Hello Tim,
Can you apply to drywall texture to a wall that has previously been painted or do you need to remove the paint?
Rachel O.
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Rachel,
You can apply the drywall mud to a painted wall. I would wash the wall with soap and water first, rinse it and then let it dry.
I would also seriously consider blending some top-quality wall paint with the joint compound to add extra adhesive qualities. You do realize that paint is simply glue with color in it, don't you? The added benefit of adding paint is that the texture then has some water resistant properties. Without the added paint, the texture is easily dissolved by water. Sure, you can paint the texture after it is up, but that is hard to do!
Tim Carter
www.askthebuilder.com
W3ATB