How to Create Knockdown Texture Ceiling by Hand

Protect your room's flooring. Place tarps, plastic and drop cloths on all floor surface. Pull the materials taught. Wrinkles may cause you to trip, or cause you to pull the material and expose flooring. Tape down all material to the edge of the wall using painter's tape or masking tape. Don't forget to drape walls with large plastic sheets. Tape the plastic firmly on all edges. Plaster from your ceiling work can fall and land onto a perfectly painted wall.

Open the bucket of premixed joint compound. Ensure that the product is moist and wet. Mix in a small amount of distilled water if the plaster looks or feels dry. Use a hand drill with an attached mixing tool used for plaster.

Grasp the trowel in one hand and swipe a large portion of the plaster onto the blade of the trowel. Hold the trowel even with the ceiling line, then slightly angle the trowel so one long edge of the trowel is firmly touching the ceiling. Wipe the plaster onto the ceiling until it has transferred from the trowel to the ceiling.

Stamp your trowel into the wet portion of plaster and pull it back out to create peaks and ridges. Use the edge of the trowel to knock down these areas, creating a rough texture appearance. Repeat the process of applying texture, stamping and knocking down the peaks until the entire surface is covered.

Allow the plaster to dry about one day. Sand off any large grit or loose areas of plaster not adhering to the ceiling. Apply one coat of primer, let it dry, and follow with two coats of latex paint, letting the first dry completely before you apply the second.