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Texturing walls is a traditional way of life of adding role to a rampart or covering such imperfection as drywall taping mutual exclusiveness , but not everyone loves the ridge and swirls of knock - down or the easygoing ripples of orange peel . If you prefer plane Earth’s surface , it is possible to get free of an quondam textured finishing , though this tends to be a mussy , time - consuming project . Before you put on your work clothes and clean up a scraper , you should understand the two principal methods for removing grain from walls depending on whether or not your wall are paint .

If you ’re quick to turn over up your sleeves , we ’ve got the guidance to take your walls from textured to totally smooth out . Keep take to find the method for take out wall   texture   that work for you .

Rear view of a woman peeling paint from the wall.

Photo: Vuk Saric / Getty Images

METHOD 1: Removing Texture From UnpaintedWalls by Soaking and Scraping

SUPPLIES

Canvas drop cloth3 - inch painter ’s tapeProtective eyewear2 - gallon pump sprayer10 - column inch drywall taping knifeStep ladderDust maskDrywall sanding padDrywall sanding screenBright work lights

Tried-and-True Advice

“ If you have a house with a textured wall and you want to at least understate it , one approaching I like is not doing anything at all with the finish . Instead , I front for chance to cover the bulwark rather than refinish it . This opens a bevvy of design option :

— Mark Clement , Contributing Writer

METHOD 2: Covering Painted Textured Walls With a Skim Coat

2 - inch steel putty knifeHammerCanvas degenerate cloth3 - in painter ’s tapeProtective eyewearSanding spongesRagsPremixed all - intent dry wall compound5 - gallon buckets ( 2)Drill with paddle bitLarge - catnap paint rollerRoller cageRoller panExtension perch ( optional)10 - inch drywall tap knifeTaping panStepladderDust maskBright oeuvre Light

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Photo: Henk Hulshof / Getty Images

Skim coating a yellow painted wall.

Photo: Henk Hulshof / Getty Images

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