This article was written in 2003 -- and in 2023 Fibre Decor is no longer on the market, but still on some walls. Want to patch some, check out this article.
'Fiber Decor' was that paper mache type wall finish that gives you an interesting textured and random coloured finish. Many people really like this finish, but have problems getting it to go on the wall as easily as the guy who demonstrates it at the home show. So what are the tricks?
First the wall has to be properly primed to prevent any of the water from the fiber decor from soaking into the wall. Any kind of paint is fine that has cured on the wall for at least a couple of months. However, if you are using new latex paint you have to let it sit for 40 days for it to fully cure. That's not a typo -- 40 days -- over five weeks. Leave oil paint to cure for a 24 hours. The best and fastest primer would be a shellac based primer that only needs to dry overnight.
One of the biggest errors in using this product is that people do not let it sit wet in the bucket long enough. It really needs to soak through and through -- a full hour sitting time in the bucket!
Use the special roller that came with it, not a paint roller. This roller pushes the material around, but does not absorb the water or pick up pieces of the material. It just pushes it into place like a rolling trowel.
Push firmly and smoothly, but not too hard. If it looks like you are shifting all the material, you are pushing too hard. If you can see the wall, you have it too thin. The only problem with putting it on too thick is that you are wasting it ? it will still look fine.