You can texture your walls with sheetrock mud in a few different ways, depending on your preference. Some textures are rough and bumpy while others are so subtle they look completely smooth. Different textures can even make a room look bright or dim. High-traffic houses need different texturing than others, but all textures are a viable choice.
Popcorn Texturing
Popcorn texturing leaves small beads of drywall mud on your walls that you paint. The texturing can make walls look darker and hide small imperfections on the wall. You can apply popcorn texturing by shaking a sheetrock mid-covered paintbrush and using a lot of patience, or you can spatter the walls manually. In other instances, you can use a special machine to spatter the walls for you. It's a messy process either way, so set down a tarp before you begin.
Knock-Down Texturing
The process for knock-down texturing is similar to the process for creating popcorn walls, but the last step of the process makes the results much different. While the beads of drywall mud are still wet on the wall, you press them down with a drywall mud trowel. The process creates a wall with a slightly bubbly texture that is less pronounced. With knock-down texturing, you get all the benefits of popcorn texturing without the super rough texture.
Palm Texturing
If you enjoy intricate swirls and streaks on your walls, use palm texturing. When you do palm texturing, you apply the sheetrock mud using a "stomp brush." You can twist or streak the brush to create a wide array of different textures. Palm texturing can have large swoops of drywall mud or smaller, discrete textures based on your preference. Don't use heavy palm texturing in locations with high traffic to prevent damage to your walls.
Tapered Texturing
Tapered texturing is for people who enjoy smooth walls. You start by putting a large deposit of sheetrock mud at the top of the wall and smoothing it down using a sheetrock mud trowel. Overlap your strokes with the trowel until the wall is completely smooth and has an even layer of mud. Tapered texturing is best in houses that do not have small children or a lot of traffic because they show dirt and damage clearly.
