If renovation work is underway in your apartment andit's time for the walls, first of all you should start the process of leveling them. With the right approach, you can cope with this task yourself, the main thing is to carefully study the instructions before starting the stage of leveling the wall. This approach to work will not only allow you to get the highest quality result, but will also prevent unnecessary material consumption, that is, save your money. You can level the walls in several ways, one of which is the use of putty.
The putty reliably covers up all the imperfections andwall unevenness. The technology of plastering walls is quite simple, but some nuances still need to be taken into account. Before leveling the wall with putty, preparatory work should be carried out, which includes cleaning the surface from dirt and peeling materials.
Features of material selection
You can buy putty at any construction store.store, but it is very important to pay attention to its properties. A good putty, in addition to its main qualities, should have such properties as easy preparation, ease of processing, moisture resistance, etc.
Table of characteristics of putty solutions.Today, there is a wide variety of mixtures designed to level walls, and they may differ in their composition. Each putty has its own specific drying time. But do not forget that the porosity and humidity of the wall that you are going to level play a significant role here. In addition, you should take into account the thickness of the applied layers and the air temperature in the room. In order to level the walls in an apartment, specially designed mixtures are used, which include gypsum. Such mixtures are quite easy to use, which allows you to cope with leveling the walls with your own hands. Correctly applied putty will not crack or shrink after drying. Return to contents</a>
The main nuances of the technology of applying putty on the wall
Before leveling the wall, it is necessaryinstall a mesh specially designed for such purposes, with the help of which the plaster will adhere as tightly as possible to the surface, which eliminates the option of its further peeling off. To attach the mesh, on top of which a layer of putty will be applied, use mounting tape.
Scheme for preparing putty.When applying plaster to a wall, it is very important to ensure that the thickness of the layers is optimal. The fact is that a very thick layer of putty may slide off before you finish the job, while in the case of a too thin layer of material (less than 5 mm), there is a risk of cracks. Before leveling the walls, the putty must be prepared, and it is very important to follow all the requirements specified in the instructions, which can be found on the packaging of the material. Otherwise, the plaster may begin to peel off, crack, and develop other defects. Return to contents</a>
How to level the walls with your own hands, using plasterboard sheets (dry plaster)?
As a rule, this method is used whenlarge differences in the wall (more than 5 cm). In order to level the wall using plasterboard sheets, in addition to the main material, it is necessary to use mounting glue. A very important condition when using this method is a solid base. If there are crumbling areas and other defects, they must be eliminated before leveling the wall. If necessary, the wall should be protected from the effects of moisture. In addition, it is important to take certain measures to prevent condensation.
Wall puttying scheme.Before leveling the wall using plasterboard sheets, the surface should also be carefully prepared, removing any remaining building materials, oils and other contaminants. This will eliminate all factors that can negatively affect the contact properties of the adhesive. Next, apply a primer to the walls. For working with loose, porous, highly absorbent surfaces, it is better to use a deep penetration primer sprayer or brushes. In order to prime a low-porosity, dense wall, it is recommended to use a special composition. There are also universal compositions that are recommended to be preferred if you do not have experience in doing such work yourself. After the preparatory work stage, you should start cutting the plasterboard sheets to the required length. It is important to take into account the gaps that will provide ventilation required during the hardening of the adhesive (ceiling - 5 mm plasterboard, floor - 10 mm plasterboard). To provide gaps, you can use wooden blocks or scraps of the same plasterboard sheets. Before leveling the wall with plasterboard, it is worth installing hidden wiring. After accurately cutting the material, you should proceed to applying gypsum mounting adhesive. You can use a spatula for this. It is better to apply the adhesive in small heaps, leaving 30-40 cm between them. The distance to the edge should be at least 5 cm. Then the plasterboard is attached to the wall, and a rubber hammer should be used to align the sheets. These actions must be performed before the mounting adhesive hardens. The next step is to apply a primer (deep penetration) to the wall, after which it is necessary to level the wall with putty, paying special attention to the seams. Return to contents</a>
Stage of puttying
In order to level the wall with putty with your own hands, you will need the following materials and tools:
Puttying corners: a-b — internal, g — external. 1 — sheathing sheets, 2 — paper tape, 3 — putty over the tape, 4 — cover layer.
- putty (on gypsum basis);
- ground composition;
- grid;
- mounting tape;
- fine sandpaper (null);
- spatulas (narrow and wide);
- container with flat bottom.
After the primer has been laid,it remains to level the wall with putty. The technology of applying any plaster composition is the same. If you are faced with such a task for the first time, it is recommended to start the process with test areas. The work is carried out using two spatulas, narrow and wide. In addition, you will need a container with a flat bottom. Before leveling the walls with putty, the composition must be prepared. The consistency of the finished composition should be easy enough to mix and at the same time not spread. The putty should lie well on the wall and not fall off. The thickened composition can be diluted with a primer or water. The diluted putty should be stored in a closed flat container. The putty should be applied in small portions to the wall. In order to level the mixture, horizontal or vertical movements are performed, while you need to lightly press on the blade of the spatula.
Applying putty to drywall.The spatula should be held at a slight angle to the surface. Thus, the layer thickness should be 1-2 mm. The putty layer will depend on the angle you choose. After waiting for the material to set, it is washed away using a primer. This way, all irregularities and drips will be removed. It will take a day for the first layer to dry completely, after which, using fine sanding sandpaper "zero", you should thoroughly clean the surface. A second layer of putty can be applied to a pre-dried primer composition. It is worth noting that the primer significantly facilitates surface leveling. Otherwise, the previously applied layer of material will absorb all the moisture from the next portion of the composition, due to which it begins to be difficult to level, forming a thicker layer. After the second layer of putty has completely dried, you can proceed to the final grinding, eliminating all scratches, roughness and other defects. As you can see, the technology of leveling walls with putty is quite simple. The most important thing is to follow the instructions strictly, which will allow you to achieve excellent results without resorting to the help of specialists.
