Can You Add Texture to a Plaster Wall?

Materials and Tools

• You will need premixed plaster available at home improvement or hardware stores. If you want to add color to the plaster, buy a color additive and mix it with the plaster in small doses to make sure the plaster color isn’t too bold. To give the plaster a deeply textured finish, buy sand to add to the mixture. Depending on the texturing technique you decide to use, you will need a roofing tar brush, trowel, sponge or combination of tools. Choose a container for the plaster with a depth and width that easily accommodates your tool choices.

Techniques

• The techniques for adding texture to plaster are virtually endless and limited only by your artistic vision and skills. If you are new to plastering, there are three methods good for beginners that require minimal skills but a good amount of patience and perseverance. Pictures of different plaster finishes are available online, in decorating magazines and at home improvement centers to help you decide which texture you prefer. Give the decision careful consideration, as you can’t change textures in the middle of a wall without creating a decorating disaster.

Lace Texture

• To give walls a discreet lacy finish, apply the plaster and use a roofing tar brush to tap the surface and create a three-dimensional surface. Hold the bristles of the brush perpendicular to the wall and start with a small section. If you plan on painting the wall after plastering, wait two or three minutes for the plaster to start to dry and then flatten the bumps with a damp sponge to make them less spiky and more amenable to paint adhering to the wall. You can skip the sponging if you are going to leave the plaster unpainted and desire a highly visible texture.

Swirled Plaster Finishing

• Swirled plaster requires a steady hand and a good eye for conformity as each swirl should be identical. Apply the plaster and use a trowel to create a swirl in the surface. Lightly place the surface of the trowel on the wall and give it a swift half turn to make a crescent-shaped swirl. Repeat the process on the entire wall, working with small areas so the plaster doesn’t dry too quickly.

Skip Trowel Finish Techniques

• This method requires adding sand to the plaster to make the trowel skip over the surface of the wall. Apply the plaster and run the flat surface of the trowel lightly over it, letting it create nooks and crannies in the surface as you go. The resulting pattern will be erratic but the texture your finished wall will look uniform when complete. Be sure to apply the same thickness of plaster on the entire wall.