Prepping Textured Walls for Mural Art

March 28, 2025

How to Prep Textured Walls for Murals (Without Losing Your Mind)

Let’s be honest—textured walls can be both a dream and a drama. They hide fingerprints and smudges like champs, but when you're ready to paint a mural? Oof. It’s like trying to paint on a popcorn ceiling with a makeup brush. And if you’re a DIY kind of person (which I know you are if you're reading this), that’s where the fun begins.

Whether you're imagining a jungle paradise in the nursery or a statement wall that whispers "you've got style", prepping textured walls properly makes all the difference. Trust me, there’s a way to tame those bumpy surfaces into mural-ready marvels. And no, it doesn’t involve calling in a team of professionals or knocking the whole wall down.

Do You Have to Smooth All the Texture Away?

Short answer: not always. Long answer: it depends on the look you're going for. Heavily raised textures like swirl or knockdown patterns will definitely mess with crisp mural lines. While some people embrace a bit of texture under their wall art, if you want cleaner lines, better adhesion, and paint that behaves—it’s better to smooth things out. Just a little effort makes your mural go from “aww” to “wow.”

Your Arm-Saving Prepping Supplies

Before you start, make friends with these heroes. If your wall feels like arm-wrestling sandpaper, we've got a few fixes up our sleeves.

1. Fill in Deep Divots

Got dramatic grooves or aggressive stucco? Running your hand across it shouldn’t feel like brushing against a cheese grater. For that, you need a smooth filler that feathers out beautifully and can handle different surface quirks. One product I swear by is GSA filler. It spreads easily and dries to a fine, sandable finish without shrinking or cracking. A great base to build on—literally.

2. Light Skim Coat for Evenness

If your wall texture isn’t too aggressive, a light skim coat with something like interior filler compound will do the trick. Apply it evenly using a putty or trowel and then smooth it out with patience and a gentle touch (and perhaps a podcast in the background). After sanding it down, the surface will be more forgiving for detailed painting or stenciling.

3. Prime Like a Pro

This part? Non-negotiable. Priming your mural wall is like laying down a trust pact between your design and the wall. It helps the paint grip properly and ensures your hard work doesn’t peel off six months later. One of the heavier-duty options for this job is Haymes Ultra Premium Prepcoat, which is known for excellent adhesion—ideal for tricky textures.

Banish Bumps with These Winning Steps

Still with me? Good! You’re minutes away from wall-prep superstardom. Here's a step-by-step flow that’ll help make your wall mural-ready, no matter how craggy it looks right now.

Step 1: Give the surface a solid wash. Warm soapy water, sugar soap, or a gentle wall cleaner will do. Just steer clear of anything too harsh.
Step 2: If there are serious peaks and troughs, break out your Poly Wall Repair Smooth and start patching those areas.
Step 3: Once dry, get sanding! Use fine grit sandpaper and see if your wall could host a pretty cloud mural—or still looks like the Alps.
Step 4: Use a roller to coat the entire wall in primer. One even coat is usually enough, but don’t be shy if your wall needs another layer.
Step 5: Let it rest. Paint likes a well-prepped surface and rushing it won’t help.

Unexpected Tip: Use the Texture to Your Advantage

Okay, not to contradict myself—but texture can sometimes add character to a mural. Think boho rainbows or sun-splashed florals—slight texture in the background gives a hand-painted charm. So if your end goal isn’t geometric perfection, you might not need a mirror-smooth finish. You do you!

The Paint Job That Sticks Around

Prepping is just the first half of the mural magic. Once that’s sorted, every brushstroke feels lighter somehow. But don’t skip on your final coat of mural paint. Haymes Interior Expressions or Artisan Collection ranges are a solid choice—rich pigments that stick snug to walls and play nice with sealants if you want extra protection.

If you're still unsure or would rather chat face-to-face about which supplies to grab, I promise Strathalbyn H Hardware’s Paint Shop has you covered. Come say hi—we’ll even colour match your vision into reality.

Creating a mural isn’t about perfection. It’s about saying, "Hey, this is me, and this space tells my story."

Happy prepping—and don’t forget to take some messy, mid-way progress photos. You’ll want them for the before-and-afters 😉

Cheerio,
Candeece