Craftsman Texture on Interior Walls

[Shenandoah76209]

Hello all!

I'm trying desperately to figure out how to add texture to my interior walls.  Reading up on Craftsman homes they were usually lathe and plaster so the texture wasn't perfectly smooth like drywall (or a dollhouse MDF wall).  I've read about people adding sand to their paint in order to recreate an imperfect texture but I'm not sure how well that would work in miniature. The scale wouldn't be quite right I think.

I've thought about using some spackle on the walls before I paint them, but I'm unsure how to get the scale right in the texture.  

Any suggestions?  I really want the walls to have some interest.

Here's what I'm working with as far as walls and windows.  

[Sable]

The white fluffy spackle should work fine. Not the grey spackle. Practice on a test board first. Apply it and dabble with a stiff brush.   

Ive had success with premixed sanded grout which comes in a tub at home improvement stores. Make sure it's sanded grout.

I hope your windows are not permanently attached, yet.

[Shenandoah76209]

Thanks!

No, the windows aren't permanently attached just yet.  I was testing the fit and how they'd look with the updated trim.  

Do you think a toothbrush would work to apply it? So I don't get too big with the texture?

[Sable]

Apply a thin coat with a putty knife. Then you can try the toothbrush to add the texture. Test different brushes and stroke patterns to get the look you want. Let it dry and cure for a week so your paint doesn't flatten out your texture.

[Shenandoah76209]

Gotcha!  Thank you.

I've got the spackle that starts out pink and turns white when it's dry. Do you think that will work? Or should I buy another type?

[smjsome]

My real home is lathe and plaster, and it's really smooth, just an occasional imperfection, so I wouldn't go too far with the texture. It's mostly an uneven quality, if that makes sense?  Not perfectly flat, but smooth.

I love my walls, smooth, not textured, I think I like them for the same reason I like old glass, a slight ripple here and there.

To replicate my walls I have used a joint compound, but first I cover the walls with a smooth board, like a cardstock, or a foam board, apply thinly, and sand.  Using the boards means I need less of the joint compound to fill wood cracks, and less sanding too.

[fov]

I agree with Sharon - I live in a 1925 house with lathe and plaster walls. In some rooms it has been partially replaced with drywall and it's hard to tell the difference unless you go looking for it. Whatever you use, do a thin coat.

Here's a blog that shows how I used watered-down wood filler to add texture to walls: http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=10264

That was fairly thin, and even that might be too much texture for your Craftsman. I would consider heavy scrapbook paper for a Craftsman... something that has texture but isn't wildly inconsistent.

[Shenandoah76209]

You're right, I want something a little less obvious than that. I love how it looks on your house though.  

Maybe something really thin with tiny bristle strokes?  Or I could press a paper towel against it to get some sort of texture?

[Sable]

I believe the pink is the same as the light white fluffy spackle. Since you have some, test it.

[havanaholly]

After I spread a thin coat of spackle over the primed wall I pop the surface of the wet spackle with the flat of the putty knife, which raises tiny little points (I used to use old credit cards, which are much more versatile for texturing spackle in scale), and then drag the edge of the putty knife over the surface to smooth down the points.  Depending on the amount of pressure you put on the putty knife as you drag it you'll get a finish anywhere from stucco to plaster.  If you look at my pub I went for  coarse "plaster" finish inside.

[L Swearengin]

I used a damp paper towel on wet paint to get a subtle texture for one of my houses.  Kinda gave a "knockdown plaster" look.  Don't remember which house.  

[Shenandoah76209]

I'll have to test these various methods and see which works best.  Thanks so much!

[havanaholly]

Testing different techniques is part of the fun of building, IMO.

[L Swearengin]

I used cotton balls in the Mexican restaurant interior.  It was fun.

[Shenandoah76209]

Hmm... 

So far I've got cottonballs, credit card, tooth brush, paper towel... 

I could have a lot of fun this weekend.  Or tonight if I can get an hour or two to spare.

[grazhina]

I have to chime in on smooth lath and plaster walls. I've lived in those houses and the walls were much smoother than drywall. Drywall, unless skim coated with plaster, has a slightly nubby texture.

[Sable]

1 hour ago, grazhina said:

I have to chime in on smooth lath and plaster walls. I've lived in those houses and the walls were much smoother than drywall. Drywall, unless skim coated with plaster, has a slightly nubby texture.

