How to Apply Hand Troweled Drywall Texture

  • 8 hours
  • Intermediate
  • 150
What You'll Need
Eggshell white latex paint
All-purpose drywall mud powder
Deep bucket, 5-gallon
Stirring stick
Drywall trowel
Notched trowel
Thick-napped paint roller
Paint tray
Painters tape
Drop cloth
What You'll Need
Eggshell white latex paint
All-purpose drywall mud powder
Deep bucket, 5-gallon
Stirring stick
Drywall trowel
Notched trowel
Thick-napped paint roller
Paint tray
Painters tape
Drop cloth

Most people think about drywall as being a neat and clean finish, but adding drywall texture opens up many other design possibilities. If you like the look of stucco or a clamshell finish then you can create those kinds of drywall textures on your wall. And you can make them yourself with the tools you already have on hand to apply the drywall mud.

The trowel is the best tool that can have more than one purpose and creating drywall texture is one of them. When you are done, the drywall will have more character which will bring a room to life and create interest. The article below will explain how to create drywall texture using the trowel.

Step 1 – Room Preparation

Creating drywall texture is a project that can be messy. Lay down a drop cloth to protect the floor when you are working. Apply painter’s tape around windows and trim. Remove any pictures, mirrors, and shelves from the wall as well.

Step 2 – Mix the Mud

Applying drywall texture uses a combination of paint and drywall mud. This creates the texture in the drywall while giving it a finish. Pour the drywall mud powder into the bucket. You want the drywall mud powder to be around 8-inches deep. Add water to the bucket just to moisten it and then stir it together. You want the mud to be thick.

Water can be added if needed in order to get the right consistency, which is like oatmeal but smooth. The mixture should be around one part of drywall mud to 10 parts of paint. Combine the mud and the paint and then mix it until the paint and mud are well blended together. You want the finished material to look like pudding. If the thickness is not like pudding then you can add more paint in small amounts until it is correct.

Step 3 – Apply the Mixture

The mixture you just made is applied as you would any other drywall mud. Use the trowel to smear the mud to the wall. In normal applications, you want to spread it out evenly and only over seams and screws or nail holes. To create drywall texture you want to apply it to the whole wall in a thick application. This is so the drywall texture can be created.

Step 4 – Create the Drywall Texture

Create the stucco texture by rolling the paint roller over the wet drywall.

For a clamshell texture, use the notched side of the trowel. Place it on the wet drywall mud at a slight angle and then drag it over the wall in a half-circle. You can make the clamshell drywall texture as wide as you like. Start the next half-circle at the base of the first so that they overlap. Repeat in this manner until the length of the wall is completed. The next row of this drywall texture will begin between 2 half-circle designs so that the drywall texture is staggered.