by in the sky.
The eyes always seemed to make it into a image you could relate to.
Well done two toned knockdown texture has the same effect.
What you see depends on what angle you are looking at.
As you move around the room the walls are always changing depending on what your
mind tells you are seeing!
I can tell you this much, never have I done one of these jobs where the owners regretted it.
They just turn out beautiful when done correctly.
I always let them know that if they don't like it we can just paint over with one color
and they end up with beautiful knockdown textured walls anyway!
Well, that's my entry for the day.
By Sunday the final chapter should be in.
Please visit a advertiser while your here to show some love for the info!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Your Inner Artist and why I'm doing this
Welcome back and thanks for reading.
First a short explanation on why I would want to give my secrets away.
As I spent most of life working with my father and learning to be a custom painter, we more often than not worked for people that really couldn't afford to do much to improve their homes.
For him it was more about seeing the smile on their faces than the money in his pocket, the feeling of pride in their homes and how it actually changed attitudes for the positive. It was pretty amazing to me how the beauty we created in their homes could change the way they felt about their-selves.
I miss him daily and this is my way of continuing to help others improve their homes.
While your here please feel free to visit one of our fine advertisers to see if they can help with your needs and help a starving artist.
OK, its time to talk about tools of the trade and what you need to do this job successfully.
First to spray the texture you have a couple options.
A air compressor that can deliver a constant 30 psi and a hopper gun is one way. I like Laco, Goldblatt and Graco hopper guns but make sure it has a adjustable air pressure valve on the gun. This is important to be able to control the size of the splatter patterns you spray.Make sure they have a touch up hopper which is easier to work with because it will not be as heavy to work with.
For the hundred or so dollars they cost it's a much better option than renting because you have time to practice.
The next option is to have a texture machine that feeds the mud through a hose to a gun and can be the better choice for large jobs. I have personally owned a couple different sized Graco texture machines and was quite happy with their performance. There are a couple other types I know of such as Rototex and Marshalltown Duoflex.
If you are planning on mixing your own colors you will need a heavy duty drill and a mud mixing blade.
You can buy pre-mixed knockdown colors in either 1 or 5 galleon containers.
Knockdown blades can be the squeegee type, or as I prefer a variety of sizes of stainless steel and plastic taping knifes. They all work and it is just a matter of using what you are comfortable with.
Well that covers the tools, next we will talk about colors and start spraying our mud.
First a short explanation on why I would want to give my secrets away.
As I spent most of life working with my father and learning to be a custom painter, we more often than not worked for people that really couldn't afford to do much to improve their homes.
For him it was more about seeing the smile on their faces than the money in his pocket, the feeling of pride in their homes and how it actually changed attitudes for the positive. It was pretty amazing to me how the beauty we created in their homes could change the way they felt about their-selves.
I miss him daily and this is my way of continuing to help others improve their homes.
While your here please feel free to visit one of our fine advertisers to see if they can help with your needs and help a starving artist.
OK, its time to talk about tools of the trade and what you need to do this job successfully.
First to spray the texture you have a couple options.
A air compressor that can deliver a constant 30 psi and a hopper gun is one way. I like Laco, Goldblatt and Graco hopper guns but make sure it has a adjustable air pressure valve on the gun. This is important to be able to control the size of the splatter patterns you spray.Make sure they have a touch up hopper which is easier to work with because it will not be as heavy to work with.
For the hundred or so dollars they cost it's a much better option than renting because you have time to practice.
The next option is to have a texture machine that feeds the mud through a hose to a gun and can be the better choice for large jobs. I have personally owned a couple different sized Graco texture machines and was quite happy with their performance. There are a couple other types I know of such as Rototex and Marshalltown Duoflex.
If you are planning on mixing your own colors you will need a heavy duty drill and a mud mixing blade.
You can buy pre-mixed knockdown colors in either 1 or 5 galleon containers.
Knockdown blades can be the squeegee type, or as I prefer a variety of sizes of stainless steel and plastic taping knifes. They all work and it is just a matter of using what you are comfortable with.
Well that covers the tools, next we will talk about colors and start spraying our mud.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Having fun with mud
OK now, grab the texture gun and head for the house, don't worry about the crazy woman blocking the door thinking you lost your mind. Well maybe you should slow down a little bit and make sure you are ready.
Once again preparation is the key!
It is now time to refine your masking skills.
When I look at a job there are many things to consider.
Is the ceiling in good condition or will it be redone also?
Is it textured already? Does it have crown molding?
Is the room empty?
It needs to be easy to move around in.
How you answer those questions is going to determine what type of masking you need to do for protecting it. The best option is protect it no matter the answer.
This can be done simply by using 2" green or blue tape and 1.5 mil painters plastic, I recommend buying the 400 ft rolls for the best value.
If it has crown molding the job is fairly easy.
Take the 2" green tape and tape nice straight lines on the bottom edge of the crown all the way around the perimeter making sure to over lap pieces a few inches for strength and press first half of tape on lower part of crown so it will hold firm, leaving top half of tape hanging so you can attach plastic to it.
