Texture Sprayer Glossary of Terms

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Here are some terms commonly used with texture sprayers and in the texturing industry.

This glossary has terms for more than one kind of texture sprayer. You may want to checkout the airless glossary too.

There are a few kinds of texture sprayers...Most conventional type texture sprayers involve a unit with a funnel shaped hopper that feeds the texture material to the pump via gravity. From there the pump moves the material to the gun where air is introduced to atomize or otherwise blow the material apart as it goes through and/or leaves the gun thereby creating texture. this type of texture sprayer is used for thicker, grittier, paste-like mud which may include some small aggregate. This kind of sprayer will not spray skim-coat.

Another type of texture sprayer involves using a high-powered airless sprayer. This type of texture sprayer when used by itself is generally used for thinner materials, which are a liquid, such as skim-coat. Combining an airless texture sprayer, such as a Graco Mark V, with a compressed air source and an atomizer gun / atomizer gun kit, allows it to spray some textures such as; Orange Peel, Fine Splatter, Splatter and Knockdown. This kind of sprayer will not spray anything with aggregate, "popcorn", or exterior texture such as stucco.

Glossary

Aggregate: In sociological terms, aggregate means to combine or lump together. With texture sprayers, an aggregated material is usually a coating that is comprised of sand, rock, or gravels, mixed with a liquid, such as water.
Airless: Refers to spray equipment which uses high pressure, rather than air, to atomize coating materials for spray-on application.
Airless Sprayer: Normally a piece of equipment containing a high pressure pump powered by gas, electricity or gas-hydraulic for spraying liquid materials and coatings onto a surface.
Fan: When a liquid is broken apart into minute particles or fine spray.
GPM: Acronym for Gallons Per Minute - How much paint will flow through a sprayer in a given minute.
Hopper: A funnel like container that holds and feeds texture material to the pump via gravity.
Hopper Gun: Spray gun with a smaller manageable (usually) removable hopper on it. Commonly used for small or touch-up texture jobs. Using a hopper gun reduces the amount of material needed for these little jobs since the texture sprayer and hose do not need to be filled with texture material. Normally holds 1/2-2 gallons.
Inlet Ball: The ball portion of the inlet valve of the fluid section of an airless texture sprayer. Normally on the lower / bottom end.
Inlet Tube: The tube that goes into the material to be sprayed that leads to the inlet side of the pump / fluid section.
See Also: Return Tube
Joint Compound: A white substance similar to plaster, which is used to seal joints between sheets of drywall. Joint compound is also commonly referred to as 'mud'
Always mix the joint compound to the desired uniform consistency - even if the mud is not being thinned.
Knockdown: A form of paint that is most commonly used with texture paint sprayers. Normally knockdown is applied before a traditional coating of paint. Knockdown is used to help hide imperfections and small holes/bumps in the wall. Most people consider a wall that has a knockdown underneath a traditional coat of paint to have a rustic or antique feel.
Mud: See: Joint Compound
"Popcorn": Spraying popcorn is most commonly used for spraying ceiling textures to help eliminate noise. Able to be sprayed in a fine, medium, and coarse pattern.
Splatter: Common texture material, similar to a rough orange peel finish. Popular among all-purpose and lightweight joint compounds.
Most custom splatter finishes are created by changing the droplet size. Small droplets can be produced by turning up the atomizing air at the gun, and thinning the material mixture. To create larger droplets, turn down the gun air or use a thicker mixture.
Spray Nozzle: See: Spray Tip
Orange Peel: Type of spray that is similar to a fine splatter. One of the more common texture materials, produces a fine texture pattern. The texture will look similar to the surface of an orange. This can many times be caused by too low of an air pressure.
Orifice: The hole in the tip that the material passes through on its way to the surface being sprayed. The size of the orifice regulates the amount of material that passes through thereby controlling the amount of product dispersed.
Pressure Control: The device on an airless texture sprayer that regulates the pressure of material output to the hose and spray gun.
Pressure Switch: See: Pressure Control
Priming: This is the act of filling the pump with texture material and removing air from the system in preparation for spraying.
Pump: 1. The entire sprayer
2. The fluid section of an airless sprayer
3. The part of a sprayer that actually moves the material to be sprayed.
Return Tube: Tube that returns material to the can from which the intake tube draws from when priming the sprayer.
RotoFlex^®: Pump component for most Graco RTX TexSpray texture sprayers.
Spray Fan: The pattern of spray created by the sprayer and tip.
Spray Tip: AKA Spray Nozzle
The final piece of the spray equipment that the coating material passes through and normally causing atomization which creates a spray from the liquid. Different tip orifices mixed with various material and/or air pressures atomize the material in numerous ways creating a wide range application scenarios.
Texture: The physical and/or visual characteristics of a surface.
Throat Seal Liquid: Liquid compound that is placed in a small cup that surrounds the top of the pump rod on an airless sprayer to keep the packings wet and lubricated and also keeps overspray, that may come in contact with the rod, from sticking to it and causing damage to the packings.
Buy Throat Seal Liquid