How do I blend a repaired area of ceiling to match the rest of the ceiling?

Question

Contractor simply said it won't match. Checked with Lowe's and Home Depot, they said you have to redo the entire ceiling. It seems there should be some way to make the repaired part match the rest...Any ideas?

It's a textured finish, not popcorn.

Answer 1

The contractor and Home Depot say patches won't match, because they don't have the talent to do the job properly. You CAN patch a ceiling texture so that it will match. It is time consuming, and takes some 'art' to it, but it can be done. Ive repaired hundreds of ceilings, literally, from the so called 'dreaded popcorn' to the 'textured plaster'.

As someone else pointed out, you didnt describe which ceiling texture you have. Also, you did not describe WHY the ceiling needed to be patched.

The method for repairing most is going to be similar,but there will be some differences, depending on which type you have. I have tried the 'canned' popcorn texture, and there are at least 3 versions of it.... I didnt like the results of any of them.
Now, if you actually had to replace a piece of the sheetrock... you should have scraped the ceiling smooth, around your sheetrock 'patch'. Once the new piece is secured properly, and the joint tape has been applied, and smoothed...then you need to PRIME the new surface, and joint compound. If you do not, then it will show up as a different color after texturing it. (Even if you get the texture perfect, the color would be a dead give away)

Assuming youve got the popcorn ceiling, my typical fix, has been to use the dry powder mix. I would mix a bit up in a bucket, and depending on how large the patch is, then decide how I'm going to apply it. If it is a large area to cover, the best method is to spray it on, with a hopper gun.... you can rent these, and an air compressor, if you do not own them. Be sure to cover EVERYTHING with plastic, lol, and that means yourself too! There will be a lot of 'blowback', so be certain to wear safety glasses, and a hair covering. Most hopper guns have the ability to vary the texture a bit, by changing the setting on the nozzle, the air pressure, or even the amount of product allowed to flow thru the nozzle. It's handy to have some scrap drywall, or cardboard, ...just about anything smooth will do.... to do some 'test shots', and get the feel of the hopper gun. Using a hopper gun provides you with the best chance for an invisible patch, over a large area. Don't be surprised tho, if you have to scrape it off, and try a few times, to get the mix just right. (By the way, a floor scraper is actually the easiest method to scrape the ceiling....you can get one from any hardware store that sells shovels, rakes, and such). Wait about a half hour, to scrape whatever you sprayed, off.. allowing it a little time to dry just a bit. You don't want the ceiling to get too wet, while you are working on it.

For a small patch in the popcorn ceilings, I again, use the dry mix...mix a little up in a small container, and use a sponge, or wrinkled up plastic (like a bread wrapper, turned inside out, so the ink doesnt transfer). Dip it into the mix, and dab it onto the ceiling. Then, if necessary, take a damp sponge, dip it into some dry mix, and apply that to the wet surface. (This puts some of the 'dry' popcorn on top of the wet) Each of these application methods will yield a different result...without seeing what kind of ceiling you've got, I can't be more specific. Trial and error, and patience, are your best friends at this point.... you CAN make the patch invisible. If you find that you have a little too much popcorn built up in the overlap areas...after it has completely dried...sweep it with a stiff broom. This will remove some of the concentration of popcorn. (Anyone who has problems with bits of popcorn falling from the ceiling, might want to use this tip too.... sweeping the ceiling, lightly, will help remove all those bits of popcorn that are about to fall anyway, hehehe... just make sure you cover everything with plastic! lol)

Ok, now, lets look at textured 'plaster' ..... typically, this isnt 'plaster' at all, but joint compound that has either been sprayed, rolled, or troweled on. Again, without looking at your ceiling, I can't be too specific here. Once more, the first step, is to prime the area that you need to apply the texture. If your texture is the type that looks like a raised leaf, or 'crows foot', spaced a bit apart, this texture is actually applied with a foam roller, that has been cut to the texture pattern..... you can find some of these types of foam rollers in hardware stores, or paint stores. IF you happen to own a manufactured home, your best bet, is to contact the manufacturer, and order a roller that will match your texture.... be prepared for sticker shock, lol... these aren't cheap. For the 'rolled' textures.... you simply mix up a bit of dry wall joint compound, pour it into a paint tray, and then use the roller to apply the texture... some ways to vary the texture, are to make the drywall mix thicker or thinner, as necessary. If you get it too thick.... the roller will want to slide, instead of roll. The roller applied texture is your best bet to patch a large area.
For a small patch... you can, again, turn to the sponge to apply the texture... or even a paint brush. If using the brush, be careful to use it to 'dab' only... also called 'stippling'. You aren't 'painting' in strokes, so much as you are using only the tips of the brush, to 'dab' the drywall mix onto the ceiling. The same applies if using a sponge. Ive found in a few rare cases, that the plastic bag, can also be used. Any of these applications take some 'artwork'....which is why many contractors say it cannot be done.

Another type of drywall mix texture, is the brushed application, or that applied with a putty knife, perhaps with a grooved edge. Again, without looking at your ceiling, I cannot be more specific. Often, this type of texture, looks like 'swirles', or circles that have been put up on the ceiling. For this type, you really need the same size brush, or knife, that was used originally.... take a tape measure, and looking at several different swirls, measure from the approximate center of the swirl to the outside of it. Then purchase your brushes as close to that size as possible... even buy a couple extra if necessary, larger or smaller, with more bristles and with less. While MOST contractors, or manufactured housing companies will use the typical brush for this.... not ALL of them do.... so it may take some experimentation on your part, to find a good match. Again, it comes down to practice, and artwork.

