Joint Compound as Venitian Plaster

[KCrawford04]

I know that you can use Joint compound on your walls to make the venitian plaster effect. I was just wondering if anyone has tried this? Was there any additives to the compound? And what kind of wax do you use over the dried compound? THANKS!

[Patricia]

I did a lot of research on this recently and here is what I learned. and did myself.

To create the plaster look with drywall you need to buy a five gallon bucket of drywall mud, a tube of acrylic latex caulk (to prevent it from cracking later), a little water and your desired paint colors. You mix these items with a squirrel (an attachment for your drill) and slop it on the wall with your hands, a spackling knife or whatever else you choose to make the desired look.

I was going to go that route, but learned that Benjamin Moore has a textured plaster paint. They will tint the paint whatever color you desire. The paint is pretty much like the dry wall method except that the paint is not as thick as the drywall mixture. As I recall it was only 17$ per gallon so the price is relatively the same as the drywall method. Anyway, I really like the effect that we acheived with the textured paint and it was not as hard as the other method. I have attached a few pictures of our stairway that I painted w/ the textured paint for you to see. The pictures do not really do it justice but anyway you will get the idea. I still need to add a glaze to our walls, as the Benjamin Moore paint was very matte and I want it to be a bit more eggshell. Anyway, I hope that helps. Let me know how it goes!

Patricia Wallwork

[dayindelft]

Patricia,
What did you apply the paint with to achieve this effect?

[PamAltmanca]

Patricia's advice, and pictures, look great.
I responded to another forum about covering old yellow and black bathroom wall tiles, which I did with joint compound and primer. I needed to use the thicker joint compound to cover the tiles, but the Benjamin Moore textured paint effect is very much like the effect I got using joint compound on the walls. So I'd go with the textured paint, if I were doing walls.

The pictures look great; it's good to know that you can get the Venetian plaster effect with a textured paint; I'd always thought textured paint wouldn't be textured enough.

[Patricia]

To acheive the effect in the pictures above, I used my hands. It was really quite fun. I wore a latex glove and scooped out a blob of the Benjamin Moore spanish stucco (which is way to thick to apply with a brush, so forget that) and blobbed it onto the wall. Then, I smeared it around and played with it until I got the look I was going for. I used circular motions, but you are limited only by your own creativity with this kind of project. I have read that there are various tools and knives available as well if you want to create some sort of stripes or a less "messy" look. Also, using rags or sponges would work too. Hope that helps.

Patricia

[Arlene]

I would like to plaster my walls using a drywall compound. How much acrylic chaulking do I use in a 5 gallom bucket of compound and how much paint? Thanh you, Arlene

[Arlene]

I would like to plaster my walls using a drywall compound. How much acrylic chaulking do I use in a 5 gallom bucket of compound and how much paint? Thanh you, Arlene

[finne0801]

OK, I'm new at this so sorry about the blank message I just sent! I am replying re: the posting about plastering over wall tile. My husband and I just bought a house built in 1951 that has hideous turquoise and PEACH tiles on every wall from the floor to the ceiling. I attempted to take them off only to find out that I will be destroying the plaster walls behind the tile - let alone the time it would take. I had the idea to plaster over the tile creating that Mediterranean effect and was thrilled when I read that someone else had successfully done this. My ugly tile is the 4 inch glazed (smooth) tile. Would I have to sand this first? Anyone know how I would prep this tile to accept the textured paint or drywall mud? We're putting in a bathtub surround, so the areas I will be doing this are not going to get wet - at least not on purpose! Any suggestions?

Sandy