Don't get lost!
Click that button up there to jump to the table of contents anytime.
Wheeeee!
Choosing a drywall texture can be quite challenging due to the myriad options available. Each texture creates a unique aesthetic and has its own installation process and cost. The choice depends on personal preference, the style of the room, and practical considerations such as budget, maintenance and repair. If you want control over the look and feel of your home, you’ll need to put some thought into these factors before making a decision.
If you don’t discuss this issue with your builders or remodelers, there are common defaults which vary by region. If you’re in the Northeastern United States, you probably have smooth-flat walls. If you are in the Southwest, your walls are likely finished in skip trowel.
We wanted to create a place where you can see all of the possible drywall textures.
These are the most common textures we found. Choosing to do something tried and true has advantages. It will be easier to find providers, keep your costs down, and make future repairs straightforward (if you're willing to buy or rent some spraying equipment). If simplicity and cost are a concern, these are the wall finishes for you.
Except this first one. We have to mention popcorn, but you should really never use it for anything.
price | cleanability | patchability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popcorn |   |   | |
| Orange Peel | | | |
| Spray Sand | | | |
| See All | |||
Popcorn texture, also called ‘Cottage Cheese’ and ‘Acoustic’, is the bane of modern aesthetics. It is the disco-era relic that continues to haunt houses across the globe. Once thought to be a clever idea to hide imperfections, it now lingers as an unwelcome reminder of design decisions past. Its rough, bumpy texture not only collects dust like beanie babies, but also makes your walls feel like a low-budget movie theater floor. If you enjoy the sensation of scraping your knuckles every time you walk by a wall or adore the look of a ceiling that resembles cottage cheese, then by all means, popcorn away. For the rest of us who value our sanity and the resale value of our homes, popcorn texture is a hard pass. Notably, perlite texture is very similar to popcorn but technically different. We didn’t feel that they merit separate entries.
Orange peel texture is a versatile and affordable choice for wall finishing. This drywall texture got its name from its resemblance to the skin of an orange. It is a popular choice due to its attractive appearance, compared to popcorn, while carrying a similar price tag. Orange peel texture is well suited to utility rooms such as closets and basements. This is because this texture has softer edges than other textures like knockdown, making it easier to clean and maintain.
Spray sand texture is easy to apply with the right tools and will add some variation to your wall. It will not cover many imperfections. It's more expensive than orange peel, and it's harder to clean. It's not a very popular texture today, but you will see it from time to time. We heard it might have been popular in Wisconsin at one point. Sand mixes for joint compound are made, and ostensibly do sell, so someone is out there applying it.
Brush textures add more dynamism to your wall than spray textures, but it will cost you more. For repairs you will need a steady hand and some guess work to match textures.
Whether you are stomping, slapping, or stroking, creating brush textures will be a fun time.
price | cleanability | patchability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slap Brush | | | |
| Rosebud | | | |
| Double slap brush | | | |
| Broom | | | |
| See All | |||
Slap brush, also referred to as stomp brush, mop brush, or crows foot, is a common pattern involving stippled ridges in a net-like pattern. It is created by using a stiff-bristled brush to stomp the initial application of mud.
Rosebud is a stippled texture that is similar to slap brush. Instead of using the brush to create an unordered pattern, it's used to create neat arrays of rosebud-like patterns.
Double slap brush, otherwise known as crows feet is a stomped, or stippled, texture that's created using two connected oval brushes. It's like stomp brush, but the shape of the brush is different. It's called crows feet because of its idiosyncratic radial lines. It can be applied in an orderly way, or with some overlap for a more chaotic look.
Broom texture, also sometimes called linear, is a unique texture that is created by using a broom, or other bristled or tined tool, to create long parallel lines across a surface. These lines emulate the striations of a rock. Compared to tree texture, broom texture has closer, more uniform striations that run the length of the entire surface.
These textures are great if you have a do-it-yourself attitude and want to experiment with different roller patterns. You won't need any fancy equipment like specialized brushes or air compressors to achieve these textures. Costs will be low and repairs will be simple.
It's like painting, but for texture.
price | cleanability | patchability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tree Bark | | | |
| Paint Roller | | | |
| See All | |||
Tree bark texture is a distinctive roller texture that will bring a new life to your walls. The long, meandering creases of the texture emulate the look of bark on a tree. It has a more natural feel than broom texture. This texture is a fun choice for a cozy get away or even a kid's bedroom. There are a variety of tree bark roller heads on the market to choose from.
Rollers can be used to create unique finishes on drywall. Whether it's a stippling effect achieved with a normal paint roller, a double slap brush imitation, or leopard print from an experimental roller head you found on Amazon, rollers provide a world of options for a homeowner with a do-it-yourself attitude. Because there's no need for spray guns and air compressors, rollers can also offer a less expensive option for interesting textures.
You can't go wrong with a good hand texture. It takes a skilled mudder to pull off some of these textures, but with some gumption, elbow grease, and time you can give these textures a good run.