Take your roll of plastic and pull about 4-5 ft of and cut, you will then be able to pull the folds apart and it will stretch out 9-12 ft depending on which size you bought.
Start in a corner and attach the cut side one direction and the length the other direction.
Take small tabs of tape and secure plastic towards the center of ceiling and then over lap next piece of plastic and tape seam together, repeat process around ceiling.
If you have slick ceilings with no crown you just tape the perimeter in the same fashion.
When it comes to popcorn ceilings you have two options.
If you are going to repaint which I stress must be done with a spray gun you can shoot texture and then mask off walls when dry and paint.
If you are not going to repaint you will want to staple plastic around perimeter about 4-5 ft wide.
You can touch up staple holes with a dab of mud and paint if needed.
OK that covers the ceiling, the hard part is done.
Now we move on to the floor , doors, windows and base board.
I still like to use the 2" green tape for this job, some will say why not blue tape and my answer is.
I have had it come loose from glossy finishes and you do not want that in the middle of a job!
First have enough drop cloths to cover the floor and get them positioned, it is not a bad idea to do this before you mask the ceiling even.
Start with the windows and run 2" tape around the casing leaving the inside edge loose to attach plastic.
Grab your plastic roll and walk up to window, pull running length and measure so you have a couple extra inches on each side and cut. I like to use the snap off razor blades for this.
Start at the top of window and tuck plastic under and down one side to tape, move to other side of window and fold plastic behind itself so there is no loose plastic left dangling next to the wall.
Then fold plastic inside itself at bottom of window and attach to tape.
The doors can be done in the same fashion except you will let it lay on drop cloths on floor and secure with a couple tabs of tape, leave your entrance to the room unmasked until you have every thing in the room you need to spray and work with.
Next is the base which is pretty simple, run your 2" tape on the top lip of base and leave bottom loose to attach plastic, I'm sure you have the hang of running plastic by now.
Make sure to overlap pieces, about 2 ft wide is good and tape the seams together and secure to drop cloths with tabs of tape.
You are now ready to get your equipment and mud supplies into the room with you which I will list and explain process in next post.
Once again preparation is the key!
It is now time to refine your masking skills.
When I look at a job there are many things to consider.
Is the ceiling in good condition or will it be redone also?
Is it textured already? Does it have crown molding?
Is the room empty?
It needs to be easy to move around in.
How you answer those questions is going to determine what type of masking you need to do for protecting it. The best option is protect it no matter the answer.
This can be done simply by using 2" green or blue tape and 1.5 mil painters plastic, I recommend buying the 400 ft rolls for the best value.
If it has crown molding the job is fairly easy.
Take the 2" green tape and tape nice straight lines on the bottom edge of the crown all the way around the perimeter making sure to over lap pieces a few inches for strength and press first half of tape on lower part of crown so it will hold firm, leaving top half of tape hanging so you can attach plastic to it.
Take your roll of plastic and pull about 4-5 ft of and cut, you will then be able to pull the folds apart and it will stretch out 9-12 ft depending on which size you bought.
Start in a corner and attach the cut side one direction and the length the other direction.
Take small tabs of tape and secure plastic towards the center of ceiling and then over lap next piece of plastic and tape seam together, repeat process around ceiling.
If you have slick ceilings with no crown you just tape the perimeter in the same fashion.
When it comes to popcorn ceilings you have two options.
If you are going to repaint which I stress must be done with a spray gun you can shoot texture and then mask off walls when dry and paint.
If you are not going to repaint you will want to staple plastic around perimeter about 4-5 ft wide.
You can touch up staple holes with a dab of mud and paint if needed.
OK that covers the ceiling, the hard part is done.
Now we move on to the floor , doors, windows and base board.
I still like to use the 2" green tape for this job, some will say why not blue tape and my answer is.
I have had it come loose from glossy finishes and you do not want that in the middle of a job!
First have enough drop cloths to cover the floor and get them positioned, it is not a bad idea to do this before you mask the ceiling even.
Start with the windows and run 2" tape around the casing leaving the inside edge loose to attach plastic.
Grab your plastic roll and walk up to window, pull running length and measure so you have a couple extra inches on each side and cut. I like to use the snap off razor blades for this.
Start at the top of window and tuck plastic under and down one side to tape, move to other side of window and fold plastic behind itself so there is no loose plastic left dangling next to the wall.
Then fold plastic inside itself at bottom of window and attach to tape.
The doors can be done in the same fashion except you will let it lay on drop cloths on floor and secure with a couple tabs of tape, leave your entrance to the room unmasked until you have every thing in the room you need to spray and work with.
Next is the base which is pretty simple, run your 2" tape on the top lip of base and leave bottom loose to attach plastic, I'm sure you have the hang of running plastic by now.
Make sure to overlap pieces, about 2 ft wide is good and tape the seams together and secure to drop cloths with tabs of tape.
