Types of Drywall Texture

Drywall textures fall into a handful of families. You can sort them two ways: by where they work (walls, ceilings, or both) and by how they are applied (by hand or with a sprayer). This guide covers both, shows what common wall-and-ceiling combinations look like, and explains why the textures you see in a house depend so much on where and when it was built. Each texture links to its own page, with photos and step-by-step application.

Wall textures vs ceiling textures

Some textures work only on ceilings, a few belong only on walls, and several can be used on both. A few factors help narrow it down: whether the texture can be applied to a vertical surface, how far away it is, and how easy it is to maintain.

Why low profile textures are better for walls. Walls are closer to your eyes, so the contrast between high and low spots of a texture is very obvious. The difference between the highest and lowest point can be less than a millimeter and still be visible from a foot or two away. A low-profile texture adds interest without taking over the room. Walls also collect dust, grease and scuffs, especially in hallways and kitchens. Low-profile textures hold less dirt and are much easier to wash.

Why ceilings can take heavier textures. Ceilings are farther away, so on a high ceiling a light texture such as a thin Santa Fe can disappear entirely. The amount of light makes a big difference. A room with lots of windows throws shadows across a ceiling, so in those situations even a light skip trowel shows detail on a high ceiling. Ceiling textures don't normally collect noticeable dust, so keeping a heavy ceiling texture clean is less of a concern. The exception is a room with a fireplace or wood stove, where a little smoke can collect on a heavy ceiling texture over time.

Ceiling-only textures

Wall-only texture

Textures for walls and ceilings

Heavy, random hand-applied textures blend into a repair easily, while uniform sprayed textures such as orange peel and splatter knockdown are hard to blend without the right spray tip, air pressure, and mud thickness.

Smooth walls (level 5 finish)

A smooth wall is not technically a texture, but it is a common choice for walls and ceilings, and the main alternative to texture. A smooth finish usually needs a level 5 finish: a skim coat over the entire surface after taping. "Level 5" describes the finishing process, not a guarantee of quality. Read what a level 5 finish is and how to roll skim drywall.

Hand textures vs spray textures

The other way to group textures is by how they go on.

Hand textures

Hand textures are applied with basic tools: a pan and knife, a hawk and trowel, or a stomp brush. Some start with mud rolled or sprayed over the whole surface, then shaped with a brush, knife or roller. These still count as hand textures, because the tool that makes the pattern is held by hand, not the sprayer. Results vary with the finisher: two tradesmen using the same technique can produce noticeably different textures.

• Skip trowel
• Hawk and trowel
• Santa Fe
• Double skip trowel (a second skip trowel coat over the first; see combining two textures below)
• Swirl
• Crow's foot stomp and stomp knockdown
• Rosebud

Spray textures

With spray textures, the sprayer sets the pattern. The material, the nozzle size and type, and the amount of air mixed in decide what the texture looks like.

• Splatter knockdown
• Orange peel
• Popcorn

How texture sprayers work. A texture sprayer has a hopper for the material, a pump, an air compressor, hoses and a gun with interchangeable nozzles. The gun mixes mud with compressed air just before it leaves the nozzle. Small machines may use an air-driven diaphragm pump or an electric pump. Large spray rigs use a gas or diesel engine to run both the pump and the compressor, which lets them push more material over longer hoses and gives a more uniform texture across a whole house. For small jobs, a hopper gun on a compressor does the same thing on a smaller scale.

Using two textures in one room

Most jobs use one texture throughout, because texturing takes a repeatable setup. Once a finisher starts a room, they usually work straight through. Setting up for one texture, cleaning up, and setting up again for a second adds real work, so expect to pay more for two textures on one project.

Textured ceilings with smooth walls

The most common combination is a textured ceiling and smooth (level 5) walls.

Rosebud ceiling with smooth walls.

Popcorn ceiling with smooth walls.

Heavy hawk and trowel ceiling with smooth walls.

The same hawk and trowel ceiling, tall view.

Two spray textures

Two different spray textures in one room are usually too expensive. You would have to mask the walls, spray the ceiling, clean up, then mask the ceiling and spray the walls. A practical alternative is to spray splatter knockdown over the whole room, let it dry, then hand-apply a second texture over it on the ceiling only. For example, hawk and trowel or a 50 percent Santa Fe over knockdown gives a ceiling a lot of depth. It can overwhelm a room with a low ceiling, but it can be the dramatic look you want on a large room with a high ceiling.

Popcorn ceiling with knockdown walls.

A hand texture on the ceiling with a spray texture on the walls

Swirl ceiling with splatter knockdown walls.

Swirl ceiling with orange peel walls.

Two hand textures

You can layer two hand textures. Skip trowel the whole room, let it dry and sand it lightly, then skip trowel the ceiling a second time. That creates a double skip trowel with more depth. Hawk and trowel applied over an existing swirl texture is another way to update a dated ceiling.

How texture styles change over time

The textures you see in a house depend on what local finishers know how to do and what was in fashion when it was built. Regional patterns in the US have looked roughly like this:

• 1970s: popcorn was common on ceilings across much of the South, central and western US. In the Northeast, ceilings were more often rosebud or swirl, with smooth walls.
• After popcorn: in the South, central and western US, orange peel became popular, first on walls and then on ceilings too.
• Late 1980s and 1990s: splatter knockdown spread, especially in the Southwest. It was a natural step from orange peel, since both use the same equipment. The differences are the nozzle and the final knockdown pass.
• Late 1990s: knockdown started to look dated in the Southwest, and builders moved to hand textures such as skip trowel and hawk and trowel.
• 2000s to early 2010s: Santa Fe became more and more popular. It grew out of skip trowel and hawk and trowel: it covers more of the surface than skip trowel but is much smoother than hawk and trowel.
• Northeast: smooth level 5 walls remain by far the most common finish, a carry-over from the region's older plaster homes. Where ceilings are textured, rosebud, swirl and stomp knockdown are most common. See what is plaster and how drywall replaced plaster.
• Around 2010, Midwest: splatter knockdown, which had already fallen out of favor in the Southwest and was rare in the North, started being requested more in the Midwest.

Choosing a texture

• Use low-profile textures on walls, especially in busy areas you will need to wash.
• Heavier textures suit ceilings, and high ceilings in particular.
• Heavy, random textures hide taping flaws better. Light textures show more of what is underneath.
• Think about repairs: some textures are much harder to match later. See 5 tips for matching drywall texture and how to match existing knockdown.
• Pick a texture your local finishers already do well. A texture in their usual repertoire will almost always turn out better than one they are trying for the first time.
• Texture does not replace good taping. Seams, corners and fasteners still need to be taped and coated first. See taping and finishing.
• If you are pricing the job, ask for each texture as a separate line. A second texture in the same room usually costs more. See how much to charge for drywall.