Greenest, healthiest, natural-ist drywall primer & joint compound?

July 6, 2023 8:35 AM

I need to texture the ceilings of four large rooms in a house, and I'm going to do it myself because of reasons ($$). I'm shooting for knockdown texture. What is the "healthiest" drywall compound to use? Same question, but drywall primer?

Looking for products that are zero VOC, zero lead, meet any meaningful / relevant standards or certifications that exist, and so on, that are suitable for texturing ceilings.

If you've retextured large ceilings before and can recommend specific tools, videos, techniques, etc., please consider that on topic!

posted by Number Used Once to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

You want Green Building Supply. They have a spackle, but you should check to see if it's suitable for your use.
posted by amtho at 8:41 AM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

So, I'm not a professional, but when I've done bits of drywall replacement I've used this spray texture on the replacement bits to make them match up with the rest of the drywall and it works really well.

I don't know if it would be suitable for larger areas.
posted by kbanas at 8:47 AM on July 6, 2023

My only advice is practice practice practice, and buy a wider drywall knife (for spreading) than you might think you can work with, and watch as many videos as you can. Mudding drywall joints is actually pretty hard - it's an art. I also recommend the sprays - they are easier, but again harder than one might think to make transparent.

IMO, it's hard enough that I honesty recommend having someone else do it, or be happy with an obviously DIY finish.

Also if you are hanging the drywall, make as few cuts/joints as you can, make them extremely level, and make them extremely narrow.

Also drywall and drywall compound is generally very safe, but make cuts outdoors, and sand as little as possible (points above to limit sanding), and make sure they are silica free.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:51 AM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

most drywall and compounds are fine except for the dust. I've gotten around this by making cuts outside,using a sanding sponge for 99% of my drywall work, and using a shopvac with a fine dust bag and HEPA filter held very close to where I'm sanding. i've also borrowed or rented a PLANEX for when I've had to sand large areas.
posted by Dr. Twist at 2:27 PM on July 6, 2023 [3 favorites]

I don't know if it would be suitable for larger areas.

Suitable, yes but extremely expensive; does not scale well. A single can only does about a 3x4 ft zone on the 'heavy' setting. The project I just did was just on the outside of them being usable and I felt like a complete tool throwing away so many of the cans. It also smells awful, and without ventilation can linger unpleasantly.

Safety wise, it's less about the compound itself (most drywall compounds are mostly just gypsum, and fairly inert), than it is about managing the dust that is created by the process. No modern compounds or drywall have (known) nasties like asbestos or lead in them. If you're dealing with existing stuff, have it tested. If it flags for lead or asbestos, don't DIY it. DIYing sections of wall that have lead or asbestos can put you at risk of liability in the future, and even void your homeowners or renters insurance.

I just did some large sections of drywall replacement in my kitchen, and rigged up this muthafucka; 8" ventilator fan (get yourself a 30-40% off coupon for harbor freight) hooked up to some ducting (grow shops have it cheap), mounted on a piece of plywood that pulls air from the window that has a furnace filter attached to it. Pulls a massive amount of air through a space (I can't remember what exactly it punched out to, but something like full air exchange in the space I had it in every 10 minutes), and filters it, and more importantly keeps the dust moving. I replaced 30 or so square feet of weird sized drywall (lots of cutting, lots of sanding) and most of it ended up in that filter. Worth every penny. It also pulled out any odors associated with painting. The filter only went about halfway up the interior of the window so you can see the difference between the fresh side of the filter. It was gross.

You could also use some Corsi Rosenthal boxes to get a similar effect. My space was a small kitchen, I didn't have room for both, but would have used both if I had the space.
posted by furnace.heart at 4:44 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've been trying to learn various DIY skills, and drywall is one I've decided is worth the money because of the level of skill required and the low cost compared to some trades. But I get it. Good luck. N95s are pretty helpful, and be careful not to stop up your sink with drywall mud based on how you clean your tools. (Cost to get my sink unstuck was larger than what I saved doing the small job myself.)
posted by slidell at 6:11 PM on July 6, 2023