How to level walls with plasterboardwithout a frame? If you need to do repairs in your apartment, one of the first questions is: how to level the walls. Everyone knows that you will need a lot of plaster, and the repairs, even if done by yourself, will cost a pretty penny. This means that you need to find a modern, cost-effective solution.
Drywall perfectly hides wall defects, iteasy and cost-effective to install, which is why it is so popular among other methods of leveling walls. Drywall. Many have heard of it, but not everyone has appreciated its advantages. And professionals know them. It is cheap compared to plaster, one sheet quickly covers a significant space, and repairs will be faster, it is quite environmentally friendly - gypsum material easily exchanges moisture, and it is easy to cut various holes in it. And most importantly - drywall hides all the defects of the walls. What else could you want? You need to buy drywall, tools, glue and start leveling the walls. The question is what kind and how much drywall you need to buy. Usually, thin sheets are used to cover curved surfaces, and thick sheets are used to level straight ones. How much material do you need? Just calculate the total area of the walls and buy a little more than required. Drywall sheets are standard, and you round the amount up from your calculation. Now it's time for the tools and materials to level the walls. You will need:
Tools for leveling walls.
- special knife;
- glue — Knauf Perlfix or "Fugenfüller";
- spatula with teeth;
- primer;
- building mixer;
- plumb bob;
- wooden strip;
- rubber hammer, mallet;
- dowels, screws;
- primer.
There are two ways to do it.The first option is with a frame. The frame is made of metal. Its installation and fastening are additional hassle, time and money. Leveling walls with a metal frame is a much more labor-intensive operation, which also reduces the area of the room. Of course, the advantages of a frame include high heat and sound insulation. But we repeat - it is more expensive and takes longer. Therefore, it is worth considering how to level walls with plasterboard without a frame. However, it should be noted that you can level a wall without a frame only if the unevenness is no more than 5 mm. Before you start leveling, dry the plasterboard sheets in the apartment for two or three days so that their humidity and temperature fully correspond to your conditions.
Wall Preparation
The walls should be washed of dust, dirt, grease deposits (if it is a kitchen), cleaned of wallpaper, and removed from swollen plaster.
Scheme of leveling a wall with plasterboard.Then the wall surface is primed. The choice of primer depends on the wall. If the wall is porous and loose, then a primer with a high degree of penetration is needed, if it is strong, then you can use "Betonokontakt". Why do you need a primer? It will penetrate the pores of the wall and, when dry, will strengthen them. After priming, a film layer will form on the wall, which will further strengthen the adhesion of the wall to the gypsum board. When the primer dries, proceed to the next operation. The walls are divided into squares with a side of 20 to 30 cm. Holes are drilled in their corners, into which screws are screwed. The height of the heads is the height of the required alignment of the wall. The alignment of the walls is checked with a laser beam, a building level or a plumb line. This is a necessary and important matter. It was because of the alignment that the repair with drywall began. At this point, the surface preparation ends, and the next stage begins. Return to the table of contents</a>
Aligning walls with plasterboard
Initially, follow the instructions strictly.prepare the glue. It dries relatively quickly, so there is no need to prepare it in advance. Just the amount needed for the job. It can be applied in different ways:
- on the screws;
- on the whole sheet of drywall;
- on the whole wall.
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Installation work
Take a notched trowel and apply glue to the surface of the bed along the perimeter and in the center. If you want to increase the reliability of the bond, apply two beds in the center.
Scheme for leveling the seams of a plasterboard wall.Do not forget that you start leveling from any corner. A ventilation gap of 5 mm is left between the ceiling and the plasterboard sheet, and 10 mm between the floor and the sheet. It is needed for the glue to dry. Therefore, prepare a suitable board for the stand in advance. The sheet is placed down on the board. Tapping lightly, glue it to the wall. Apply more glue to the first sheet so as not to deepen it too much. If there are bumps in the future, then leveling will go without problems. Apply a board or a wooden strip to the plasterboard sheet and apply leveling blows on it. Plasterboard sheets are fragile, and tapping with a mallet can create cracks. Subsequent sheets are aligned to size with a knife, if necessary. After installing each sheet, check the vertical with a level or other tool. And while the glue has not become hard, level the bumpy areas with a mallet. This will clarify the alignment. For painting or whitewashing, you need a perfectly flat surface. If you decide to work with drywall in the kitchen or bathroom, then you should use moisture-resistant GKLV sheets for alignment. When the glue has dried, you need to seal the lower and upper gaps with a sealant. Then all the seams are putty. In addition, it is desirable, but not necessary, to treat the GKL with a primer again. So, you have leveled the walls with drywall. It turned out to be not too difficult. Now the surface is absolutely flat. If you approach the repair with imagination and creativity, it will work wonders, and leveling the walls with GKL will make your work easier.
