The first photo shows joint compound that wasn't sanded properly and/or needed one more coat to avoid lap marks. The second photo shows joint compound that had too much water, hence the pock marks. Applying joint compound is not that hard, but you might not get good results the first time if you haven't had some practice. The main problem is matching existing texture if you are doing spray-on after the mudding. What are you trying to match for texture?

I think that can be saved without starting over, but you should hire someone. The problem will be finding a person who is competent and also willing to take on such a small job.

You can buy a can of premixed joint compound and try it yourself, but its a developed skill. One important consideration is to put on as thin a coat as possible with each layer, because any extra will have to be sanded off and blended into the surrounding area. Good drywall guys never use more than 3 layers of compound, but you may need more than that to get it blended.

2'x3' would be a good sized area to learn on, but may be very frustrating for you until you get over the learning curve. Blending texture adds another challenge, since it also requires some technique.

Bruce

Yeah I think you are right about finding someone who knows what they're doing that is ok with such a small job. I asked one guy yesterday who came recommended and he quoted me $800! So, if I were to attempt this myself,

1) sponge off the texture that's there with warm water

2. do I need to sand off some of the mud that's there? Thinking yes to get rid of those holes?

3) apply new premixed joint compound in thin layers till tape and seams are covered

4) sand to smooth

5) texturize. The guy used a spray can of texturizer. Some parts of it look ok, but I think he tried putting too much because he realized he needed to cover the shoddy mud job. So if I do a light layer, I'm thinking it should match the wall and look ok.

The worst case is the mudding turns out horrible and I have to hire someone anyway. And maybe 5 hours of my time wasted if that's the case. This isn't a focal point in the house, so that's good!

Don’t sand unless it’s not relatively flat. If you sand very much you might start fuzzing up the existing sheet rock surface and the taping; this will add additional complications. You don’t need to sand to fill in the hole: you just need to apply joint compound to fill them in.

However, before you start doing anything, it would help if you answered my original question: what texture are you trying to match? In other words, is the texture you are trying to match less or more pronounced than shown in the pictures?

If you decide to try it yourself, make sure you get a drywall trowel or taping knife that is quite wide (about 10"), which makes it easier to create a thin feathered layer. If you only use a smaller tool, like a putty knife, you end up with obvious high spots and divots when you apply the compound and its harder to even it out.

You also want to use a drywall hand sander that is about 10" wide, and very stiff. If you use a small flexible sanding block your hand pressure makes uneven furrows as you sand. The sanding is easy on a small area, so just push down lightly and let the paper do the work.

The spray cans of texture only have a few different choices, and its hard to know if you picked the right one to match your wall until you actually spray it on. The texture will also look a little different when you vary the distance of the spray nozzle from the wall.

Bruce

Thank you for your replies! The texture I'm trying to match is the one on the left wall in the first photo. I think he chose the right can and in some places it looks ok. But some places it dripped. He said the drips would get sucked back in after it dried. Perhaps some of them got sucked in but some did not. Thank you Bruce for the sanding and knife tips!

He lied about the drips. But you may not gave to do a lot of work to fix it. You could try to carefully use a joint compound knife to remove the drips and high points in the texture if possible. Sand lightly to avoid pilling. Fill in those small holes with a narrow (1”-1-1/2”) joint compound knife. And then try to re-texture.

Well, it's not only the drips that are a problem. The texture is very uneven and even looking flat in some places. Do you think I should try to wipe off all the texture with a wet sponge? Or sort of sand it off? I read that the mud underneath is water soluable too so I don't want to wipe off the mud that is there already I think.

Joint compound isn't that soluble. However, if you keep scrubbing on it with a wet sponge it will start to erode. You've got two main problems: 1) badly done job with the joint compound, and 2) unevenly applied texture. It's hard to tell from your pictures just how much of both you have to remove.

I will also tell you that I've been doing sheetrock repairs for almost 40 years and trying to match existing texture with a spray can still be challenging. Unfortunately, since you are inexperienced, you may end up with it looking worse than it already does. I don't mean to discourage you, but, as Bruce pointed out above, there's a learning curve to this. That's why I have been counseling doing the least amount possible to remedy it, rather than destroying what is there and trying to start over.

Ok, I got the joint compound on, sanded it, and that looks good. But now I've got a bigger problem. I just realized that the hole on the side of the new outlet is bigger than the outlet plate. How would one go about fixing this? The left side I feel like I can fill in with joint compound. But the right? Ugh.

I can't find the code citation for it now, but I think I recall that the NEC prohibits too large a gap around boxes. The max might be 1/8". Ron Natalie will probably know this by heart.

I usually fill the gap with drywall mud or spackle, whichever I have handy, but that tends to crack. Maybe I should tape it, but then I'd have to feather and repaint around the box. Or perhaps firestop caulk?

I'm not sure that the gap is a code issue. After all, one can surface mount boxes as long as there's a cover plate in place. But I'm not a licensed electrician....

Shut off the breaker when you’re working around that box.

Ok, here is the final look. Pretty awful IMO. The wall looks lumpy, the paint does not match. One thing I did not do that I probably should have is use primer under the paint. Totally forgot. But I don't think that would have given me the result I was after. Can I possibly fix this at all? And if I hire someone, is it even possible to insert new drywall and have it look seamless? Debating whether to just live with this - it is in our pantry behind the door, or hire a pro to start over. Notice the side wall is messed up too since the original contractor's work forced me to texture and paint over it.

Is that more than one coat of paint? If not, put another coat on, it might look better. Is this a pantry that is going to have shelves or something in it? If it’s just a storage area I would just live with it. I didn’t think it looked that bad before, but I’m not familiar with spray texture on walls, in my area walls are generally done in a smooth finish.

Not too bad...and on the bright side you've probably learned enough that your next drywall job will look even better. Given the out-of-the-way location, you probably won't even notice it in a week or two.

Some stuff will hide it, but still, it's a new house and now we have a wall that looks all messed up. I'm realizing now the texture I used should have probably been the medium rather than the fine. And yes, that is only one coat of paint. Maybe I will try another. And I noticed tonight that the new outlet is crooked, very crooked according to the level. I was hoping it was just my eye. This contractor, ugh.

It's almost impossible to get texture in a can to match texture on a wall. As for the outlet, if the box is reasonably straight you can make the receptacle straight by taking off the faceplate and loosening two top and bottom screws, adjusting the receptacle, and tightening the screws back down.

Gosh, if someone had said that to me before we started this project, I probably would not have started the project. I really need to find a handyman/woman who will be straight up with me and not just say they can do something and then do a crappy job!

I think I mentioned the texture issue and hiring someone the first time I replied to your post on May 5th... ;-)

yes you did. But what I meant was that I never would have started this job if I knew it couldn't be matched 95%. I thought people all the time patched up walls ok. There are 3 problems - wall looks lumpy (hiring someone good probably would have fixed this), texture doesn't match (apparently can texture never matches wall texture?) and paint doesn't match. I'll try another coat and maybe that will improve. If not, even a pro could not have helped that situation. What the contractor should have done is NOT drilled out a huge piece of drywall to do this project but pull in the electrical from the other side of the same wall. Or warned me that it will not match and do I still want to do this job.