Are Textured Walls Outdated?

Many homeowners have used wall textures to hide imperfections on walls and ceilings, but are textured walls outdated? Is it in line with modern trends to choose smooth walls over textured wall trends?

Textured walls are not outdated; they’re still in trend and have been since the 70s. However, there are different styles of wall textures you can choose from to introduce some warmth and shadow into your home. Using wall textures shows you’re informed on the latest home interior design trends. However, it also suggests your walls have some imperfections you’re hiding.

In this article, you’ll get an answer to the question, “Are Textured Walls Outdated?” You’ll also understand what textured walls are and how they can help you improve your home’s interior. In addition, you’ll know the types and styles of textured walls. Comparing textured and smooth walls will help you decide which one suits your home. Ultimately, you’ll have some textured wall design ideas you can draw inspiration from.

What Are Textured Walls?

Textured walls are a wall finish that creates aesthetic and disguising effects with depressions and brittle surfaces. Textured walls are characterized by sharp, sometimes even, undulations and rough depressions that hide drywall imperfections, such as tape joinery.

Textured walls have been in use since the 70s but have seen a decline in use around the 2000s. Although modern home interior designs tend towards smooth colors, textured walls can still be found in some homes. While they’re not common with modern trends, they’re still not outdated. Many modern home designs can use a textured wall, usually an accent wall, to introduce some character to their otherwise boring interiors.

Achieving a textured wall involves using drywall mud to even out the drywall and fill crevices on the wall; a drywall primer to prevent the absorption of the paint by the chalky drywall compound; a roller, hopper gun, and an air compressor for applying drywall compound to the walls; drywall compound for application on the wall; a drywall knife – with and without teeth to achieve a knockdown and comb textured wall styles.

Types of Textured Walls

The different types of textured walls provide your walls with different styles. Your wall’s right one depends on how much damage you’re looking to cover and what fits your overall home style.

Sand Swirl

The Sand Swirl type of textured wall is one of the simplest yet most technical styles for textured walls. After some practice, you can get this done as you don’t have to mix drywall compounds.

Sand Swirl patterns are achieved by dipping the end of a 7-inch paintbrush in perlite – a mix of primer and sand – and making swirls on the walls. The end of a swirl is covered by the beginning of another swirl, forming a loop.

Apply primer after the texture has dried, and paint the walls to complete your wall texture and design.

Orange Peel

To achieve the orange peel textured wall, you’ll need a drywall compound, primer, hopper gun, adjustable air valve, and air compressor.

Begin priming your walls and mixing the drywall compound with water to form a thick paint consistency. Next, fill the hopper gun with the diluted drywall compound. Finally, apply the compound to a small part of the wall, preferably a corner, and adjust the air valve till you get the right spray that gives you the orange peel appearance.

Combine heavy and light splatters, covering different parts of the wall. Leave to dry and prime before applying paint.

Comb

The comb style and type of textured wall use drywall compound, an even-spaced toothed trowel, a roller, primer, and paint.

Mix the drywall compound with water to form a consistent paint thickness. Next, apply the compound to your walls with a roller. With the trowel, draw lines on the wall in what pattern and style you prefer. Usually, rainbow lines, vertical, and diagonal lines are the most preferred line designs. Allow the compound to dry, then prime the walls before applying paint.

Knockdown

The knockdown type of textured wall is similar to the orange peel. However, the difference is in the peaks created by the sprays.

While the orange peel textured wall dries, and you prime it in preparation for painting, the knockdown doesn’t allow the compound to dry completely.

With a knockdown knife about 18 inches or wider, flatten the peaks. Timing is important with this type of textured wall. Premature knockdown has lines forming on the wall due to the knife’s impact. Therefore, it requires some level of timing technique.

Slap Brush

This style of textured wall is typically used for its simple process. Therefore, it is suitable for individuals who have no confidence in their spray gun proficiency. It involves using a slap brush to create splash patterns on the drywall, in no specific pattern.

Mix your drywall compound with water till it reaches a thick paint consistency. Next, apply the compound to your drywall with a roller. You can complete two 5 feet wall sections for a start. Next, lightly apply the compound to the sides of your slap brush and splash the compound on the sections you’ve completed. Repeat the process till you treat all the walls. After 24 hours, apply primer and paint on the walls.

The slap brush type of textured wall uses inconsistent patterns to achieve aesthetic effects.

