skip to main content

Building a Home Design Dilemma

Best drywall finish for refined rustic lodge house

last year

Struggling with what look to go with on drywall finish...I do like smooth with some random, scattered imperfections. How do I convey this to my drywall contractor. Is there a term or name for something similar to what I am describing? Has anyone chosen something similar that they love - or ...don't? Appreciate any help immensely.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
"I do like smooth with some random, scattered imperfections."

Just select the lowest bidder and don't tell them anything.
Jamie Steele thanked Mark Bischak, Architect
vinmarks
last year
I live in a log cabin that has some drywall. We went with all smooth. Our other option was orange peel but for me it reminds me of hotel walls. Smooth with scattered imperfections is going to look like a bad job was done.
Jamie Steele thanked vinmarks
Related Discussions
Please help me redo my Yukon former hunting lodge.
Q
Comments (28)
Your home is beautiful ~ I love the windows and the view is breathtaking. Here are my suggestions. I think the arched, painted bookcases detract from the massive beauty of the fireplace stone. Maybe rough sawn cedar beam shelving, or pine, to compliment the weightiness of that beautiful fireplace? The other suggestion I have is to google log homes and notice the kinds of lighting and decor they use. Antlers made into chandeliers, stuffed birds hung from the cathedral ceiling as though in flight, bear rugs, massive log furniture. We have a log house with a big, natural stone fireplace (not as big as yours!) :-) Our floors are slate, too. Our cabinets are simple pine with black wrought iron handles. There are no arches anywhere in the house ~ everything is simple, straight and clean, emphasizing the beauty of the wood, stone, and glass. Our mouldings are made from rough sawn pine log ~ even around the fireplace mantle. The pieces which are highly visible have worm tracks in the wood, which is very cool. To us, anyway! We are down South for the winter, or I would try to post some pictures here for you. Your house is going to be just beautiful! Barbara
...See More
Can you help me design/refine my built-ins?
Q
Comments (15)
OMG, you have a really high ceiling! Amazing space, and it will be marvelous to go UP with your storage cabs. Hmmm, I can see that the space to the left of the window might not be WIDE enough for all that many upper cabs with doors. And instead of closing in the wall plugs, could you move them up to the spots where the triangular shelves would be? At least that way, you'd have a spot to put a small Bose radio or a clock, or maybe some other small electrical thingy, like the chargers for your cell phone and camera batteries? I'd suggest the same for the other plug beneath the window. Move it up enough that it would not be located behind the window seat or any deep cushion you might place there. You could, if need be, simply take power off of it to put a shaded sconce on the tall pantry cab to the right of that window too. No wall switch, just a button on the sconce itself. And, that high pointy ceiling area there is really dramatic. Putting an uplight on top of the highest cab where you will locate some arty objects, that would be a nice feature. I'd suggest a wall switch on a dimmer for that. If you CAN leave the window molding uncovered, and it is pretty, then try to figure it. But I am puzzled by what kind of molding it is....metal? If it is metal, you probably should leave it, unless you can caulk the cab and window seamline to appear flawless. Have you ever heard about the CAMEL PROJECT? A CAMEL is a HORSE DESIGNED BY COMMITTEE. hehehehe I heard that expression when I was a research librarian many years ago. Don't worry. Brainstorming is good for us all.
...See More
Finally - drywall! Now what paint color for great room? (Pics)
Q
Comments (17)
Have you already decided on a color? I was going to suggest SW Burlap before I got to point where you mentioned it as a color that you were considering. It's brown with a touch of green/olive. My home has an open floor plan and I just recently painted my kit. & liv. room walls SW Ecru.I painted the kitchen ceiling SW Muslin,and the liv. room ceiling SW Netsuke. These colors are on the same strip as the Harmonic Tan and Burlap you mentioned. I have a sunroom/dining room adjacent to my living room and I had planned to paint it SW Burlap, (wonbyherwits garden room was my inspiration-linked below), but at the last minute I changed my mind to BM Pike's Peak Gray because I decided I wanted to add a pop of blue/gray to my color scheme. Here is a link that might be useful:
...See More
Need help to pull off "Lodge" look with Shiloh Polar White Cabinets?
Q
Comments (67)
Oh shoot - I am so sorry! We finally had some decent weather so I have been outside as much as possible and yesterday was so busy at work! Sometimes that's just what it takes - enough photos for your to confirm your heart and minds eye or give warning that maybe it's not what you want in the scheme of things after all. It is going to look sharp! We have similar schemes going on. ;) Our master is the maple sable with black glaze-you have selected a nice door choice it will pick up the glaze more. I nod to the polar white - yes I do. It looked so stark in the showroom that I didn't even bring it home (slap the forehead how dumb was that-I totally knew all about the lighting differences in spaces and how they change things, so dumb?)! Ha! It's all good, I don't dislike the soft cabinets really - just the trim. ;) I went with silas on the island because I didn't want to clash or matchy match the floor we had already selected (medium hickory) so in essence did the same as you but opposite. For posterity: Island - Hickory Silas stain with black glaze. See above comment - in the show room polar looked really white and I knew we'd likely have leathered black granite on top of them - I was worried it would look like a black/white 'period' kitchen although that's fine the house isn't period and it wasn't what I was going for. Here are my soft white with the granite:
...See More
ci_lantro
last year
Old world/ skip trowel texture. Discuss how thick/ bold/ thin subtle you want the finished wall to look. And be on site when they start applying the texture.
Jamie Steele thanked ci_lantro
mojavemaria
last year
We put a skip trowel finish in our two previous houses and loved it! Any sort of texture seems to be disparaged on houzz and in a modern style house smooth walls look best but IMHO drywall texture can be attractive.

