Spraying dry wall mud (sorta OT)

[Paul Downes]

I picked up a texture sprayer w/hopper @ H-Despot today. The $74.00 sprayer was marked down to $29.00 (gloat). I've never used one before and I've heard that you can mix paint with the dry wall mud for better durability. (I need to hide some surface defects for a couple of years untill I remodel). Does anyone have any experiance / tips / suggestions with this? Does the quality of the paint matter? Thanks for any input.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Paul, I also have a Texture Gun, and you can use it for spraying Drywall Compound. The mixture has to be fairly thin to get the desired results, but it is fairly easy to do with a little practice. You can add paint to the Compound as a thinning agent, along with a little water. I think the paint quality is not as important at getting the mixture to the proper consistancy and choosing the right tip setting for the results you are looking for. Before I used my Texture Gun, I set up a sheet of Drywall on a temporary frame, stretched across the top of 2, 8' ladders. I sprayed, thinned, changed settings, sprayed again, and so on until I achieved the desired results. It works good for textured effects on Ceilings, and especially good the "Knockdown" technique you often see on walls in newer homes. For the Knockdown, you spray the mixture on the wall, and after is sets a bit, you lightly run a large drywall knife, or a paint shield over the wall to level out, or knockdown, the high spots, giving the wall the spattered, but flat, finish. I have lent my gun to several friends, and some of the results have been quite nice, while others have been just short of disasterous. :D Best thing to do is experiment a little to get comfortable with what the Gun will and will not do. Good Luck!

[Dar Lounsbury]

I did a popcorn ceiling with one of these. I mixed flat white PVA drywall primer with it to make the final finish as brite white as possible. Worked great, I plan to do 2 more rooms. I see no advantage on a wall that will be painted later. These guns use quite a bit of air. A small compressor could be trouble. BTW, for ceilings, wear a mask and a hat, these guns can be messy.