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The week I spent 8 hours trying to match the old plaster texture in my 1920s bungalow's hallway.
I finally got it right on Friday afternoon by mixing a bit of fine sand into the joint compound and using a damp sea sponge, which felt like a small victory after so much frustration, but has anyone else found a better method for blending repairs into that old, lumpy 'orange peel' style plaster?
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faithrodriguez18d ago
That pancake batter consistency tip from kellymurphy is exactly what I needed to hear. I feel like I've been wrestling with mud that's way too thick and it just clumps up in weird ways. The brush method makes sense too, I can see how you'd get more of those random lump sizes instead of the repeating pattern a sponge gives you. Gonna try that on my next patch job, thanks for sharing what worked for you.
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kellymurphy2mo ago
Oh man, that sand trick is smart. I went down a whole rabbit hole on this last year. I ended up using a cheap, stiff-bristled paint brush, like the kind you'd use for stenciling, and just dabbing and pouncing the wet compound. It gave me way more control over the lump size than a sponge did. The key was thinning the mud way down with water first, almost to a pancake batter feel.
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That brush method @kellymurphy described is a solid move. It reminds me of when I tried to texture a ceiling with a whisk broom. The bristles were too soft and it just made weird, stringy lines. Had to scrape the whole thing and start over with a roller. Sometimes the cheapest tool is the right one, but man, you gotta test it on some scrap board first.
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