OK... Stines Lumber rents the popcorn blower for painting textured ceilings...?

Question

But the machine doesn't come with directions. Does anyone know where I can find directions before I rent it. I'm renovating my kitchen and had to pull the soffets above my cabinets down... now I've patched drywall there to fill in the holes. Now I need to panit it to match the rest of the kitchen.

Answer 1

First, you need to prime the area that you have patched, or it will appear a different color, when you texture it. Kilz is an excellent primer... the water base version will do just fine for this type of application.

Now... for the hopper gun...

How you get the proper texture depends on a couple of variables.... First.. the texture mixture... it needs to be similar to what is already up... not only in the 'kind' of texture, but also in the mixing of it... how much water to add. Use warm water by the way... it will mix easier. You will most likely be using a ceiling texture that comes in a bag.. a dry mix. Use a large bucket or two, to mix with. I like to store my dry mix in a 5 gallon bucket, and use another 5 gallon bucket to mix in. Follow the directions on the bag, to begin with. When you have it mixed, it will look roughly like a cross between sausage gravy, and oatmeal, in thickness. If it is too thick, it will not spray properly.
The Second variable... is how you spray it. Not only how fast/slow you move it over the area... but also how much air pressure to hopper load that you use.

I would suggest, that you get some big pieces of cardboard, or tape some large pieces of plastic up, and practice a bit, before applying to your ceiling... get the feel of it, first.

You will need to cover EVERYTHING with plastic... cover your cabinets, your stove (make sure there are no pilot lights on), refrigerator, etc.... I would even suggest that you cover the walls with plastic. You can use painter's masking tape, or small staples to hold the plastic up. When you get ready to spray, make sure you are wearing something you don't mind getting dirty, there is a lot of 'blowback' from a hopper gun. Safety glasses, and a dusk mask wouldnt hurt... they'll keep the texture from flying into your eyes, or mouth, hehehe.

The hopper should attach to the top of the 'gun'... it fits over the top, and usually has a band clamp to tighten it in place. There will also be a connection for an air hose, from a compressor. If they are giving you a small compressor, you will have to take 'short shots' with your gun, because the compressor will not be able to keep up, with the hopper blowing 'full out'. You can also expect some of the texture mixture to dribble from the nose of the gun... comes with the territory, I'm afraid...Ive never seen one that didnt. When you assemble the hopper to the gun, the handle at the top of the hopper should be to the rear of the gun, this makes handling it much easier. You can operate the gun with one hand, and hold the hopper with the other... it will get heavy after awhile. You can vary the air pressure/mix by how far back you pull the trigger. There is a knob (or two) on the back of the gun, that will allow you to set the 'maximum' pull for the mix and air. Once you get it where you want it, you can set the knob, if you like... since this is just a patch, I wouldnt worry too much about it. You won't be handling it enough to worry about. You pour the texture mixture into the top of the hopper.... don't fill it too full, or it will spill as you tilt the gun. Some guns, you will actually have to disconnect the air hose, to pour more texture into the hopper. (a second pair of hands really helps here, lol)

Practice practice practice. As I said, there are a lot of things that can affect the pattern.

Don't forget.... prime the new drywall, and joint compound first. If you do not, they will show up as different colors, because the joint compound and drywall absorb the texture mix at different rates. To keep an even color, it must be primed.

Another handy tip, is to NOT scrape the old texture in a straight line.... rather, scrape it into 'V' shapes.... this will help the new blend with the old pattern.

IF you do not like the pattern you have sprayed up on the ceiling, you CAN scrape it off right away, and take one more shot at it.... I would suggest letting the ceiling dry tho, if you need to scrape it off again. If you get the drywall too wet, it will be a problem.

Prepare to get dirty! lol

Have Fun!