Popcorn

The popcorn textured wall style is easy to do. It is, arguably, the best textured-wall style for hiding wall imperfections and absorbing sound. You can get this textured wall by applying your popcorn texture to the walls with a hopper gun and air compressor.

Prime your walls. Mix the popcorn texture with water as instructed on the manufacturer’s label. Fill your hopper with the texture. Cover parts of the wall you don’t wish to apply the texture, including door and window frames. Spray.

The popcorn texture wall style is one of the types of textured walls you can achieve without hiring a professional.

Slapbrush-Knockdown

As the name implies, this is a combination of the slap brush and the knockdown types of textured walls.

After achieving the slap brush textured wall, use a knockdown knife to flatten the peaks created by the drywall compound before it dries completely.

Textured Walls vs. Smooth Walls

The choice between textured and smooth walls only exists because they are both still in style as wall treatment options. However, consider the pros and cons of each wall finish type to choose the right one.

Good to Read: Wall Covering Ideas

Pros and Cons of Textured Walls

If you’re considering using textured walls in your home, you should know the positive and negative sides of this type of wall finish.

Pros of Textured Walls

• They Hide Wall Imperfections.

Chances are your walls have some crevices and uneven slopes. The drywall joinery of your wall may not be the neatest, but it can appear better or even nonexistent with textured walls.

The uneven peaks and recesses that characterize a textured wall cause shadows to appear on the walls when there is light, some distance from them. The shadows effectively hide your walls’ imperfections.

• They Introduce Warmth to Your Home

Modern home interior design tends towards cool and dark colors, usually on smooth walls. However, there is the tendency that you’ll tire out of seeing the same smooth colors on your walls every day. A way out of this is to use an accent wall that is different in color and finish from the other walls.

A textured wall as an accent wall, probably with a warm color, will introduce some vibrancy to the interior atmosphere of your home.

• It can be a DIY Project.

Many people are scared of doing a textured wall finish in their home because they believe it to be difficult to accomplish. While it is true that you need to get some practice before doing your wall finishes with texture paints, you can get the practice easily.

A cardboard or a part of your garage wall that you can cover easily will work for practice. After a few times, you’ll get the hang of the techniques to achieve your desired style.

• They are Suitable for Long-term Interior Design

If you’re looking for a wall treatment that’ll remain intact for a long time, you should consider a textured wall finish. The peaks remain in that position for a while, and the effects they provide, with the recesses, are ever-present.

Consequently, they help you save costs on wall improvement due to their longevity. Also, you can leave a textured accent wall the way it is while you change the colors of the surrounding smooth walls.

Cons of Textured Walls

As there are positives to using textured walls in your home, there are negatives.

• They are costly

The numerous advantages of textured walls come from the cost of their materials and workmanship. While you only need so many materials to achieve a textured wall, you’ll need fewer materials for a smooth wall.

• You may need Professionals.

Getting a textured wall right requires technique, which takes time to learn and perfect. Therefore, if you’re looking to remodel your home walls, you may need to get professionals for it, as you need time, which you may not have, to learn and perfect the right technique for your desired style.

• They are Difficult to Remove

Once textured walls are applied, they are difficult to remove. It may cost you a considerable sum of money to remove the peaks from your walls.

Pros and Cons of Smooth Walls

If your instinct is to go with smooth walls in your home, consider these positives and negatives to make a better-informed decision.

Pros of Smooth Walls

• Easy to accomplish

Smooth walls require less technique to accomplish than textured walls. With simple movement or rollers and brush strokes, you can get your walls to look good with smooth wall finishes. However, it requires good mastery of paint mixing.

• Easy to replace

You can easily replace a smooth wall finish color with another color, even with a textured wall finish. Smooth wall finishes give you an open option of continuing with the same wall finish or changing it.

• Relatively cheap

Due to the ease of achieving a smooth wall, it is relatively cheap. Also, you don’t have to employ professionals if you have adequate technique and time to finish your walls.

Cons of Smooth Walls

• Stains easily

Smooth walls are easy to touch, hence their ease of getting stained. However, their susceptibility to stains makes them lose their aesthetic effect fast.

• Exposes Wall Imperfections

Smooth walls are excellent at exaggerating the architectural features of a home. But unfortunately, they also expose imperfections on the wall.

Final Thoughts

Textured walls are perfect wall finishes for hiding wall and ceiling imperfections. Different types require different techniques. Textured walls are not outdated despite the prevalence of smooth walls in modern interior home designs.