Can You Mix Spackle in Latex Paint?

Normal Use

• Normally, you would use spackle before painting walls and ceilings. Applying spackle with a putty knife over holes and cracks fills them, but these patched areas may have raised surfaces. Sanding the repaired areas after the spackle dries then wears down the spackle and levels the wall surface. With a smooth surface, the wall is ready for latex paint. Depending on the coverage of the paint, you might also need to apply primer before latex paint.

Repairs

• Mixing spackle and latex paint when filling holes in the wall could speed up the patching process. It helps the patched areas blend with the rest of the wall without the need to do an extra painting step. To do this, use a powder spackle and mix it with latex paint instead of water. When you fill the holes in the wall with it, it turns into the color of the latex paint when it dries.

Wall Texture

• Mixing spackle and latex paint also allows you to create interesting textures on the wall as a design feature. You could create either an orange peel texture or a knockdown texture. To do this, you need to mix spackle, water and latex paint. The common proportion is one gallon of paint to one pail of spackle, with enough water to get the consistency of paint or heavy cream. The proportion might vary, depending on the particular products used. You could experiment until you get the consistency you want, then apply the mixture to the wall with a paint roller and let it dry for an orange peel texture. For a knockdown texture, let the texture dry for a minute or two, then lightly drag a straight edge across the wall.

Faux Rug

• The texture that spackle and latex paint achieves can replicate the look of a carpet, although not the softness of carpet texture. If you mix equal parts spackle and paint, you remove any gloss in the paint to mimic the matte finish of carpet fibers. To apply, dip a big brush into the mixture and dab it over the surface for the faux carpet. The latex paint provides a base color for the carpet. Paint on other colors and patterns after the spackle-paint mix dries. If you have a lot of foot traffic, the color and the finish could wear out and need regular retouching.