How to: Orange Peel Ceiling Textures

Spread plastic tarps over the floor of the room and secure them to the edge of the floor using painter's tape. Place a ladder next to one of the walls and hang another tarp along the top edge of the wall using additional tape. Make sure the tarp extends all the way to the floor. Repeat the process to hang more tarps along each wall of the room.

Fill a large bucket with 15 lbs. of joint compound and 5 pints of water. Install a blade mixer onto the end of a drill and mix the bucket contents until it forms the consistency of pancake batter.

Put on safety glasses and a dust mask. Pour the joint compound mixture into the hopper at the top of the sprayer. Turn the compressor on and position the sprayer nozzle 30 to 36 inches away from the ceiling.

Squeeze the trigger and move the sprayer from side to side side to apply the orange peel texture to the ceiling. Overlap each row by at least 1 to 2 inches so you do not miss any areas. Continue using this spraying method until the entire ceiling is covered in texture.

Wait three to eight hours to allow the ceiling texture to dry completely and then apply a second coat in the exact same manner. During the second coat, hold the sprayer at least 48 inches away from the ceiling.

Allow the second coat to dry for 15 minutes. Pick up a ceiling knock down knife, which is a plastic blade. Place it up to the ceiling and drag it over the entire surface with a light pressure to remove the sharp points from the texture and create a smooth appearance. Do not press down hard, simply allow the blade to drag across the ceiling.

Allow the ceiling texture to dry overnight and then remove all painter's tape and roll up the plastic tarps.