During repairs at the stage of wall finishing, the task often arises to level the surfaces as much as possible, the solution of which requires a responsible approach. This process is quite laborious, therefore, the choice of material should be approached carefully. Many are wondering if it is possible to sheathe walls with drywall in order to achieve a smooth surface of the walls, and how to do it correctly.
What is drywall?
Externally, this material is a two-layer sheet, one layer is a hard hard cardboard with a rough surface, and the second layer is a gypsum mass with special impurities, smooth. The sheet size can be from 1.2 to 2.5 meters. To answer the question of whether the walls are often sheathed with drywall, we will be helped by several arguments in favor of this material.
Pros of drywall
This material has many positive qualities:
- execution as smooth as possiblesurface;
- the ability of the material to easily absorb and, if necessary, release moisture;
- noise isolation;
- keep the room warm;
- no dust from the material (does not cause allergic reactions).
Main cons
However, drywall also has negative sides:
- relative fragility (mechanical damage to the sheets may cause cracks, so these sheets must be replaced);
- difficulty in accessing communications behind the plasterboard when they are mounted through the frame.
More about mounting methods
How to sheathe walls with drywall? There are two main ways - to "plant" sheets on glue or on a frame.
The first method will require a lot of time, effort, and accuracy, because. the adhesive base must be applied in an even layer, otherwise the sheets may stand up crooked. And for their final fixation, more than one hour must pass (until the glue dries completely). It should be noted that this method allows you to save meters of living space as much as possible.
The second way is to attach the sheets to a metal or wooden frame pre-assembled and fixed to the wall.
Most often it is the metal frame that is used, since this method of fastening is simpler, more durable and stable. Such a frame is assembled, screwed to the walls, and then the base is sheathed with screws. The technology of fastening GKL on a wooden frame does not have a significantdifferences, the only difference is that it is completely attached to the wall, respectively, it will take more time to assemble it.
Do they sheathe the walls with drywall on their own? Certainly. Having studied the features of the installation of LGK, you can do the repair yourself. It should be noted that such work is easier and more convenient to do together, and not alone.
Preparation stage
So, how to sheathe walls with drywall? To begin with, it is necessary to remove all old coatings (paint, wallpaper) from the wall and evaluate its technical condition, after which all identified defects must be eliminated. At this stage, the walls are leveled (putty). This measure allows you to prevent the penetration of liquid inside, because. Any drywall absorbs moisture. Next, several layers of primer are applied. After processing the walls, it is necessary to apply the so-called "grid", along which we will lay the drywall as if on a stencil, which will help to mount the sheets exactly in the right place and eliminate the possibility of their displacement, and also simplify the work process itself. We proceed to the preparation of the material. GCR is laid on a flat surface and cut with a pencil and tape measure. Further actions depend on the technology of fastening drywall.
Frame technology. Metal frame
Required materials: screwdriver, tape measure, laser level, spatula, putty, perforator, knife for building materials, bars, metal scissors.
This method can be used in houses made of any material (brick, wood,panel). How to sheathe walls with drywall? Now you will know about it.
Before sheathing the walls of the house with drywall, it is necessary to assemble the frame itself. To do this, we perform marking using a plumb line, tape measure and laser level, we place the guide profiles along the marked wall using dowels. All fasteners must be firmly pressed against the wall, no distortion is allowed. Special material for sound and noise insulation is laid inside the frame, as well as all the necessary communications and wiring. The frame is ready, it's time to "sew up the wall". To do this, you need a screwdriver. Drywall sheets are attached to the profiles with 3.5 cm screws. The distance between the screws must not exceed 150 mm. In order to avoid errors, markings are most often applied to the GCR.
Frame technology. Wooden frame
The question of how to sheathe wooden walls with drywall with your own hands requires special attention. Firstly, before carrying out work, the walls of a wooden house must be treated with protective impregnation, and the gaps between the crowns should be plugged with insulation, for example, polyurethane cords fixed with a stapler. Next, you need to apply construction sealant over them.
GKL sheathing of wooden walls
We will use a simple instruction that will help you understand how to sheathe walls in a wooden house with drywall.
The main tools that will be required during the execution of the work: planed boards or beams, self-tapping screws, corners, a construction stapler, putty,primer, drywall, screwdriver, level, protective impregnation (for wood), mounting knife, hacksaw, paint cord
In order to sheathe a wooden wall with drywall, you need:
- determine the thickness of the frame, for example, if the thickness of the insulation is 100 mm, then the thickness of the frame should be 110 mm;
- retreat from the wall a distance equal to the thickness of the frame, mark points on adjacent walls;
- draw vertical lines through the obtained points from floor to ceiling;
- connect vertical lines with horizontal ones on the floor and ceiling (using paint cord);
- draw vertical lines on the wall that will be sheathed with plasterboard (using a level or plumb lines), the step between the lines should be 50 cm;
- fix the first post from the corner, focusing on the lines on the ceiling and on the floor;
- install racks at the opposite corner (in the same way);
- To simplify the process of aligning the intermediate posts, you can stretch the threads between the two extreme posts.
