DIY Roman Clay Wall

Ever since I finished the DIY roman clay walls in the bathroom I’ve been wanting to play around with another roman clay wall at Coyote Casa Blanca. This time I wanted to be a bit more bold and go for a fun color with an accent wall. I ended up doing a deep Moroccan-inspired pink accent wall in the bedroom and I’m loving how it turned out. The texture adds so much dimension to the space and really makes the bed pop. Here’s a quick look at the process.

To get that beautiful Roman plaster look I mixed a bucket of joint compound here and a gallon of eggshell paint and primer in the color Shiny Kettle by Behr. I knew from skim coating the rooms in the house that I wanted a pancake-like consistency for the joint compound. So I filled a bucket with roughly 2/3 parts of joint compound blended with water to the right consistency, and then poured 1/3 parts of the paint color to it then blended with my mixer on my drill. I’d highly recommend you get a giant bucket and mix the paint and joint compound entirely for your project so that you get a consistent color. Mixing extra later can be really inconsistent!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

I followed a pretty simple recipe: 2/3 parts joint compound to 1/3 part paint. Mix it well with a drill paint mixer and apply to wall or surface with a scraper or palette knife.

Ingredients:

paint color of your choice (I used ‘Shiny Kettle’ by Behr in eggshell)
joint compound + water
joint knife
dropcloth
bucket or mixing bowl (preferably with measurement lines)
drill mud mixer attachment
protective gear (gloves, mask, goggles)

Step 1: Combine the ingredients. Start by mixing together the joint compound and water to a smooth pancake-like finish. Use a drill mud mixer attachment to blend.

Step 2: Slowly 1/3 parts paint until the mixture has the consistency of thick pancake batter.

Step 3: Mix thoroughly to ensure that all of the mix is fully blended without clumps or bubbles.

Step 4: Apply the clay using a joint knife to spread the clay onto the surface you wish to cover. Smooth and shape it with varying strokes.

Step 5: Let it dry overnight. Once dry you can lightly sand it. If you want to can seal it you can buy sealant here.