Get matched with top painters in Horseheads, NY

Yes, you can absolutely paint a wall that has skip trowel texture, but you need to make sure you have the right tools and use the appropriate strategies. First, make sure you buy a high-capacity roller with at least a ¾” nap. This type of roller will hold enough paint to make application easy, and the thick nap is more likely to apply paint over the peaks and valleys. Additionally, you can’t tape a textured wall, so paint any untextured walls or ceilings first, then tape the smooth surfaces and paint the skip trowel walls last.

Magnetic paint is only available in dark gray or black because of the iron dust particles mixed through it. If your heart is set on a less-gloomy shade, add a top coat or two of other latex or chalkboard paint. But adding more than two top coats will degrade the magnetic properties. Dark top coats work better than light shades, as the black or gray magnetic paint is less likely to peek through.

It will usually take a professional painter between three and four hours to paint a stairway; if you’re DIY-ing, plan to spend between four and six hours, depending on the difficulty of your project and the size of your hallway or foyer.

Professional painters charge $20 to $50 per hour, on average. Hourly rate cost factors include the complexity of the paint job, the type of paint, the height of the walls and ceiling, and the type of prep and repairs needed. For example, removing wallpaper costs an additional $3 per square foot because it can be very time consuming and labor intensive. Your location will also impact the hour rate.