Another type of drywall mix texture is simply the straight spray-on... and allowing it to dry, sometimes 'stippling' it, to cause some 'raised' points in it. (kind of like the tip of the ice cream cone, you get at DQ) This type of mix is varied by how thick the drywall mix is made, and again, the type of spray that is used, with the hopper gun.... trial and error... hehehe. Are you starting to get the idea that a lot of this is time consuming? lol.... this is why most contractors do not want to try to 'patch' a ceiling.... it can actually be faster for them, to scrape the whole thing off, and spray new texture up, as they already have all the equipment... and... they can charge more, lol.

Now, one last type of texture... and this one is often found on walls too.... is the 'orange peel' effect, or sometimes called the 'knockdown' drywall texture. Literally, the drywall mix is applied with a hopper gun, an while it is still damp, someone runs a large drywall knife over it, 'knocking down' the small raised bumps. The knife is drawn over the mix, lightly... .you don't want to smooth it all down... just the raised portions left by the hopper gun. Again... a lot of this pattern is determined by how thick, or wet, the drywall texture is... how heavily it is sprayed on, how soon it gets scraped with the putty knife, etc. Oh... and it's important to drag the knife in the same direction as the original product...heheh... just get up close to the original finish... and you should be able to see which way they dragged the finishing knife across the damp texture.

That covers the majority of the different kinds of textures... there are a lot of other variations out there... even some of these have variations like glitter that has been applied to them while they were still wet.

Final Tips:
Use LOTS of plastic... all repair techniques are MESSY... cover everything with plastic. If you are using a spray gun... then go so far as to even hang plastic over your walls. Often.... I spent more time getting ready to do the repair, than I did in making the repair itself, hehehe.

When you go to scrape the surrounding area... do NOT scrape it in a straight line.... it's actually better to leave some 'V' marks to help your new texture blend in better.... that way you do not have a solid, obvious line, of where the new texture meets the old.

Dont forget... prime the surface BEFORE you go to texture it... this prevents the texture liquid from soaking into the new dryall and joint compound...which leaves it a different color than the original. (Kilz is an excellent primer -- use the water based if you want easy clean up,... the oil base, if covering some serious flaw, like a water leak, or smoke damage. For small patches, you can use the Kilz in a spray can)

Artwork! Patching a ceiling takes practice, and patience... and no small amount of eye for artwork.... not everyone can 'see' the patterns easily, believe it or not. Get some cardboard boxes from the grocery store, if nothing else, to practice on. Just cut them so that they will lay flat,.... you can apply primer or not... depending on what type of texture you are working with, to make it easy to see the pattern you are applying. MAKE NOTES... How thick did you mix the product, what settings did you use, etc... Ive often written this in black marker, right on the cardboard itself. Also... I would carry a number of plastic bowls with me, that had lids... so I could mix up several variations at a time....labeling the lid, with the 'recipe' (how much water, to how much mix, etc). By the way.... warm water will mix with most of these textures better than cold water.

The typical popcorn mixture, looks a lot like oatmeal, or a slightly thick sausage gravy, if that helps.

Practice practice practice -- I wouldnt even bother with a contractor, if you have a little artistic talent, and the time to invest in the project.

During my years as a warranty service contractor, I have, literally, repaired hundreds of ceilings. If you didnt know where the repair was done at... you wouldnt be able to see the 'patch' at all. Ive been called in to repair ceilings that other contractors had tried to repair, and didnt get it right. Because of the fact that I did so many, along with all the other repairs in a home.... I carried all the equipment I would need with me. I own the hopper guns, air compressor, rollers, putty knives, scrapers etc. And having done so many, I developed a knack for spotting which kind of texture I was going to imitate, and how to best approach it. Practice practice practice. ;)

You could start a nice little business repairing ceilings, once you get the hang of it.

Have Fun!!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

You don't say what kind of ceiling it is but if it's that dreaded "popcorn" ceiling then there is a spray product called Popcorn Ceiling Repair (available at The Home Depot and Wal-Mart) that adds the same texture to the patched/cracked area. You will still have to paint the area. Hopefully it was the ever-popular "ceiling white!" Paint the repaired area and "feather in" (gradually roll paint from the patched area, decreasing pressure on roller as you roll into undamaged ceiling. Very dry roller should be used for this.) Using a roller very heavy with paint on a spray finish ceiling may cause the entire finish to come down. Other fixes depend on the type of ceiling. If it's plaster you can try to duplicate the finish by using drywall compound then use same painting technique.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do I blend a repaired area of ceiling to match the rest of the ceiling?
Contractor simply said it won't match. Checked with Lowe's and Home Depot, they said you have to redo the entire ceiling. It seems there should be some way to make the repaired part match the rest...Any ideas?

Answer 5

What I would do is get something that would make a similar designed, a natural sponge or a scraper, just look at it and think of things that would make it look like that and give it that texture. then get some plaster the same color as the rest of the ceiling. If it is a older ceiling job you might want to get a white that is a little faded because new white will not match older white.I hope this helps.

Answer 6

One can make a repair to any texture of ceiling or wall. It all depends on the method one uses. With the appropriate tools and method of applying I have found it very easy. You dont need a professional to come in and di the job at a lot of cost. It may take time and you may have to apply a second coat in places a day later after the area dries. This is how I have done it for years and had great success. When your satisfied with the repair remember to paint it with a decent primer. Then apply the final coat of paint after the primer dies.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

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Answer 9

Any patch can only be invisible if you redo the whole thing. Sun and dust and...whatever make your ceiling change color.

Answer 10

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