Overheard two foremen arguing about knockdown texture vs orange peel today

I was grabbing coffee before a job in Denver and two foremen were going at it over which texture is better for hiding bad joints. One said knockdown hides everything and the other said orange peel is faster and customers prefer it. I have always used whichever the boss says but it got me thinking about what actually works best for our backs and time. They mentioned that knockdown takes an extra 45 minutes per room easy. Has anyone else run into this debate on site and found a clear winner?

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.leo13d ago

Knockdown hides bad joints better no question... it breaks up the lines in the light so you don't see every little flaw. But that extra 45 minutes adds up fast when you're doing a whole subdivision and the builder is breathing down your neck. Orange peel is way faster and if you get the right spray pattern it covers most sins pretty well. Really depends on the sheetrock crew's work though, if they're leaving crap joints knockdown is the only way.

jana76913d ago

Stood in a model home once and the builder's superintendent was going on about how the orange peel texture in the living room looked like cottage cheese under the can lights. He made them come back and respray it with a finer pattern, took another whole day. All because the gun was too hot or something, I don't know the technical side of it. Made me think that knockdown probably would have saved them that headache even if it did take longer.

blair_chen8113d ago

Is knockdown really worth the extra time if the natural light shows every trowel mark anyway?