How to repaint a textured wall?

Akki

Hi,

I have a textured wall in my bedroom in dark grey colour and I want to make it smooth and change the colour of the wall to match with other bedrooms which are beige in colour. I have a heavy bed which I cannot move out of the room. Need some help and advise to paint this wall as well as other 3 walls which ate smooth and in a light grey colour.

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Akki. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about smoothing a textured wall.

Returning a textured wall to a smooth surface can be quite a tricky job, particularly if the texture is heavy or covers the wall unevenly. To do the job properly, you’ll need full access to the entire wall, so unfortunately, the heavy bed will need to be moved out of the way—either shifted to another room temporarily or carefully moved to the centre of the room and well protected with drop sheets.

There are two main options for smoothing the wall: sanding it back or applying a skim coat of plaster over the texture. Sanding is only really feasible if the existing texture is relatively light and comes off easily, so it’s worth testing a small area first. You’ll need a powerful electric sander and a vacuum attachment to control the huge amount of dust this will create. If the texture doesn’t sand back easily or the wall is quite uneven, you’re better off having the wall plastered over. This is a more involved job, and achieving a professional-looking finish is quite difficult for DIYers, so it’s best left to a qualified plasterer.

As for the other three walls, since they’re already smooth and just painted in a light grey, you’re in a much better position. Clean them thoroughly using Sugar Soap to remove any dust or grime, and as long as the existing paint is in good condition—no flaking or peeling—you can paint straight over it with your chosen beige colour.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell