Quick and EZ Knock Down Drywall Texture Technique

I found myself needing to texture two walls in a basement room and not wanting to get a sprayer to splatter drywall mud everywhere.  What I came up with was a very fast, efficient way to achieve a similar effect without renting any equipment.

Assume that the walls are smooth to your satisfaction, i.e. you have taped and sanded the seams, filled in the screw holes, etc. 

Required items:

1 box of drywall mud
Water
Plastic bag
8 inch drywall knife
Five-fingered trowel

Step 1 Water down the Mud

I watered it down until it was about as runny as clam chowder.  Just keep adding about a large handful in a bucket, then stir in water.
Rather than use a heavy mixer bit and drill, I just used a wire whisk from the kitchen.

Comments

[heathbar64]

if you are just spreading the mud on with your hands and texturing after, why not use a large brush to apply it? or maybe if you used a long hair paint roller, it would give you the stippled effect already. Don't know for sure, but it's worth playing with.

[ezhope1]

Yeah, those are good ideas. I thought about using a wide brush, but frankly I just didn't have one and I was getting into that trap of feeling like I wanted to get done without making yet another trip to the hardware store. A roller seems like a good option, too. Part way through it also occurred to me that at some point if I added a little paint to the mud, I could do sort of a fresco type of thing and blend the color right into the wall for a more antique look. Next time I do a small section of wall, these are all ideas I'm going to try and see what happens.
Thanks for the suggestions, I really appreciate it!