We did ours with an orange peel texture applied first and allowed to dry then a random trowel finish applied over it. It ends up looking like interior stucco.
Jamie Steele thanked mojavemaria
ci_lantro
last year
I love skip trowel, too. I have applied it over orange peel, over sand texture and on new drywall. IME, texture is a regional thing. Totally smooth walls are boring, IMO.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
IMO a textured wall is just a lazy drywaller way to cover their lack of ability to do smooth walls . Smooth walls are always better and if you want walls to look nice add art . I have no idea how to add some random texture would look good.
Jamie Steele thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
PRO
Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
last year
A smooth finish is the best look, unless you're going for a period finish. Tudor Revival homes would usually have some sort of texture, and a log cabin would as well. But Colonial Revival or anything post WWII would be best in a smooth drywall finish.
Jamie Steele thanked Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
RTHawk
last year
Look at Portola Paints - Lime Wash or Roman Clay specialty finishes.
Jamie Steele thanked RTHawk
ci_lantro
last year
Back to the scene and what OP is asking:

The House: Rustic Lodge

OP: I do like smooth with some random, scattered imperfections. How do I convey this to my drywall contractor.
Jamie Steele thanked ci_lantro
palimpsest
last year
What do you want the random scattered imperfections to look like? Do you have a picture?

The best way to convey what you want is examples.

I generally don't think that a bad drywall job looks like random scattered imperfections, it looks like being able to read every joint between sheets.
Jamie Steele thanked palimpsest
Jamie Steele
Original Author
last year
Thank you all for the suggestions and allowing me to glean from your ideas and expertise. I do (thankfully know what I like, but always open to new ideas, too)...this house is a mix of rustic with a few unexpected features that are a bit more modern and refined. Therein lies the dilemma, but it is also a "fun"?? challenge to find just the right wall texture with a bit of an interesting element, yet classy. So....onward. I do have a photo or two for the drywall contractor. Always a good idea, I agree.

Related Stories

RUSTIC STYLE Room of the Day: Refining the Rustic in a Log Home

By Becky Harris

A log-heavy Colorado ski house gets a contemporary makeover that brings the soft, calm and comfy

CONTEMPORARY HOMES Houzz Tour: At a Working Horse Farm, a Mix of Rustic and Refined

By Camille LeFevre

This North Carolina home features white oak beams, stone fireplaces and a cleverly designed central kitchen

KITCHEN DESIGN Rustic and Refined Blend in a Jewel Box Kitchen

By Bryan Anthony

A reclaimed-brick floor, blue-green cabinets and touches of brass turn a Seattle galley kitchen into a showpiece

BEFORE AND AFTERS Houzz Tour: Rustic ’90s Kit House Gets a Modern Refresh

By Nora Burba Trulsson

In the Hamptons, a traditional post-and-beam structure receives a crisp, airy makeover

DECORATING GUIDES 10 Ways to Get the Modern Rustic Lodge Look

By Michelle Fries

Soaring ceilings, log walls and woodsy views are just the start of creating a lodge that has the right balance of rustic and modern

ECLECTIC HOMES My Houzz: A House Made of Mud in Arizona

By Margot Hartford Photography

A couple restores an 1880s adobe building in Tucson brick by brick, blending rustic finishes with midcentury furnishings

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Reclaimed Wood Warms a Refined New Home

By Camille LeFevre

This house is a mix of rustic and refined, an ideal combo for an active young family that entertains a lot

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Artisanal Excellence in a Gracious Montana Ski Lodge

By Becky Harris

Rustic and rugged meet elegance and hand-crafted quality in this ski-in, ski-out vacation home for a family of 6

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Refined Casual Style for a Gracious Farmhouse

By Becky Harris

Once a rustic weekend cabin, this spacious Georgia home now comfortably accommodates the owners and their guests full-time

KITCHEN OF THE WEEK Kitchen of the Week: Fresh Cabin Charm for a Minnesota Lake House

By Becky Harris

A designer helps a couple find compromises to suit her modern and his rustic tastes

Sponsored

More Discussions

Does this tile and slab compete?

101

Please critique my floorplan

47

Help with kitchen layout

17

What vanity countertop with this shower tile/vanity color?

5

Alternative to drywall for garage?

14