Drywall Texture

[Jerry Solomon]

I had a guy texture some drywall (some new and some old that had been stripped of wallpaper). He used a "leather roller" to try and approximate a texture that's used elsewhere in the home. While it's still a little wet, the pattern looks a LOT more pronounced.

If it continues to be too heavy, is it possible to reduce the roughness by using a damp sponge on it after it is thoroughly dry? If not, is there another way to smooth it out a little?

[Richard Gillespie]

Wet sanding (using a sponge) is an acceptable finishing method on joint compound. Doing so on a highly textured surface will probably soften or smooth out the tops of the ridges first.

If you are going to try this, pick an out of sight area to experiment with first.

[Jerry Solomon]

Richard - I went over the surface lightly with a broad knife to knock down the highest ridges. I then lightly wet sponged the surface to round over the flat tops created by the blade. This seemed to work OK. It still doesn't look like the other texture but it's not right up against it so, after painting, I don't think anyone will notice. Thanks for your reply - Jerry