Stucco type of finish on drywall

[RRG]

I'll start by saying I hate to do drywall mudding and taping.
In the cabin we opted to have just a bit of drywall on the 2nd floor bedroom wall that you can see from the living room and loft area. It is gable shaped and blends in with the 1x8 boards that cover the rest of the wall.
We are wanting to get a stucco effect and paint it a southwestern orange or similar. We think it will look good with the light hitting it at various times of day, esp. sundown when the light will strike it directly.

Can someone please give me some tips on applying the compound?
Skim coat first, how thick?
Roll on with a roller?
Skim coat thick and brush?
Brush and knockdown?

Give me a tape measure, saw, wood, hammer and nails and I'm smiling.
Give me drywall tape, mud, and a knife and I'm cringing!

Edit:

After thinking about this for awhile, I believe we are going to go with a regular smooth finish on the dry wall and go for the stucco effect by painting.

I figure rough texture on a wall inside a cabin where there is still work to be done will only lead to major accumulations of dust.

I picked up a roller that is supposed to give a stucco appearance to your paint.

Anyone used this before and with good results?

I'll post a follow-up once it is done to let you know how it goes.

[jrhode]

I believe the roller cover you have probably will not give you the effect you're looking for with normal paint. Any texture you make would most llikely flow out unless you thicken the paint with drywall mud or powdered spackling compound.

There are several manufacturers that make textured paints that may work in your situation. Ralph Lauren (Don't buy their regular paint - it's crap, but the specialty finishes are pretty good), Modern Masters, Pratt & Lambert, all have different options. RL has a sand textured finish which looks a bit like stucco. Go to your local paint store (not hardware store) and try to find someone with paint experience to show you some samples.

Good luck and sorry for the late info!

[RRG]

I forgot about this thread so my response is late as well.
We went with Behr textured paint.
It was a pain to apply using the loop roller because it is very thick and coverage per roller-dip is minimal.

Very pleased with the end results though even though it is not painted yet.
It is a knockdown finish and the wall sconce hitting it really sets it off.

I thought I would post a picture, but I didn't take one.
The dog is in her final days and it seems all the pictures I took this past weekend are of her.

[RRG]

Soory it took so long to get a picture, and not really sure if there is an interest, but here it is anyhow.

Not the best shot of the finish but I can tell you I am pleased with the results.
Just the stucco look we were going for.

It has not been painted yet.