Joining new drywall to old

[Sylvia B.]

In a current rehab we are adding a couple of walls that will join existing walls at right angles. The existing walls and ceilings are textured, and we will texture the new walls as well. The problem is, how do we tape and mud the corners between the old and new? Do we need to sand down the old walls where they meet the new?

The texture on the walls is not very heavy - it's known around here as "knock-down" or "orange peel". The ceiling texture is popcorn.

[Kathleen Leary]

If you're going to tape the corners, you need to scrape off the texture so you can get the tape to lie down flat. Otherwise, you get lumpy corners. Popcorn is virtually impossible to match, but it's not hard to scrape off. (I just finished taking popcorn off a kitchen ceiling.) I'd definitely re-do the ceiling from scratch & try to match the walls as closely as possible. You're going to have the sprayer going anyway!