A joint compound for use with an apparatus for taping joints between pieces of wallboard comprises 35-60% by weight of a gypsum base plaster; from about 30-70% by weight of an alcohol-water mixture; 10-25% by weight of polyvinyl acetate; and optionally from about 0-5% by weight of polyvinyl alcohol. The alcohol-water mixture comprises from about 0-30% by weight of water.

Drywall joint compounds in which asbestos fiber has been omitted and the physical characteristics which have heretofore depended on the presence of asbestos fiber or on attapulgite clay have been obtained by the inclusion of finely powdered sepiolite clay.

A composition of the type which is applied to a surface for protecting it against environmental influences and for producing an aesthetic effect. The composition is particularly suited for being applied with a trowel to form a textured surface, such as stucco, or for being sprayed onto a surface. Baking flour is mixed into a paste-like mixture with water and added to a latex sealer paste. Sand, preferrably of a coarse grade, is then added to the mixture. The mixture can then be provided with filler compounds, such as calcium carbonate, and a pigment, such as titanium dioxide. The mixture has been shown to be effective against a variety of adverse environmental influences, including ultraviolet radiation, humidity, salt spray, fire, and thermal effects.

A rheological agent and thickener composition for aqueous systems, comprising a mixture of clay, such as hectorite, a synthetic polymer and a starch-type material. The mixture provides efficient thickening, sag resistance, spatter resistance and stability in water-based systems, particularly in latex-based coatings.

The present invention is an improved wallboard joint compound comprising an inorganic joint compound such as, for example, gypsum, mixed with water, plus one or more additives selected to reduce the moisture in the gypsum compound and improve the strength of the finished wallboard joint. The first additive is selected from a class of water soluble functional polymer with either nitrogen or sulfonate, such as, for example, polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). A second additive is selected from a class of solid epoxy resins, preferably added together with the first additive. These two additives, when mixed with the joint compound alone or in combination, produced a more flexible, higher strength wallboard with a reduce moisture content and quicker drying time.