# Knock Down Finish



## Nathan (Jul 21, 2003)

I just moved to Florida and there are some crazy finishes on the walls here. I moved from Virginia so I'm not used to matching the texture.

Anybody have any hints on how to do this? 

My biggest problem is the knock down finish on the ceiling. I want do put some surround sound speakers up there but I'm afraid I wont be able to match everything up after I run the wires.

Thanks,
Nathan


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## BobF (Sep 26, 2003)

You get a knockdown by splattering on gobs of texture material (I usually use soupy compound); let it start to set up and smooth it (knock it down) with a knife or trowel. You may have to experiment with it at first until you get the idea, and it isn't hard. To patch it, get creative with a putty knife and regular compoud and a small sponge.
I give more particulars on my website at www.bobf.info in the drywall topic.


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## sumpen (Oct 19, 2003)

Hello Nathan,

Welcome to FL, Sunshine State and land of too much knockdown. 

Depending on the size of the texture, you may be able to do it with a hopper ($50-60 bucks) and a compressor. The idea is to shoot globs of material onto the surface, wait until just the right drying time (varies, 5 to 25 minutes) and lightly smooth the globs with a large flat blade of some sort. I use an eighteen-inch drywall knife. In a pinch I have used a clean spray shield with good results (Texture pros would probably run me off for that).

The hopper is good for the small pea size stuff to the about nickel size texture. If the texture on your ceiling is about the size of a quarter or larger, you may want to rent a small texture sprayer so you can shoot some bigger globs.

I use the ceiling and wall texture powder available at homer’s in the drywall section. Works great for me. Read the directions, the hopper directions will probably have more detailed instructions on doing the knockdown.

ps. Great site! Harry from www.thepaintersnetwork.com said to check you out.


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## Nathan (Jul 21, 2003)

sumpen said:


> ps. Great site! Harry from www.thepaintersnetwork.com said to check you out.


Thanks Sumpen!

Harry is a great guy with a lot of knowledge about the painting trade. Anyone involved in painting should check out his site.

Where in Orlando do you live Sumpen? I just moved to Clermont which is about 20 miles West of downtown.

Also, what do you suggest for the Orange Peel finish? 

-Nathan


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## sumpen (Oct 19, 2003)

Nathan,

Orange peel can be done with the hopper using the smaller nozzle supplied with it and the same mud material (knife not used on this). Stand some cardboard up first and pratice on that. It won't take but a little bit to get the hang of it.

We are almost neighbors! I actually live in Winter Park. I have a stepson who lives in Clermont (his name is Nathan, too), so I mosey over there every so often. I was on one of the big lakes on a pontoon just offshore from the Tiki Bar on July 4. Cool fireworks! Clermont is quite a party town. Good folks!


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2004)

*knock down in Clermont*



sumpen said:


> Nathan,
> 
> Orange peel can be done with the hopper using the smaller nozzle supplied with it and the same mud material (knife not used on this). Stand some cardboard up first and pratice on that. It won't take but a little bit to get the hang of it.
> 
> We are almost neighbors! I actually live in Winter Park. I have a stepson who lives in Clermont (his name is Nathan, too), so I mosey over there every so often. I was on one of the big lakes on a pontoon just offshore from the Tiki Bar on July 4. Cool fireworks! Clermont is quite a party town. Good folks!


You have got to be kidding me. I am looking for some hints on how to do knockdown and found your comments here. I just moved to Clermont from California and I just had dinner at the Tiki Bar. Wow. small world this Florida


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## Nathan (Jul 21, 2003)

I love the Tiki Bar!


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## sumpen (Oct 19, 2003)

The Tiki puts on one heck of a fire works show. :Thumbs: 

Hello Mr./Ms. Unregistered Guest. How are you doing since the move? A little different than Califorina?


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## Guest (Feb 23, 2004)

*Knockdown and orange peel*

SPAM!!!:evil:


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## ProWallGuy (Oct 17, 2003)

Hmmm, guess you have to buy that ^^ advise.


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

Not to mess up the party but most of us here call that finish a 'California knockdown'. It's one step over regular drywall and is used to disguise blemishes in poor construction. The eye/brain will narrow its focus to things that are interesting. Texture is interesting.


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## ProWallGuy (Oct 17, 2003)

Yes, I agree totally. Some people prefer a texture, but 9 times out of 10 its to make the drywall work look acceptable.

On the subject of drywall, has anybody seen the new spray primer for new construction that supposedly is a high build type primer, achieving a level 5 finish? Can't recall the name right now, but my first impression was that it is just going to allow more shoddy work to be covered up.


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## sumpen (Oct 19, 2003)

Teetorbilt said:


> Not to mess up the party but most of us here call that finish a 'California knockdown'. It's one step over regular drywall and is used to disguise blemishes in poor construction. The eye/brain will narrow its focus to things that are interesting. Texture is interesting.


LOL!

I ran a cross a super for a big builder from California (new apartments) and he referred to knockdown as orange peel, says it was invented in California. I’m sure he’s right, just the way some people in these parts add California to knockdown, cause we know what orange peel looks like, right? It’s not like knockdown, and California Orange Peel just wouldn’t be the same. LOL!

At times I have people ask me to texture their walls in homes built years ago (the walls look good) because all the new homes have texture, and I try to talk them out of it, telling them texture walls are a sign of cheapness, flaws of construction, or a lack of craftsmanship. Like you say, it’s to cover up the poor construction. IMHO, A nicely built, expertly finished wall is much more interesting.


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## Guest (Apr 27, 2004)

So what do you think is the best texture if your house is older and was already textured when you bought it? Is it hard to cover up a different kind of texture with knock down? I am not a contractor just a do it yourself girl! Thanks

Renae


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## sumpen (Oct 19, 2003)

Hello Ms. Unregistered Guest.

What are you trying to achieve? Is there some patching you need to do, and you want to match the texture, or do you want to do away with what you have now?

Can you describe the texture that’s on your wall now?

When there is a will, there is a way.

To answer your question without knowing more information, yes, you can do a knockdown over existing texture. BUT, you may have to do some scraping/sanding and add a skim coat to your existing walls to start with a smooth wall. It depends on what you have now.


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## mseneker (Dec 22, 2007)

ProWallGuy said:


> Yes, I agree totally. Some people prefer a texture, but 9 times out of 10 its to make the drywall work look acceptable.
> 
> On the subject of drywall, has anybody seen the new spray primer for new construction that supposedly is a high build type primer, achieving a level 5 finish? Can't recall the name right now, but my first impression was that it is just going to allow more shoddy work to be covered up.



We use Magnum's Level Coat with a good sprayer and put it on 13-15 mills thick. As I recall, paint dries at about 3 mills. Yes, don't tell the finishers or sanders you are using level coat or they might slack off. Level Coat's purpose is to level the porosity of the surface, not to fix a bad drywall job. We started using it for slick ceilings rather than skimming them with mud. 

Level Coat has a good video at their site.


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