using latex as a colorant

Our pre-measured containers of colorant are concentrated pigments designed to be mixed directly into 50 lbs. of joint compound. When properly mixed the colors should look very close to that on our printed color charts.

You may also use a quality latex paint as your colorant, however your paint colors will lighten when mixed with the white joint compound. Red becomes pink, blue becomes baby blue, and black becomes gray.

This occurs because paint is much less concentrated than our colorants. Adding too much paint will weaken your joint compound mixture, possibly leading to premature failure or other installation problems. In short, you'll never achieve the "color in the can" when mixed with joint compound.

When choosing your colors, keep in mind that your fully mixed color will be significantly lighter than what's in the can. For example, black paint works well for creating gray grout lines. Adding less paint will further lighten your color. A typical paint swatch will have several shades — start with the darkest color shown, and your fully mixed color should look like the lighter shades of that same swatch.

using latex for a painted topcoat

For stencils to work correctly, they must pull out of your wall cleanly and crisply. When using a standard topcoat — joint compound mixed with a colorant — the topcoat will crumble and chip away freely once it has fully dried. But something different occurs when using latex paint for your topcoat.

By design, paint wants to stick to everything, including itself. This in part is what makes a quality one-coat latex paint easy to apply. But when you pull out your stencil, the durable latex paint doesn't crumble and chip — it stretches. So instead of pulling out a clean and defined grout line, it tends to peel off the entire layer of latex paint right off the wall.

USE ONLY ONE COAT WHEN PAINTING WITH LATEX

Our research shows that one layer of latex paint should work fine. Two layers is prone to failure and peeling. When using latex paint as your topcoat, make every effort to apply one coat only.