Texture Spraying – A Complete Guide (Includes Video)

Spraying texture and texture products can be used for a variety of applications whether it is to smooth an existing wall that was originally textured, to create texture on walls or ceilings for visual appearance, or even for spraying material that is denser like acoustical products. With so many applications knowing your options to spray texture and general setup tips can help ensure you are able to successfully spray texture. Our guide will cover equipment options to spray texture and practical setup tips as well so you can decide how will be best for you to spray texture and how to achieve the desired results you want. 

Equipment Options for Spraying Texture 

When it comes to spraying texture there are essentially 3 primary texture spraying unit equipment options. First is air powered texture sprayer which uses a small electric compressor to provide air to atomize and depending on your texture sprayer model pressurize the material hopper. Second, are units that independently deliver texture material and air, these units are better suited for frequent use and delivering material over longer distances. Third, are units that enable you to spray texture or regular paints, these units are one of the most versatile but they are also expensive. Fourth are gas powered texture sprayers which are great for frequent outdoor texture spraying work.

Option 1 – Portable Air powered Texture Sprayers 

Portable air powered texture sprayers are best for smaller projects like touch up work or single room jobs as they typically use a hopper that sits on top of your texture spray gun, which can make them become heavy and hard to handle with frequent use, additionally they have some limitations on material storage options. Common air powered texture sprayers include units like the Graco FastFinish Texture Sprayer. 

Option 2 – Portable Texture Sprayers with air and fluid fed separate 

A step up from an air only texture sprayer is a texture sprayer with separate air and fluid delivery. Sprayers in this category will deliver texture at higher distances and overall more efficiently, additionally they have a hopper on top for higher volume work eliminating the need to continually refill your texture sprayer, if you are doing frequent residential texture work a unit that delivers air and fluid separately is a great option. Units in this category include the RTX Texture Spray Units and the Powrtex Sprayers. 

Option 3 – Paint and Texture Combined Sprayers 

A third option are sprayers that are available to spray regular paints or texture, these units provide the greatest versatility as you can use them for your regular painting and then spray texture when the need arises. These units typically require purchasing a separate spray gun for the texture material and come setup for spraying paint out of the box. Units that offer this include the Mark series of sprayers by Graco.  

Option 4-Gas Powered Texture Sprayers 

A final option are gas powered texture sprayers, which are best suited for large exterior texture spraying jobs. Options in this category include units like the Titan PowrTex Sprayers. 

Equipment Settings and Tips for Spraying Texture 

Once you have decided on the type of texture sprayer you will be best to use next comes understanding how to set the texture sprayer. Generally, you will need to thin the texture material you will be spraying, for most texture spraying you will add 1 to 2 quarts of water per 5 gallons of material, beyond the normal amount used to mix the material to achieve a thin enough mix. After getting the texture material properly thinned you can decide on the nozzle size to use. In general, a larger nozzle size will deliver more material and spray thicker coats at a time. This can be helpful for simulating acoustic textures and other thicker applied textures. For finer texture spraying you can use a smaller texture nozzle. You can also adjust the fluid needle in further to create finer patterns or open it more for thicker. You can also adjust the air being injected into the mixture, the more air the finer the splatter generally speaking. Your unit may also allow you to control the amount of material being supplied by the pump, which when set higher will tend to deliver a chunkier splatter while reducing the material supply can help you create finer texture when spraying. A final variable you can control is how thick the mixture is, for finer texture patterns you will generally thin the material a bit more and increase the air in the mix, remember generally you will start with about 2 quarts of water in a 5 gallon bucket of material above the amount needed to create the manufacturers recommended starting mix (if the material is not premixed) additional water can further thin the material if you are looking for finer splatter.

Ultimately spraying texture can be much faster than hand application for best results it is important to select a unit that is well suited for your particular texture spraying needs additionally it is important to understand how to properly adjust your texture sprayer to achieve better results.