matching outside wall texture

wallofbeans

Hi All,

I've had a new front door fitted and a section of wall in the open porch area outside the door was damaged in the process. It's been filled and I will be cleaning and painting the whole thing white. But I wonder if there was a good way for me to blend in the new section with the rest? It has a very slight uneven texture to it and I hoped I might be able to create something that blends with that a little better than what is there now.

This is the patch that has been repaired: https://ibb.co/zFqmfyB

And this is the opposite wall, to give a sense of what I'd like to match: https://ibb.co/k5RKxky 

Any advice?

stuart45

It looks like a very gentle Tyrolean that's been painted a few times. You can buy tyrolean, or mix your own 3/1 sand/cement. Make it really wet like soup, and dip a brush in it and flick it on the wall. Practice on a piece of board first.

Bendy_House

Yikes, who did that repair, WoB? And what filler was used?

Can it be scraped level? Because adding more on top of these ridges isn't going to work convincingly.

If you can, scrape/coarse-grade sandpaper/wire brush away the ridges and also the overlaps around the edges where it's gone on to the existing wall.

Then mix up a small amount of the same filler, quite a stiff mix - tho' you may need to experiment - and use a paint brush to stipple/dab some of that on to roughly match the original.

If it's a filler that dries out in order to set, then you have as much time as you want - just mist-spray water over it. If, however, it's a cement-based filler (one that 'cures' in a certain time), then make sure you finish the texturing before it does set. (On that note, if the weather is hot, then you may need to keep 'misting' it anyway so it doesn't dry out too quickly, before it has a chance to 'set'.)

As you go over the patch and on to the surrounding wall, stipple it more firmly with less material/start to brush it on, in order to give a finer texture and to blend it in. Finally brush the very outside edges so the new filler blends fully in to the existing texture.

It really doesn't have to be perfect - once you've applied 2 or 3 coats of paint, it should be nigh-on invisible. 

If the filler that's already on there is 'sucky' - ie if it immediately draws all the water out of your new layer of filler - then you'll need to dampen it first.

If your new texture attempt is too sharply-peaked and pointy, then let it set and lightly sand it to round them off.

It doesn't have to be perfect; let's face it - anything is better than the current :-)

wallofbeans

Bendy_House said:

Yikes, who did that repair, WoB? And what filler was used?

Can it be scraped level? Because adding more on top of these ridges isn't going to work convincingly.

If you can, scrape/coarse-grade sandpaper/wire brush away the ridges and also the overlaps around the edges where it's gone on to the existing wall.

Then mix up a small amount of the same filler, quite a stiff mix - tho' you may need to experiment - and use a paint brush to stipple/dab some of that on to roughly match the original.

If it's a filler that dries out in order to set, then you have as much time as you want - just mist-spray water over it. If, however, it's a cement-based filler (one that 'cures' in a certain time), then make sure you finish the texturing before it does set. (On that note, if the weather is hot, then you may need to keep 'misting' it anyway so it doesn't dry out too quickly, before it has a chance to 'set'.)

As you go over the patch and on to the surrounding wall, stipple it more firmly with less material/start to brush it on, in order to give a finer texture and to blend it in. Finally brush the very outside edges so the new filler blends fully in to the existing texture.

It really doesn't have to be perfect - once you've applied 2 or 3 coats of paint, it should be nigh-on invisible. 

If the filler that's already on there is 'sucky' - ie if it immediately draws all the water out of your new layer of filler - then you'll need to dampen it first.

If your new texture attempt is too sharply-peaked and pointy, then let it set and lightly sand it to round them off.

It doesn't have to be perfect; let's face it - anything is better than the current :-)

It was the people who fitted the door and hastily filled in the holes they made. I've no idea what filler they used, but I'm sure I can sand it down to make it look better. I've just not had time to deal with it until now. 

Great advice though. My question is what filler should I use?
And yes, agreed - anything will look better than what's currently there and I'm sure with the whole thing repainted, it will blend in reasonably well.

Section62

wallofbeans said:

Great advice though. My question is what filler should I use?

You should follow stuart45's advice instead.  You don't need filler or a scraper/sanding, all that will achieve is a nice smooth surface which will make the end result look even less like the original.

Tyrolean is used to cover up all kinds of defects, you don't need a nice flat finish to start with. Some roughness helps with adhesion.

Experiment on a piece of board propped up vertically until you are confident you can match the texture.

Bendy_House

Yup, I agree. Spattering/ flicking it on from a brush will likely give a closer finish.

If you overdo it, you can wipe it off and try again

stuart45

Tyrolean is quite hard to match for a small patch. I've found that if you make it a bit too coarse it shows it more than the smooth part. 
The render underneath needs to be dry, otherwise the tyrolean won't stick to it and start to slide down the wall. On a painted surface a bit of SBR/cement bonding mix on first helps.

wallofbeans

Thanks alll. I think going with the Tyrolean and experimenting a bit will work ok. The wall is inconsistent on both sides anyway, so as long as it's a little bumpy to vaguely match, I think it'll look okay once painted.

Any advice on where to get the Tyrolean? And the best consistency?

I've also seen this, but assume I don't need it? 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000T9ZNUY/

Bendy_House

In Stuart's first post he says it's just sand/cement, 3:1 mix. Sloppy wet slurry. 

No, you don't need that machine for this wee job. The Tyrolean Gun will tend to give a much sharper finish anyway - quite gritty in texture, the sort that'll strip your skin if you fall against it - and not soft bobbles like yours.

stuart45

Most of the merchants stock Cullamix tyrolean but it's expensive at around £50 a bag. A bag of cement and a bag of silver sand is a lot cheaper.
I used to have a cheap Silverline gun, but to be honest it's not that great. Tends to throw out big gobs of the stuff at the start, and only when it's near empty does it get better. Mine rusted up in time and fell apart half way through doing my daughters porch.
I used the brush for the rest of it and the finish was just the same. Luckily the house was quite a rough finish so it actually matched. For big jobs the plasterers often used a compressor.

FreeBear

wallofbeans said: Any advice on where to get the Tyrolean? And the best consistency?

Mix your own from sand & cement and then use a coarse brush (masonry paint type) to flick it on - Mix to the consistency of thick custard. For a small area, no point in going out and buying a gadget to apply the stuff. Do mask up the areas you don't want covered, and put a sheet down in front of the wall.