You are now ready to get your equipment and mud supplies into the room with you which I will list and explain process in next post.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Prep is the most important part of job
Whatever the paint or texture job you are considering preparation is always the key to a satisfying result. The surface should be repaired or pointed up. Sanding smooth the surface is the next step and woodwork should be cleaned and caulked if its painted.
When it comes to two tone textures the next step is to paint your base color ( gloss finish is best) being careful to cut straight lines around your trim.
Masking may be a good option for you if you are a novice and I recommend either blue or green one inch tape for that purpose. If masking take your time and run tape in nice and straight on your trim.
You can make this easier by tearing the tape off in lengths that are easier to handle and overlapping the ends. If you do use masking be sure to remove soon as you are satisfied with finish coat(very important) or you will end up pulling paint away from wall and creating a mess you do not need!
The next step is making sure your trim is looking good and re-coating if necessary for painted trim and letting dry long enough so it can be taped on again, I recommend at least 24 hrs and maybe more depending on drying conditions.
The next thing I recommend is if you haven't ever used a texture hopper to practice on some scrape drywall with how to set your air pressure, mud thickness and practice your blading techniques.
You can purchase colored knockdown mixes but I recommend for practice to just thin down some joint compound with water , start with a small amount say half a galleon of mud and add water a little at time mixing with a drill and mixing blade until it is just thin enough to run off mixing blade, should be a little thicker than paint.
You are now ready to practice spraying, this can be messy and is best done outside away from anything that can be over sprayed, you don't want that mess.
Sheetrock should be leaned up against something like sawhorses so it is like working on a wall.The lower the air pressure the bigger the blobs of mud will be and the closer you will have to be to your work.
If you do not like the the pattern you spray then just scrape it of with a sheet rock knife and try again( practice makes perfect).
Next comes practicing the knockdown part.
I use a variety of sized blades when I am working in a house but the best is a 8" sheetrock knife for knocking down the mud, smaller blades are used for areas around corners with trim that larger blades do not fit in.
When you are working the mud you will have your main blade in one hand and a cleaner blade, I use a 6" in the other to wipe excess mud of the one you are using for knockdown.
Look at your blades and you will see that one side curves in a little bit( that is called the bed side) and you want to use the other side for knockdown.
When you hold the blade in your hand you want to have a lite grip and pull it along the wall without too much pressure on it and at about a 80 degree angle to the wall, this to will take practice.
Spay your mud on the practice area and give mud a couple minutes to set and then try moving your blade over mud to drag it out into whatever patterns you can make, practice makes perfect.
If you don't like the look scrape it off and try again, it's all about making a variety of pattens with the mud.
.Next post we apply all this to inside of house.
When it comes to two tone textures the next step is to paint your base color ( gloss finish is best) being careful to cut straight lines around your trim.
Masking may be a good option for you if you are a novice and I recommend either blue or green one inch tape for that purpose. If masking take your time and run tape in nice and straight on your trim.
You can make this easier by tearing the tape off in lengths that are easier to handle and overlapping the ends. If you do use masking be sure to remove soon as you are satisfied with finish coat(very important) or you will end up pulling paint away from wall and creating a mess you do not need!
The next step is making sure your trim is looking good and re-coating if necessary for painted trim and letting dry long enough so it can be taped on again, I recommend at least 24 hrs and maybe more depending on drying conditions.
The next thing I recommend is if you haven't ever used a texture hopper to practice on some scrape drywall with how to set your air pressure, mud thickness and practice your blading techniques.
You can purchase colored knockdown mixes but I recommend for practice to just thin down some joint compound with water , start with a small amount say half a galleon of mud and add water a little at time mixing with a drill and mixing blade until it is just thin enough to run off mixing blade, should be a little thicker than paint.
You are now ready to practice spraying, this can be messy and is best done outside away from anything that can be over sprayed, you don't want that mess.
Sheetrock should be leaned up against something like sawhorses so it is like working on a wall.The lower the air pressure the bigger the blobs of mud will be and the closer you will have to be to your work.
If you do not like the the pattern you spray then just scrape it of with a sheet rock knife and try again( practice makes perfect).
Next comes practicing the knockdown part.
I use a variety of sized blades when I am working in a house but the best is a 8" sheetrock knife for knocking down the mud, smaller blades are used for areas around corners with trim that larger blades do not fit in.
When you are working the mud you will have your main blade in one hand and a cleaner blade, I use a 6" in the other to wipe excess mud of the one you are using for knockdown.
Look at your blades and you will see that one side curves in a little bit( that is called the bed side) and you want to use the other side for knockdown.
When you hold the blade in your hand you want to have a lite grip and pull it along the wall without too much pressure on it and at about a 80 degree angle to the wall, this to will take practice.
Spay your mud on the practice area and give mud a couple minutes to set and then try moving your blade over mud to drag it out into whatever patterns you can make, practice makes perfect.
If you don't like the look scrape it off and try again, it's all about making a variety of pattens with the mud.
.Next post we apply all this to inside of house.
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