To Texture or Not...

[65Stang]

22'x22' garage, will be drywalled, 10' high ceilings. Standard cabinets, etc. Space will be used to wrench on a couple cars, no serious fab though. I have a 25'x14' shop attached to the garage where I do all the wood working and messy fab.

So, what is the general consensus on spray texturing the wall, texture or leave flat? I will tape/mud the walls myself and have done it before, I don't expect it to be a level 4 finish (it is a garage). Does the texture tend to hold dust more than a flat finish?

 

[jkeyser14]

I would avoid texturing the walls. I lived in an apartment with textured walls, and if you ever bumped up against the wall with something and left a mark, the marks were impossible to clean. You either rubbed the texture off in the spot leaving a strange looking spot on the wall, or you couldn't get to the low spots so the walls would look spotty/dirty.

In a garage where you are constantly moving large objects and things are more likely to bump the walls, I would advise against the texturing.

 

[Uncle Buck]

That texture should like nice once the dirt and dust settle upon it. That might even give it a shaddowed effect!

 

[gunguy]

Another NO vote. It will catch and hold dirt. PIA to clean and repair if you ever need to.

If the walls in the house are smooth & flat, look at it as practice and a chance to enhance your skills for the time you need to make repairs or a remodel.

Respectfully,

Jim

 

[jeffhay]

I just had texture done. My garage had taped but unsanded sheetrock when I bought it. I built a closet for the furnace and water heater and had the whole thing finished. The guys that did it said smooth would be a lot more expensive. I figured, it's a garage. And the rest of the house is textured. I agree that it will get dustier, but I'm hoping the white semi gloss will make it easier to clean.

 

[ddawg16]

Texture.....but there is an easy way to do it.....

Go buy a couple of gallons of textured paint....then using a heavy nap roller....just roll it on. You will end up with a slight soft texture that will hide the imperfections of the wall....

Then cover with a good semi-gloss latex using the same roller.

But, if you want to see ALL of the minor imperfections on the walls....leave it flat.....

To get an idea...paint the walls with drywall primer (you need to do that anyway)...then roll a small section with the paint you want to use....then look at it and decide if you like it or not.

 

[autoclassicnut]

We had to fix a hole in the wall a couple weeks ago and my wife found some texture in a spray can... i had never used it before, but it turned out great. Not too hard to match the texture either, ( by the way it comes out of the can blue and turns white after a few minutes... Freaked her out at first.)
I would never texture a garage, especially if you weld and grind...

I used small 1 x 4 's to cover the seams in our old garage and just varnished them a dark brown, It was o.k. looking, kind of a picture frame effect.

 

[ahaidet]

I would go no texture... I had alot of people trying to talk me into texturing to save money. So I got the best of both worlds.. Saved money doing it myself and they are flat and smooth.

Then I finished with a Semi-Gloss Exterior Latex in bright white.

First time doing drywall finishing... Bought a book about it at Amazon. Read the required chapters and got to work.

Everyone claims you will see all imperfections with gloss and a smooth finish. My walls look better than the smooth finish in the house... And I have WAY brighter lighting in the garage than I have in the house. Just takes a little time and renting a drywall sander makes it easy to get a good finish even if your finish work is a little sloppy.

Would I do it again.. most likely. The smooth clean look of the walls I finished myself gives me satisfaction every time I walk in the garage. I have gotten them dirty a few times already and it wipes right off no problems.

Really depends on if you have the time to do it yourself or extra money to have it finished smooth. I am doing alot of messy work out there so I had to have a surface that was easy to clean. I am a big fan of doing it once and doing it right.

 

[nate379]

BFD if you see imperfections. It's a garage... and it's only going downhill from there anyhow. The first time you get pissed and lob a wrench through the wall I'm pretty sure the couple screw pops or whatever are not going to matter too much.

 

[FlameOut]

I don't like textured walls. Most people do that to cover up a bad tape job

 

[Richard Givan]

I will weigh in against textured walls also. I don't even like it on the ceiling. Dust and spatters are bad enough, cobwebs even worse.