How to Repair a Textured Ceiling

A textured ceiling is an extremely popular method of decorating ceilings. Although it's quite a fashionable type of covering for ceilings it can be inconvenient when trying to repair or clean.

Cleaning and repairing textured ceilings can be difficult. Any cracks or leaks could make a repair necessary. However, this is harder than other types of ceilings. Not only will you have to patch the crack, but you will also need to match the texture.

Step 1 - Preparation

Repairing a textured ceiling can be a very messy job. That's why you must cover up the floor using a dust sheet before you do anything to your ceiling. If any of the ceiling texture is damaged then scrape it away using a scraper or a putty knife.

TIP: Put on safety goggles before you start working to avoid getting particles in your eyes. If you have a high ceiling, use a ladder and have a friend nearby to help in case you fall.

Step 2 - Sanding

Sand down the areas around the damaged patches which have now been removed. This will ensure that the repair will stick securely to the existing ceiling.

Step 3 - Filling the Crack

Apply drywall compound to the damaged areas of the ceiling by using a putty knife. Ensure that you smooth the compound down using the putty knife so that it's as flat as possible. Allow the compound to dry before you do anything else so that the compound doesn't fall out.

Step 4 - Sanding the Compound

After allowing the compound to dry you then need to sand the area down slightly by using a piece of sandpaper. Try to make sure that the surface of the drywall is as smooth as possible.

Step 5 - Dealing with Stains

If you are repairing water stain damage then you should apply a coat of stain sealant to the repair. This will prevent the stain from coming through again. This will also avoid problems caused by the stains occurring again as they bleed through the ceiling.

Step 6 - Re-Texturing

Use a spray texture repair kit to repair the look of the texture. There are actually a number of different kits available which suit different types of textured finishes. There are popcorn effect, splatter and orange peel repair kits available.

Read the instructions included with the kit so that you can get find out how to repair the texture properly. you might want to practice before you retexture the ceiling.

Step 7 - Repainting

Choose the right paint color to suit your ceiling. Now repaint the ceiling using the paint so that the repair is carefully blended into the rest of the ceiling. This will make the repair pretty much unnoticeable.

Step 8 - Cleaning up

After you have finished the job you can now take away the dust sheet. It's important that you do this carefully to avoid any chance of paint falling onto your carpet or anywhere else.

You will now need to clean the brushes so that the paint does not dry on them and ruin them.