# How to mix color (paint) in with drywall mud?



## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

Snav said:


> I've read through several threads that discuss coloring drywall mud with paint .......


  [FONT=&quot]Neither the paint companies nor the joint compound companies will approve of this.

Some folks have mixed a gallon of Acrylic (Latex water base paint) in with a bucket of joint compound to make a very thin mix for texturing. The result is still so thin that the base drywall color will show through if the base drywall is first not painted with the chosen color.

Instead of adding paint it should be possible to add those little tubes of colorant. [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]The advantage to this is that you are not significantly tampering with the chemistry of the joint compound.

If it was cheaper or faster all the pro's would be adding paint to the mud.
.
[/FONT]


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## cellophane (Sep 29, 2009)

Duron makes a product called Hard Kote that is designed to be tinted. I've never used it or seen it used - but such things do exist. I would guess that it also costs quite a bit more than your average bucket of mud.

Chalk (as in sidewalk chalk) might also work.


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## Matthewt1970 (Sep 16, 2008)

You are not going to have the best results mixing paint in with joint compound to avoid having to put multiple coats of paint. That still leaves you with the areas that are not getting joint compund that will still need paint and the joint compund will still need a couple coats of paint.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

What would be the purpose?:confused1:


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## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

Yeah - I figured it wouldn't be the best idea or people would do it more or have a product made for the purpose to use.
I did find an article that talked about just putting in latex paint and it made a viscous mud . . . but issues about the balance of the mud comes up and it makes me wonder if it would weaken the material.

So I'll do it like I've been doing it, mud first - paint later.


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## cellophane (Sep 29, 2009)

chrisn said:


> What would be the purpose?:confused1:


one note i read about it was in a restaurant setting. the tinted mud looked better under the painted wall surface when the wall was hit instead of having a big white gouge. i can't really see it working well without a level 5 finish though...


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

For the uninitiated who may not be familiar with all this talk about textures and levels of finish here are a couple of useful Links.

The first link explains the definition of each of the most common levels.
Level 5 is the top level that requires a thin skim coat of joint compound to be trowel applied over the entire drywall area.

Check p163 for *Finishing-Level Definitions* 
http://www.usg.com/documents/construction-handbook/chapter5.pdf

The 2nd Link has pics of some various Drywall Textures
http://www.drywallschool.com/textures.htm

IMO the best Drywall book is by Myron Ferguson
http://www.amazon.com/Drywall-Profe...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271876878&sr=8-1
.


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## troubleseeker (Sep 25, 2006)

chrisn said:


> What would be the purpose?:confused1:


Drywall finishers doing work for low end spec builders try to eliminate any step they possibly can to make a $, so they often mix cheap white paint or drywall primer instead of water as the thinning agent in their mud before texturing with a hopper gun or applying a roller texture. It doesn't hurt anything, but is not a substitute for a coat of paint, and makes cleaning dried overspray much more difficult.

The only color I ever have seen added is a few guys who add just enough of a pastel tint to their mud to make the spots more visible when doing touchups, so they don't skip any when sanding.


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## Windows (Feb 22, 2010)

troubleseeker said:


> Drywall finishers doing work for low end spec builders try to eliminate any step they possibly can to make a $, so they often mix cheap white paint or drywall primer instead of water as the thinning agent in their mud before texturing with a hopper gun or applying a roller texture. It doesn't hurt anything, but is not a substitute for a coat of paint, and makes cleaning dried overspray much more difficult.
> 
> The only color I ever have seen added is a few guys who add just enough of a pastel tint to their mud to make the spots more visible when doing touchups, so they don't skip any when sanding.


Are you sure they are not adding colored chalk? That's what we do.


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## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

Interesting. . .colorant chalk.

Well - the purpose in my mind for doing this in my bathroom was to prevent scratches and other damage from being obvious if it happens. I did a heavy texture with a two-tone paint over in the livingroom and damage has happend in a lot of places (kids and pets) and I've had to do a LOT of touchup.

However, it's far less likely that the upper 1/2 of my bathroom wall will sustain the same amount of damage that my livingroom and hallway walls have received.