Mineral mats, wiring should be laid in the space of the frame and a vapor barrier film (overlapped and stretched) should be fixed on the frame.
Next comes the installation and finishing process.
How to sheathe walls with drywall. Some useful tips
If you decide to sheathe the walls with drywall, accuracy when working with it will be the key to quality repairs:
- to prevent damage to the material, all self-tapping screws must be screwed in to the maximumcarefully;
- to avoid gaps, drywall finishing should start from the corner of the room or from window or door openings;
- the distance between the sheets of drywall should not be large, it is necessary that they fit snugly together.
Materials for heat and sound insulation
- Mineral wool. The most popular material is glass wool, and bas alt wool recommended by experts is also widely used due to its environmental friendliness and practicality.
- Polyfoam. This is a relatively inexpensive material, consisting of 5-7 thin layers. Significant disadvantages of polystyrene are its high toxicity and attractiveness to rodents.
- A type of polystyrene foam is polystyrene foam. Of the advantages of this material, low moisture permeability, high strength and fire safety are distinguished.
Frameless technology (using glue)
Let's consider how to sheathe walls with drywall with our own hands using frameless technology.
When finishing the walls of the plasterboard, a special gypsum-based glue is used. Its important property is fast hardening. It is recommended to dilute it to the extent required for immediate use.
If it was decided to sheathe the walls of the house with drywall using this technology, then communications are an important point, holes (slots) for which are cut out on drywall sheets in advance (electrical wiring, cables, pipes).
With frameless technology, it is necessary to achieve full adherence of the GKL to the wall. It can be done,by passing a rubber mallet over the entire surface of the sample, or by moving from side to side (top to bottom) a pressed even rail.
At the finishing stage, the adhesive base must be mixed with water until a mushy state is obtained. A small layer of glue is applied to the back of the drywall sheet, after which this layer is further leveled with a notched trowel. Our sheet is ready, it remains only to fix it on the wall. With this method of fixing drywall, the base is almost flat. But still, after fixing the sheets, various irregularities may appear. You can get rid of them with a bar, laser level or rubber mallet. Irregularities can be both minor and significant. Let us consider in more detail in what cases they can manifest themselves. With minor irregularities, the reverse side of the GKL is covered with glue "cakes". Its excess fills the voids in the process of attaching to the wall, which ensures reliable fastening of the sheet to the base. With significant height differences, it is important to exclude the punching of the material in places where depressions (recesses) have formed. In such places, the so-called "beacons" (fragments of drywall) are cut out and glued to the desired size, with the necessary configuration. In most cases, this is enough to ensure that, after fixing, the sheet fits snugly against the wall over the entire area.
A dowel is driven into the deepest place of the cavity, then fasteners with a large cap are installed into it. The upper part of the part can be brought to the level of the wall plane by adjusting the height of the fastener. Punchingdrywall in this place after its installation is excluded. It is important to consider that this technique is not very convenient and troublesome, because then when drilling, you can simply stumble upon this part. For this reason, it is rarely used and as an addition to the methods described above.
Tips and tricks for docking methods
Masters say that:
- when performing work in the room there should be no drafts;
- self-tapping screws must be screwed all the way under the root so that there are no bumps on the surface of the plates;
- when attaching sheets horizontally, jumpers are optional;
- when vertically mounted, the slabs should be placed over the entire area, attaching jumpers at the joints (this technology is not recommended for wall decoration);
- the edges of the slabs must be cut with a planer or knife at an angle of 45 degrees.
Seam cleaning
Having received practical skills and knowledge on how to sheathe walls with drywall, we proceed to the processing of seams. The edges of the plasterboard are the most sensitive parts of drywall in terms of mechanical damage. If they were deformed during installation or during transportation, it is necessary to align them (align the joint lines). The most suitable tool for doing this work is the skin. With its help, you can achieve a smooth surface along the seam and remove excess material. With a careless approach to processing joints, drywall sheets may begin to crack and crumble. This will lead toeverything will have to be redone.
If painting is planned after the installation of drywall sheets is completed, then we must not forget about the primer, because. it is she who is responsible for the safety of the surface. Further, putty is prepared strictly according to the instructions. To stir it to a paste-like state, you can use a construction mixer. Next, the substance must be left to stand for a few minutes.
After the solution is ready, it is drawn into a spatula and carried out in a thick layer along the joint line so that the putty penetrates the gap to the end. A sickle is applied to the wet mixture, which simultaneously reinforces and closes the joint, and distributes it in the center of this joint. Next, another layer of mortar is applied.
It is important to know not only how to properly sheathe walls with drywall, but also how to protect yourself during repairs. For example, in the process of grinding walls, a huge amount of dust appears. Therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to protect the respiratory tract and respiratory organs with a respirator.
It is important to carefully align the resulting layers, remove the tubercles and leave the whole structure to dry for at least a day.
That's all the necessary information on how to properly sheathe walls with drywall in the house. The further course of action is determined by the owners themselves (painting, wallpapering, etc.).
