[jyl]

Well, turns out that this is like everything else with drywall and mud.

It is easy to do.

It is not easy to do well.

The can texture spray is too fine for a heavy knockdown finish. It’s fine for a splatter or light knockdown effect. I’ll keep the can I bought for little repairs.

On to the hopper gun. I bought a bag of 90 minute drywall mix, mixed up some pretty liquidy mud, poured it into the hopper, set gun for large tip, max airflow, and practiced on some cardboard, then did the wall. I wanted big messy blobs, and seemed to best get them by spraying in bursts with compressor at a lower pressure, like 60-70 psi, but I didn’t do it long enough to really know what is optimal. Then waited, had an espresso, tried knocking it down. Crap, too soon, I made a big flat swath. Resprayed that area, went away for longer, came back and tried knocking down again. Crap, now the mud is a bit too dry, it is kind of shaggy. Knocked down everything as best I could, and assessed.

It’s not good, but not bad, and actually within the variation on the existing walls - some original parts seem to have been done heavy knockdown, others more of a stipple, and others a spastic palsy St Vitus Dance. So my crappy work might fit in sort of okay. The main issue is my slightly shaggy mud has stipple in places where it caught on the knife instead of smoothly flattening out. But I think a bit of sanding block and then paint will help.