Further, after putting up the mud (untinted) and texturing then bringing in the tile so I could decide what paint color to use on the walls I realized that the walls are 'busy' enough with the texture and the white mud, so I'll be painting with white paint - no color - nipping this bathroom issue in the bud. (our tiles are a blue/grey - busy pattern - and my husband commented that we cannot darken up the bathroom at ALL because he's tired of feeling like he's a caveman when he's shaving - LOL - so my hopes to have a burgundy bathroom are dashed asunder in more ways than one)

I suppose, since my plan is to smooth-finish the walls in all the bedroom and our kitchen will eventually be a completely different beast altogether - that my issue with textured mud is really kind of over, rather sadly.

My husband, however, saw me mulling this over in the last few days and told me to just use the cement-colorant we use for our mortar when doing brickwork and instead of texturing with mud - texture with mastic. (not cement/concrete or mortar) . . . to which I laughed, but then though *hmm, he might be onto something*

But I won't be playing around with it in the future


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## cellophane (Sep 29, 2009)

Snav said:


> Well - the purpose in my mind for doing this in my bathroom was to prevent scratches and other damage from being obvious if it happens. I did a heavy texture with a two-tone paint over in the livingroom and damage has happend in a lot of places (kids and pets) and I've had to do a LOT of touchup.


It's not the cheapest stuff ever, but you could put a layer of Acrovyn along the bottom half of your wall. Its standard in hospitals and schools to prevent or at least slow down needing to replace drywall. If your walls really take a beating, a layer of 3/4" plywood under the Acrovyn will take just about anything your kids could throw at it. You could probably even use a wood or plastic laminate.


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## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

Nice idea!

Yes, a bit expensive - but that doesn't mean it's not smart and worth looking into  I imagine that selling this house (which will ultimately happen one day when we're relocated) will be easier if some of these issues are a bit solved.


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## cellophane (Sep 29, 2009)

Snav said:


> Nice idea!
> 
> Yes, a bit expensive - but that doesn't mean it's not smart and worth looking into  I imagine that selling this house (which will ultimately happen one day when we're relocated) will be easier if some of these issues are a bit solved.


:thumbsup:

you could also go for a more traditional chair rail & wainscotting. would probably cost a bit less than the Acrovyn.


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## Snav (Aug 20, 2009)

Another good suggestion. I'll explore the possibilities and come to a solution. I never thought of it before but I think that covering the bottom 1/2 or 1/3 would definitely prevent issues and would improve the overall look of the room itself.

*edit -afterthought*
Since doing the work in the livingroom my drywall taping and mud skills have improved significantly. Another option is for me to scrape off the lower 1/2 of texture, put in a chair rail or other decorative divide, and actually smooth-wall the lower portion.

I'll have to think all this over and learn about all possibilities. Thanks for the new direction


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

We DIYers always like to see other DIYers hard at work on new projects.
Especially if that other DIYer is a Mom of 4. :thumbsup:
.


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## silvernailconst (Oct 12, 2011)

*check it out*

check out drywallstencels.com they got a great product where you mix paint into drywall compound to get the look of stone and brick and tile . works great


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

Sounds like an ad to me..
But there are reasons and techniques to using colored mud- 
closer to faux finishes than a mud guy trying to skip a step.


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## Wobble (Nov 29, 2020)

you can use stencils to pattern walls and ceilings with an embossed look, but if the mud isn't colored it's impossible to paint two tone. So you try to color the mud. For this application it's ok to have the mud thinner cause you are only using a thin coat


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

troubleseeker said:


> The only color I ever have seen added is a few guys who add just enough of a pastel tint to their mud to make the spots more visible when doing touchups, so they don't skip any when sanding.


Something like this is really the only possible use I can think of that makes sense. Such as








DAP DryDex 16 oz. Dry Time Indicator Spackling Paste 12348 - The Home Depot


DAP DryDex Spackling, America's #1 seller, offers a unique Dry Time Indicator that goes on pink and dries white helping identify when a patched surface is dry and ready to be sanded and painted. This patented technology eliminates the guesswork and reduces the chance of errors. It's ready-to-use...



www.homedepot.com





Obviously that's a different use, but this has to do with making application easier in some way, and doesn't have anything to do with the finished wall color.


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