Texturing a Wall With a Spray Gun

Add water to the joint compound and mix it with an electric drill and paddle mixer until the mixture has a consistency that resembles slightly-runny pancake batter. If the mixture is too thick, it will clog the spray gun and if it's too runny, it won't stick to the wall.

Connect the spray gun to the air compressor and plug in the compressor. Set the air pressure on the compressor at 100 psi.

Fill the hopper of the spray gun so it is only half full. While you'll have to refill the hopper more often, the spray gun will be much lighter this way and reduce arm fatigue as you work your way around the room.

Practice spraying the gun on a scrap piece of drywall or sheet of cardboard. You'll need to adjust the air setting on the gun to get it to spray with the texture thickness you want. More air will result in a finer mist, while less air will result in a thicker mist.

Stand in front of the wall so you are directly at the mid-point of the wall, then start spraying. Keep the gun approximately two feet away from the wall and spray left to right, top to bottom. Work quickly to maintain a wet edge, which will provide a seamless finish. It is important to keep the gun moving at all times, because hesitating for even a brief moment will cause the texture to build up on that area of the wall.

Give the spray gun a solid shake when it appears the hopper is out of compound, which will force out any remaining compound. You can now refill the hopper and continue spraying until all of the wall surface has been covered.