Crows Feet Drywall Textured Tips

Crows feet texturing is also known by other names. Two of those names are slap brush and panda paws. This type of texture is relatively easy to apply, but it is a messy process. Texturing your ceiling is an effective way to hide less-than-perfect drywall joints, and also add depth to an otherwise plain, flat ceiling.

Room Preparation

It is important to remove as much furniture as possible from the room that you are working in. Completely cover your floors with plastic drops, and remove all wall hangings. You can use painter's tape to cover the base of any ceiling light fixtures, and wrap a plastic bag around the light. This will make cleaning up a much easier process.

Drywall Compound

You will need to have at least a 5 gallon bucket of drywall compound and an empty 5 gallon bucket to mix in. Scoop half of the drywall compound into the empty bucket and add approximately 2 inches of water on top of the compound in both buckets. Attach a ribbon mixer bit to your drill, and mix the water into the drywall compound. Your compound should be the thickness of a milkshake. Add more water, a little at a time, to achieve the desired consistency. You can purchase a ribbon mixer bit in the drywall section of your local home remodeling center.

Roll-On Drywall Compound

Fill a paint tray with prepared drywall compound. Attach a roller pad to a roller frame, and the frame to a paint pole; use the roller pad to apply drywall compound to your ceiling. The drywall compound should be approximately 1/8 inch thick, but not so thick that it falls off of the ceiling. Only cover a 6-foot-by-6-foot section at a time unless you have a helper. This will prevent the drywall compound from drying before you can stomp it. Rolling on the compound first will also give your texture a more uniform look.

Texturing

Attach the texture brush to the end of a paint pole. Press or stomp the brush straight up into the texture and pull it back down. Twist your pole to the right the first time you raise the pole to stomp the ceiling; twist the pole to the left the second time. Repeat this pattern throughout the entire process of texturing your ceiling. Twisting the pole will rotate your texture brush while you are stomping the ceiling. This will keep your texture from going all in the same direction.

Texture WIthout Rolling

You can apply this texture to your ceiling without rolling on the compound first. This is accomplished by simply dipping the texture brush into prepared drywall compound and applying it directly to the ceiling with the brush. Use the same stomping technique as described in the previous section. You can try both techniques on a scrap sheet of drywall to determine which application method you prefer.