One of the newest ways to repair textured walls and ceilings is with a gravity fed, manually powered pressure sprayer such as this one by Homax:
Pro Spray Texture Gun
This handy tool does not require an air compressor or other power source, just your hand pressure. When you pull back the lever, the chamber sucks in the textured paint. When you pump the lever pushes the paint out through front plate. By adjusting the front plate and lever, you can control the sprayed textured pattern. The gun can spray wall and ceiling textures such as orange peel, splatter, knockdown, and popcorn. I'd recommend this tool if you're repairing areas too big for a can or two of spray but less than a full air compressor powered hopper gun. Each full pressure stroke can cover an area 6 inches by 3 feet.
Pressure Spray Technique:
To create an orange peel textured wall effect do the following:
- Put on eye protection
- Repair wall, sand and remove dust
- Place plastic drop cloth on floor below repair area and on any surrounding furniture
- Test spray pattern by adjusting front plate hole and nozzle lever to vary texture until an acceptable setting is found to match the surrounding area
- Stand 3-4 feet from the wall and when you spray, maintain a uniform distance
- Move the gun in a sweeping motion as you spray
- Pull the handle back as required for the amount of spray and push th handle completely in to complete the stroke
- Rinse and clean the gun
- Let dry and then paint.
