Here in the UK, we texture a variety of stunning patterns & designs straight onto the ceiling & walls using tools such as fingers, rollers, sponges, rags, brushes, trowels, etc: your only limit is your imagination; but in this article I want to talk about using texturing' combs, to create some amazing affects onto your interior surfaces; these are very reasonably priced & now widely available to you thanks to the internet: plus, the methods for applying the texture coating to the desired surface is usually rolled on, sometimes brushed on, or even trowel'd on' instead of sprayed on.'
As you can imagine, the cost for applying texture coating to your ceiling & walls this way makes it possible for the home DIY' enthusiast to have a go yourself' because all you will need is a bucket to mix the texture powder in, the tool for mixing, (either an attachment to the power drill, or a plastic texture mixing tool that you attach to a wooden handle,) the texture powder, a roller & tray to hold the mixture & of course, the texture comb;
Some texturing combs consist of a moulded all in one' design, (almost resembling that of a plastic tile adhesive spreader, but the serrated comb' edge is slightly tighter together/not spaced as wide apart from each other) whereas, the handle, and the serrated (patterning) edge are made from a moulded, plastic material, the usual length of the comb is around 10 inches long (this is ideal for creating designs onto your larger, as well as smaller ceilings & walls;) whilst other texturing combs consist of a wooden handle, with a slit cut through it, whereas a piece, or two, of flexible plastic (containing the serrated patterning edge,) is inserted; Texturing combs, if looked after correctly could serve you a long time, but please be aware, do not wash out the combs in boiling water as this could shrivel up the serrated edges, plus also remember that, after texturing many surfaces, the serrated edge could become quite worn down, thus giving you a thinner, and more undesirable pattern depth;
To pattern the ceiling, first of all, make sure that the surface is correctly sealed and that the room is cool (no central heating on), you must mix enough texture to cover the whole surface area to be textured; secondly, after you decided which pattern/design your going to attempt, stand at the entrance to your desired room and look up to the ceiling, it is quite normal to actually start patterning alongside the wall, running across the narrow width of the ceiling, viewing from the door entrance, (but this depends entirely upon yours, or your customers personal preference.)
So, for instance, let us say that we are going to start our pattern from the door entrance wall, whereas, the pattern (once completed) will run down the (longer & narrower) length of the ceiling.
Stand with your back against the wall (in which you intend to start the pattern) & look up; this is how your going to work the pattern; as you pattern, the pattern is always behind you, and your working away from it/across the narrow width, & down the length of the ceiling; now with your back against the wall, hold your comb in the hand that feels the most comfortable for you to texture with; if you hold the comb in your left hand, slide across the wall, to the far corner of the right side of the room, this is the corner that, once you apply your band of texture, your going to start your comb pattern, & run it the width of that wall/edge, if you use your right hand, you start at the far left corner of the ceiling.
In summary, using your paint roller, roll on a band of texture, around half/three quarter inch thick depth, across the narrowest width of your ceiling, right across, from one wall edge to the other, the band of texture should be around two roller widths wide, pattern this with your comb, then continue this method throughout the whole ceiling, continuing right down the length of the area.
Everything here is fully covered in Texture Revival;' to help you more, look out for my articles concerning mixing texture & also surface preparation.
When you attempt any texturing tasks, always practice on a small area first for best results.
Thank you for reading, I hope that this article will help you further with your quest in learning to use combs to texture with.
Dale Ovenstone 2008.
Dale Ovenstone is self taught & has been self employed for over 25 years in the art of Texturing/Artexing, Coving/Cornice work, Plastering, Preparing Interior Surfaces prior to re-decoration, Repairing & Matching in Texture Designs & Patterns besides training individuals on a one to one & group basis in all of the above.
Knowing & understanding the needs of his customers this has encouraged him to create & write his unique range of step by step training 'DIY' books & guides which are attractively priced and available for download
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