How to Texture Paint Inside Walls
- 1). Prepare your walls by patching holes and cracks with spackle, resetting popped drywall nails, scraping off any loose paint, removing dirt, dust, and grime and washing with tri-sodium phosphate (TSP). Sand glossy paint to dull the surface and improve adhesion of the texture paint. Apply a good-quality primer.
- 2). Apply the texture paint to a section of wall about 4 feet by 4 feet square using a trowel with rounded ends. Scoop the paint---which is almost as thick as joint compound---from the paint bucket onto the trowel. Drag the trowel over the wall at a 45-degree angle to distribute the paint.
- 3). Go over the texture paint with the trowel held almost flat against the wall. Drag the trowel lightly across the surface to create a consistent texture. Continue this process, feathering the edges of the paint from one section to another. If the paint in one section dries before you get to the next section, dampen the edges to avoid creating a seam. Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours.
- 4). Paint the walls the color you want them to be, using a water-based eggshell finish paint and a long nap roller to get paint into all of the crevices. Let the paint dry according to the manufacturer's directions and apply a second coat if necessary.
Source...