"Spanish lace" is an exotic term for an often-used drywall texturing technique more commonly known as knockdown. Drywallers produce knockdown patterns by applying spatters of joint or texturing compound and flattening them, or knocking them down, with a drywall knife. It takes a certain amount of skill to turn a basic knockdown pattern into Spanish lace, however. When the compound has the correct consistency, and the knife is handled with the proper care, the individual spatters are interconnected by fine lines to create an overall effect that resembles a lace veil.
Cover the floors and furniture with plastic sheeting. Wear old clothes, a hat and eye protection.
Coat new ceiling drywall with PVA primer to limit absorption of the texture. Let the primer dry.
Mix a quantity of all-purpose drywall joint compound with water in a small bucket until the mixture is almost pourable. It should be the consistency of custard or yogurt.
Pour the joint compound into the cup of a spatter gun and screw the cup onto the gun barrel. Point the gun at the ceiling and pump the handle until material sprays from the tip.
Hold the tip about a foot from the ceiling and move it in a line from one wall to the other while you pump the handle. It should produce an irregular pattern of large and small blobs of material on the ceiling. The more irregular the pattern, the better the final texture will be. Cover a section of the ceiling about 3 to 5 feet wide.
Climb a step ladder tall enough for you to work comfortably from no higher than the second highest rung. Holding an 8- to 12-inch drywall knife so the blade is almost parallel to the ceiling, scrape it lightly along the texture to flatten it.
Clean excess joint compound from the knife frequently. Use a plastic mudding trough with a metal blade attached to the rim. The blade will keep the knife clean and the trough will collect excess compound so it doesn't fall on the floor.
Maintain a regular pattern when scraping the texture. It can be linear or swirled, but if it's haphazard, the final appearance won't have the refinement of lace. Strokes in a direction opposite to the primary one in which you're scraping will alter the slant of the texture and create an unappealing incongruity.
Finish scraping one section of the ceiling before applying texture to another section. Working in sections will ensure that the compound is fresh when you scrape it, and you'll be able to apply minimal pressure with the knife to knock it down.
Let the texture dry, then prime and paint it without sanding it.
Things You Will Need
- Plastic sheeting
- PVA primer
- All-purpose drywall joint compound
- Spatter gun
- Step ladder
- 8- to 12-inch drywall knife
- Mudding trough
- If you don't want to mix joint compound, you can buy aerosol cans of spray texture. The material from these cans is thinner than joint compound and must be scraped very lightly.
- Don't worry if you inadvertently get joint compound on the carpet or on a piece of furniture. Scrape it off when it dries and the stain will wash out with water.
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