I had the same problem in a bathroom we stripped old wallpaper off of. We didn't want to spend the extra $$ to spray the whole area with orangepeel texture so I did some experimenting and discovered if I used oil based primer and an extra thick roller I got a semi-orangepeel effect! I didn't try a nubby roller so I don"t know what the end result would look like.

You'll need to use oil-based primer anyway to seal any possible old wallpaper adhesive that may be left on the wall.

After getting the primer on the wall, finish with straight vertical strokes from top to bottom. If you lift the roller as you reach the end of the wall you won't have any 'ridges'.

See if it works for you. It hid all the minor flaws I had to deal with!

Venetian plaster would work as well, but honestly, it's more work than just fixing the drywall :)

annz - how thick was the roller you used for the primer?

randita.........I'm pretty sure it was 3/4" thick.

PO used thinned drywall compound (we found a container in the cellar junk just after we moved in and it was about the same consistency as Elmer's glue) and an extra-thick roller to put a texture on our living room walls, then primed and painted over it.

Sand paint would cut out a step (texturing) as would something called "texture paint" which is just an an ultra-thick paint that goes over a primed wall. IME sand paint is a beyatch to keep clean though - dust, dirt and cobwebs cling right to it.

johnmari,

That's a great idea! Never thought about thinned drywall mud.....duh.

I forgot to mention the sand texture earlier.........totally agree with johnmari. Once it's on the wall you can never change the look without scraping & sanding it off, not to mention how rough it is.