~*Studio Update*~

Well... it has been one step forward and two steps back this week...

Hello Dear Friends! The more I thought about my walls, the less I liked them... or actually, I didn't like them at all. Being old plaster & lathe walls, it was difficult to fix the million (ok, it seemed like a million) nail holes riddled throughout the rooms. I patched them, all the large holes, and many of the cracks with drywall compound (not all the cracks were filled because I do want some of them to show later), but I couldn't smooth down the compound enough afterward. I was getting more and more worried that all my repairs would show through the paint. They definitely showed through the primer. Maybe you can see...



I usually am not worried about perfection, but I didn't want things to look icky. So, I borrowed this from my Mom...


Picked up a 62 lb. bucket of this at the hardware store for $13...


Found an old & rusty paint tray in the barn. Thinned down some of the compound with water...(I stirred it more than this though to mix it better.)


Then I rolled it onto the walls... thicker in some spots than others... (With the exception of the final photo, these all show the wall compound when it is wet. It dries white.)


A couple of close-ups...



After it dried (over night)... I took a damp (wet, but not dripping works best) rag (aka, old tee-shirt) and worked the surface again. Wiping in a circular motion over all the walls created an 'orange peel look'... or maybe it is called 'knock down' or something in the construction bizz. But, I must say... I am now in love with my walls! Here is a close up of how they look now...


Maybe I should have done the texture before I primed the walls... because I do have to prime them again now to go over all the compound... but really it helped to have the walls white before adding the compound. It made it easier to spot all the nail holes I missed initially. Really, there were TONS of nail holes in these walls!

Anyway, tomorrow I get to prime again... but then I get to PAINT! I did pick up my paint yesterday while I was at the store... so I am ready to move on. Plus, I mentioned before that the trim would be a 'country white'. Well, it just so happens that the store is having a clearance on a particular brand of paint. I was able to pick up two gallons of trim paint that was on clearance for 50% off... plus, the color... GET THIS... is Lambswool White. Isn't that just PERFECT?!

Thanks for letting me share! I'll be interested to hear of any of you have done this wall texture... or are maybe going to give it a try soon.

Wishing you warm smiles...

Betty