Today's drywall is very smooth. Builders around 2008 would sometimes use what they call an  "orange peel" affect before they applied the primer to the new drywall. It's not as heavy as 'knockdown' but it gives a slight bumpy look and also helps to hide the seams so they don't have to sand as much. I was going through model homes this week and the newer homes have very smooth surfaces. This method uses less paint but requires more sanding after the primer is applied. Rolling primer and paint onto new drywall renders a smooth surface.

[grazhina]

5 hours ago, Sable said:

Today's drywall is very smooth. Builders around 2008 would sometimes use what they call an  "orange peel" affect before they applied the primer to the new drywall. It's not as heavy as 'knockdown' but it gives a slight bumpy look and also helps to hide the seams so they don't have to sand as much. I was going through model homes this week and the newer homes have very smooth surfaces. This method uses less paint but requires more sanding after the primer is applied. Rolling primer and paint onto new drywall renders a smooth surface.

Well there ya go, my house was built in 1997, too early for modern super smooth walls. DH didn't want to pay extra for the skim coat.

[havanaholly]

When we remodeled our downstairs bathroom in our Havana house the contractor used a paint finish to achieve the "orange peel" (which I don't care for, but nobody asked me...).  When we had to have the alcove for the new bathtub in this house redone I told the contractor we would finish it ourselves, and I have lovely smooth walls in the alcove.

[Shenandoah76209]

My concern is that the walls of the house are MDF.  The idea behind it is a Tiny Home that's been deliberately designed to look like its a Craftsman.  So I want the inside to reflect that.  I've got a nice satin paint which I like because reflective walls and camera flash don't mix well but the walls are very boring with just the paint.  I don't want a ton of detail but some texture would be a good compromise.

Here's the house so far, my dry fit of the trim and windows without the exterior window trim obviously.

[fov]

Your house is really cute! I love the door.

I haven't tried this before so I'm not sure how it would work, but what about applying a textured scrapbook paper or wallpaper, and then painting over it with your satin paint? That would be more uniform than anything you do with spackle or wood filler. Also I don't know how those techniques work on MDF (maybe they'd be just fine, I've never tried it).

Also, are you planning to add wood detail? In a lot of Craftsmans, much of the wall is taken up by paneling, so there isn't as much painted wall showing. That could help with the boring factor. I've taken two roombox classes with the Guys from Texas to build Craftsman roomboxes and both have smooth painted walls, but there's so much else going on that you barely look at the walls. Here are some pics:

Cypress and Fog
Oak Shadow
 

 

 

 

[havanaholly]

Painted plaster walls in Craftsman homes often had painted stencil work:  https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=image+wall+stencils+in+craftsman+houses&qpvt=image+wall+stencils+in+craftsman+houses&qpvt=image+wall+stencils+in+craftsman+houses&qpvt=image+wall+stencils+in+craftsman+houses&FORM=IGRE

[L Swearengin]

Watched a episode of "restored" where he hired an artist to bring back the stencil over the doors on a craftsman in Redlands  CA.

[Shenandoah76209]

10 hours ago, fov said:

I haven't tried this before so I'm not sure how it would work, but what about applying a textured scrapbook paper or wallpaper, and then painting over it with your satin paint? That would be more uniform than anything you do with spackle or wood filler. Also I don't know how those techniques work on MDF (maybe they'd be just fine, I've never tried it).

Also, are you planning to add wood detail? In a lot of Craftsmans, much of the wall is taken up by paneling, so there isn't as much painted wall showing. That could help with the boring factor. I've taken two roombox classes with the Guys from Texas to build Craftsman roomboxes and both have smooth painted walls, but there's so much else going on that you barely look at the walls. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

I actually have a fireplace and a windowseat built in with bookshelf cabinets on either side because I've seen lots of craftsmans with built ins so that will take up some wall space.  And in the loft I'm planning a murphy bed and a bureau.  So that will take some wall space.

That's part of why I don't want what's left of the walls to be boring flat.  I've got a neutral picked out that's warm and will make the house feel craftsman, I just want a little extra detail on the walls. Here's my paint color. (I hope the picture comes through okay)

[havanaholly]

I see inks to several you Tube sites for Murphy bed tutorials.  I have one I printed from a now-defunct site that makes a Murphy bed in a Michael's hutch: