How to Paint With Joint Compound

Use a trowel instead of a paintbrush when painting with joint compound.

Joint compound is used in the faux finish technique called Bellagio, which mixes the compound with paint. The joint compound gives texture and depth to the paint, creating an elegant finish. A Bellagio finish can be painted using any two to four colors of paint you desire -- more is possible, but the results are not always appealing. In addition to using joint compound and paint to make the Bellagio finish, Behr offers a Bellagio Faux Finish paint that is already mixed for this technique.

Things You'll Need

• 1 gallon semigloss base paint in white
• 2 gallons semigloss paint in different colors
• 2 pails joint compound
• 5-gallon bucket
• Paint stir stick
• Paint roller
• Trowel

Instructions

1. Coat the entire area with white paint or another light-colored base coat. Allow the paint to dry for 2 to 4 hours, or until the paint is dry to the touch.

2. Mix 1 gallon of the lightest color paint with 1 pail of joint compound in a 5-gallon bucket. Stir for 5 minutes with a paint stirring stick.

3. Dip the trowel in the paint and joint compound mixture and draw the letter "X," 4 to 6 inches long, on the wall. Repeat this process with overlapping "X"s to cover an area approximately 3 feet by 3 feet. Clean off the side of the trowel and lightly scrape the trowel over the area of paint.

4. Repeat this process until the wall is covered with the lighter-colored paint. It is OK if some base coat shows though, but you want to cover the majority of wall space with paint.

5. Mix 1 gallon of the darker-colored paint with a pail of joint compound in a 5-gallon bucket. Stir for 5 minutes with a paint stirring stick. Apply in the same way you applied the first coat of paint and joint compound. Cover approximately 50 percent of the first shade with this darker color.

6. Mix additional colors of paint and joint compound and apply them, from lightest to darkest. Allow the paint to dry overnight or for 12 hours before touching.

References

• Sherwin-Williams: Interior: Product Application FAQs
• Behr: How to Create a Bellagio Faux Finish