How to Skip Trowel Finish a Ceiling – Skip Troweling Textured Ceilings

You can typically have a drywall contractor spray it on after they finish the drywall project or you can do it yourself using a paint roller. I recommend, however, using the drywall contractor when going with a popcorn ceiling.

They can do the job quickly and it will look more professionally applied. These two methods of finishing a ceiling, however, have been fading in popularity over the years. Skip Trowel Ceilings Many homeowners today are requesting drywall contractors use a skip trowel finish and knock down method to finish their ceilings. A skip troweled finished ceiling is a middle ground solution between a flat painted ceiling and a popcorn ceiling.

Watch how to Tape & Mud Drywall in this video.

Besides achieving a textured look, the skip trowel / knock down ceiling can easily be painted, which is one of the main negatives of a popcorn ceiling.

For drywall contractors the skip trowel/knock down method is easy to do, and even DIY homeowners can tackle smaller ceiling surface areas.

How to Skip Trowel Finish Ceilings Skip troweling a ceiling basically involves applying a slightly watered down application of joint compound, or mud, to the ceiling and then running a wide drywall taping knife, or trowel, over it to knock down the mud. The result is a flat textured ceiling surface with a slightly mottled look. You may ask, what is being knocked down, with the taping knife or trowel?

After applying the watered down joint compound it begins to drip down off the ceiling to form in effect stalactites, or icicles.

It is these stalactites that are knocked down with the trowel. When they are knocked down they form raised surfaces patches, which result in the textured ceiling finish.

Work Fast and in Small Areas when Skip Trowel Finishing

I should caution, however, that when skip troweling a ceiling DIY homeowners need to move quickly and work in small areas at a time.

Otherwise the joint compound will harden up before you have time to go back over it and knock it down with the drywall taping knife. Drywall contractors typically spray on the soupy joint compound mixture onto the ceiling and then run behind it with their taping knife, or trowel, to knock it down.

For the DIY homeowner, they most commonly apply the soupy joint compound with a trowel or large drywall taping knife to a limited surface area, and then go back and hit it with the trowel.

If you decided to skip trowel a ceiling yourself, keep in mind that it is a very messy job. There is spillage and dripping from the ceiling as you apply the soupy joint compound and then knock it down. Consequently you will want to cover the floor with plastic before you do it, and you should wear eye protection and a hat. Guaranteed you’ll end up with droppings on your head and face skip troweling a ceiling.

After applying the soupy joint compound to the ceiling give it just a few minutes to set up, so that the stalactites begin to form, before going back over it with your trowel.

Don’t Aim for Perfection with a Skip Trowel Stucco Finish

Care should be taken to not repeatedly go over the area more than once after you’ve knocked it down.

Adding Paint When Skip Troweling Textured Ceilings

Note that drywall contractors frequently add paint to the soupy joint compound mixture to prevent the need for having to go back and paint the skip troweled textured ceiling afterwards.