It's advised to spackle for a painted / tinted board. The spackle fills any bead tear outs and leaves you with a bright white "canvas" to paint on. It is especially important to spackle for a tint. If you don't have a smooth, even surface then the color gets spotty and looks like a bird's egg. Another trick is to finish shape the board with sanding screen to close up the gaps between the beads then spackle. Turns out looking exactly like a PU blank.We use Red Devil "One Time" lightweight spackle and mix it with bottled or distilled water to a whipped cream consistency. The minerals in regular tap water will turn the spackle yellowish and screw up your color.