Most people under the finishing decorativewall finishing involves roll materials such as wallpaper or oilcloth. Painting or decorative plaster are used much less frequently, but wall preparation remains an important stage of repair. Preparation most often involves leveling, which is not so easy to do with your own hands without experience in such work.
To prepare walls for painting or wallpaperingmust be approached with all responsibility, because the quality of subsequent finishing depends on it. Preliminary preparation of the wall surface during repairs has several purposes, and leveling is only one of them. Undoubtedly, smooth walls look better and are easier to process with all kinds of materials. In the case of wallpaper, smooth walls significantly reduce the likelihood of bubbles, folds and creases, as well as swelling after drying. A uniform surface, which is obtained with high-quality leveling of the walls, increases adhesion to finishing materials. Well-prepared walls do not contain cracks, pits, voids and bulges, and a fresh layer of plaster increases the adhesive properties of the wall several times. As a rule, preparing walls for repairs has the following order of actions:
- dismantling of the previous coating;
- primer;
- plaster;
- putty;
- priming under the conceived coating;
- coating application.
Preparing the surface for repair also involvesincrease in mechanical strength. Under the weight of a fresh layer of wallpaper, the old plaster can fall along with it, unable to withstand the weight. This once again proves the need for preliminary cleaning of the walls before any work.
Preliminary dismantling on walls
Scheme of preparing a wall for plastering.An important condition for a good repair and a durable coating is good adhesion of the plaster to the surface. Weak adhesion begins to fall off and peel off quite quickly. This can be avoided by cleaning the surface from dust and dirt, removing all previous coatings. Different surfaces require different types of preliminary preparation for repair. Before preparing the surface for gluing wallpaper, it is imperative to first dismantle all types of old coating on them. Sometimes the coating maintains very good adhesion to the walls, and nevertheless, you need to make every possible effort and time to remove it. If you apply a new coating directly to the old one, all work will be pointless, since it will not have sufficient strength and will not last long. It is necessary to remove wallpaper, old paint and whitewash, and, if possible, remove the plaster. An exception may be oil paint, since it really does retain its properties unchanged after decades, and it is very difficult to remove it. It is removed partially and if possible, and the remaining smooth surface is made rougher with coarse sandpaper for better adhesion to the surface. Before removing a layer of plaster from the walls, its strength is checked. It is necessary to check for large cracks or crumbling areas, these places are cleaned to a strong coating. If the entire wall to be repaired looks solid and the coating on it is of high quality, you need to make sure of this by tapping it over the entire area. The presence of places where the sound becomes ringing when tapping indicates that the coating has partially separated from the main wall at some depth and requires removal. Return to contents</a>
Preparation for plastering
Before applying the plaster, it is necessary to seal itall cracks and unevenness of the wall. If the problems are local, preparing the walls for repair will consist of removing such places, and if the surface is completely damaged, it is better to remove the coating completely. Before applying the first layers of plaster to the surface, it is necessary to check their verticality and the strength of all existing structures. During repairs, partitions or built-in furniture, new windows and doors are often installed. All of this work must also be completed before plastering begins. A similar requirement applies to sewer and water pipes, electrical wiring and heating systems. To clean a brick surface from dust, dirt, household grease and soot before starting repairs, a 3% hydrochloric acid solution is often used. But after successful completion of this procedure, it is imperative to rinse with plenty of water. To remove oil stains, locally applied layers of greasy clay are used, which is then dried directly on the surface and then cleaned off. The procedure sometimes needs to be repeated several times. Dirt, loose plaster, dust and soot are successfully removed using a steel brush. Return to contents</a>
Treatment of walls before wallpapering
Work on preparing walls requires accuracyand patience, since leveling with building mixtures involves applying several layers, each of which will dry for at least a day. It is not often that the surface before repair is so smooth that the use of plaster is not required. Before applying the solution, any surface must be moistened with water, since this process ensures a good connection.
Before wallpapering the walls, you need to carefullyclean old wallpaper, paint, chips and roughness. The first layer is rough plaster, if the walls are made of brick, it will be necessary to install additional reinforcing mesh, and at the corners - special corners, which are covered with the following layers of plaster. The time required for the layer to dry is usually indicated on the packaging, and preparation for repairs should not take much time. If the surface coating has time to become dusty before applying the next layer, this will worsen its adhesion to any materials. The second layer during repairs on the wall is putty with thinner layers, which levels the walls very well. Its application can be skipped if lime plaster was used during the repair, after which additional leveling is not required. Sometimes immediately after this you can begin finishing, this happens if the skill during processing allowed you to lay a thin and very even layer. Otherwise, it is necessary to apply an even thinner plaster of the finishing coating to the wall. It is recommended to prepare the surface with a deep-penetrating acrylic primer beforehand. But even after this, the final sanding of the walls cannot be avoided. Sanding is performed using a special machine with circles of different grain sizes, from coarse to finer. After this, the surface is primed for wallpaper and after the primer dries, the preparation of the walls for repair and wallpapering can be considered complete. You can also prime before repair with wallpaper glue, if this is indicated in the instructions for use and recommended by the manufacturer. Before applying layers of plaster, the wooden surface is treated by applying a reinforcing mesh or by stuffing shingles. These are small slats that are stuffed directly onto the wall, they also provide improved adhesion of the surface with all types of mortar. The wood used for them must be strong and high-quality so as not to deteriorate for a long time. Before applying plaster, wooden surfaces must be moistened especially thoroughly. The water must be absorbed into the surface, for which it is given 1-2 hours, after which the solution can be applied, the wall must remain damp.</ ul>