Check out these walls made by hand.
price | cleanability | patchability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knockdown | | | |
| Skip Trowel | | | |
| Hawk and Trowel | | | |
| Brocade | | | |
| Swirl | | | |
| See All | |||
"Knockdown", in general, refers to the use of a drywall knife (or other hard-edged tool) to flatten excess joint compound onto the surface. The texture referred to as just "Knockdown texture" typically involves spraying joint compound on a wall and flattening it with a drywall knife. The result is a surface with a mottled texture with hard edged raised portions. This adds depth and character to a room, while hiding imperfections and adding a layer of soundproofing. One downside of knockdown texture is that it is more difficult to clean and maintain compared to smoother finishes. The textured surface can trap dust and dirt, and it can be difficult to remove stains or marks without damaging the texture. Additionally, applying knockdown texture can be a messy process, and it requires a certain level of skill to achieve a consistent and attractive result.
Skip trowel is a texture sitting somewhere between a traditional knockdown texture and santa fe texture. The name refers to the skipping of the trowel when creating the texture, which gives it an effect similar to many stucco finishes. It was common in the 1970s and 1980s as a replacement for the smooth look that takes more labor.
Hawk and trowel is a texture that is named after the tools used to create it. It's not a common texture these days, but it adds a lot of character to a wall. It's defined by overlapping waves of mud that have been applied with a swirl effect. Then it's marred a bit with a drywall knife to finalize the effect.
A brocade texture is another knockdown texture that provides more depth than a traditional knockdown. It's characterized by a large variation in the height of the raised ridges. Before getting knocked down, the mud is usually applied by hand in layers that help create the depth. This texture is great for novices because it hides mistakes with its heavy layering.
Swirl texture is another hand texture created with a comb or even sometimes with a brush. Like fan texture, it features circular strokes. A key difference though is that instead of tightly overlapping the circles in fan texture, swirl texture lets the beauty of the curves shine. Whether full circles are prominently arrayed, or the strokes are a bit more chaotic, swirl texture can add a sense of movement and flow to a room. This texture can be jazzed up by adding sand to the mud mixture to create the popular, and aptly named, sand swirl texture.
You too could have a wall made of art. It sounds impossible, but it's not. We can prove it. We have lots of pictures
Don't just hang art on your walls, turn your walls into art.
price | cleanability | patchability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth | | | |
| Santa Fe | | | |
| Spanish Knife | | | |
| Lace | | | |
| Fan | | | |
| Venetian | | | |
| Bas-relief | | | |
| See All | |||
A smooth texture is used to create a flat wall with no eye-catching marks or patterns. A smooth texture is typical a Level 4 or a Level 5 drywall finish. It is currently a popular choice, although it is one of the only textures that will never look dated given the timeless appreciation of smooth walls. Smooth walls require the most labor. Smooth walls are the easiest to clean. Smooth walls are the most guaranteed to have a repair match the original.
Like it's eponym, this drywall texture is at home in the southwest United States. Santa fe is a drywall texture known for it's two layered appearance. Often confused with knockdown, it tends to have a wider pattern. The whole wall is finished with an eye towards consistency in the pattern. Sometimes the the top layer is applied smoothly, and the underlayer has a rough texture. Also known as imperfect smooth, tuscan, old world, or even cat's face. These are all roughly the same, but vary in how much of the wall is smooth. Optional to santa fe, is adding some knife marks to make the texture "imperfect".
Spanish knife is a texture that may or not originate in Spain. It's characterized by raised lines of texture created by a drywall knife's edge. Mud is initially applied by hand, then a knife is used in long, sweeping arcs, with a flick at the end to create a peak. It's not sprayed on. It can have a more minimalistic or busy feel depending on what you want. Randomness in the line stroke is used to to create a more scattered or random pattern. Sometimes the knife is stuttered on the wall add elements of an old world texture if wanted.
Lace texture, also called Spanish lace or French lace, is another knockdown texture, but with a big difference. Instead of knocking down the texture in regular lines, it's knocked down in repeating swirl-like motions that ultimately create fractal lace-like patterns. Consistent sizing and spacing throughout the surface are important to make it emulate lace. Done properly, it'll look like doilies flowing on your wall in a uniform look.
Fan texture, also known as comb, is a hand texture that can add elegance to any room. It contains swirl-like patterns, but instead of comprising full circular swirls as in swirl texture, the swirls substantially overlap themselves. This overlap creates the repeating fan-like pattern that the texture is known for. While often found on ceilings, fan texture can also be used on walls to help create a luxurious, but not ostentatious, ambience. Because of it's regularity, but depending on the application, the texture can be straightforward to patch. Although it's not the least expensive option among hand textures, it's a good option for the fancy atmosphere it creates.
Venetian texture is a texture that mimics marble. It is created in a multi-step process where multiple coats of mud are applied and lightly sanded to a sheen. This creates a sealed-in coated look that shimmers. This is often done with plaster, but can be done with drywall mud. Often the mud will be dyed to get a spectrum of color.
If you have to ask which house your bas-relief is in, you might have bas-relief. Bas-relief is the ultimate in drywall texturing opulence. Show off your refined tastes to your colleagues by shaping flowers, wreaths, dragons, and other over-the-top designs into your wall. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination and wallet.
