Not every builder in the course of his work (laying walls, rough plaster) thinks about preparing the walls for wallpapering, or rather about whether the walls will be suitable for this. Of course, not all builders are like that. Sometimes little depends on them: the customer (employer) is often more important than speed than the quality of work.
Sequence of work
Step-by-step preparation of walls for wallpapering can be different and depends on the following factors:
- The condition of the walls.
- The type of wall material, that is, what the walls are made of: brick (or various blocks), concrete, drywall (or similar materials, such as GVL) or wood.
- The type of wallpaper to be applied at the finishing stage.
- Wishes of the customer. That is, how important the final result will be for him.
Based on these factors, you can draw up step-by-step instructions for preparing walls for wallpapering, or a work plan. It does not matter whether you will carry out repairs with your own hands or with the help of hiredspecialists, the course of work will be approximately the same. The main thing is to understand that the final result will directly depend on the preparation of the walls. So, the order is:
- Dismantling.
- Alignment of the surface of the walls.
- Putty.
- Wallpapering.
- Painting (if the wallpaper is paintable).
Each stage, except for the last two, ends with the application of 1-2 coats of primer.
Dismantling
This step is excluded in preparing the walls for wallpapering in a new building. It is not needed for partitions erected during redevelopment.
Dismantling can involve a huge amount of work, from surface cleaning to demolition of unnecessary partitions. Therefore, we will touch on the most basic points:
- Removing old wallpapers. In most cases, they very easily move away from the wall if they are pre-wetted with plenty of water and then scraped off the wall with a spatula. The surface of washable wallpaper must first be pierced with a spiked roller or cut with a knife over the entire surface. This is done so that water can penetrate the washable layer. It is recommended to use a long pile roller and a small trowel.
- Removing old paint can be quite a painful procedure in preparing walls for wallpapering, especially if there are several layers of paint. Therefore, if plastering of the walls is subsequently planned, then it will be enough to scrape off the peeling paint with a spatula and apply medium notches over the entire surface.size. Then concrete contact is applied to the entire surface. If the walls will not be plastered, then the simplest and most effective option is to use special chemical washes.
- Wash or water-based paint is removed by copious wetting and further scraping with a spatula.
- Removal of peeling wall elements: plaster, putty.
- Electrical and plumbing work. They do not apply to dismantling, but are carried out at the preparatory stage, before the walls are leveled.
Primer coat
Many people underestimate this important step in preparing walls for DIY wallpapering, but in vain. Indeed, in addition to its main property (increased adhesion), the primer also has other useful properties:
- The primer can reduce the consumption of material during subsequent finishing (paint, wallpaper paste), as it reduces the absorbency of the surface.
- Prevents the development (appearance) of mold, fungi and rust.
- Fixes the most loose parts of the wall, making the foundation stronger.
- Perfectly removes dust from the surface of the wall.
- Often there is a situation when, after sanding the walls, “bald patches” remain (places that differ in color from the general background of the wall), and you have to go through another layer of putty. When preparing walls for wallpapering, this problem can be solved by a white (or leveling) primer. It perfectly brightens and evens out the overall background in color. This is especially true before sticking light and thin wallpapers.
Partialalignment
Suitable for walls with minor defects, or in rooms where a full-scale repair is not planned. The bottom line is to fill small irregularities (up to one centimeter) with a plaster mixture, in separate sections of the wall. It is carried out with a short rule or a spatula 40 cm wide. For preparing walls before wallpapering, this is the cheapest and fastest option. But it must be borne in mind that this type of plastering does not level the surface of the wall along a plane or level, but only improves its visual perception. More suitable for thick types of wallpaper, which are less demanding on the condition of the wall.
Plaster under the rule
An improved and relatively inexpensive way to level a wall. Therefore, this option is most often used when preparing walls for wallpapering.
Includes the alignment of the horizontal and vertical planes of the wall, as well as the plane of the corner. It is carried out with a long rule (2.5-3 m) as follows:
- First, the horizontal plane (top and bottom) of the wall is extruded. To do this, the plaster mixture is thrown with small slaps on the bottom of the wall along its length (slightly less than the length of the rule), and then it is pulled out by the rule in zigzag movements to a height of 30-35 cm. Unfilled areas are again thrown over with plaster and leveled by the rule. The same procedure is carried out with the top of the wall. It is important to keep the rule exactly along the wall, excluding the increase in the layer and the break in the plane. The essence of this step is to achieve a smooth (under the rule)the horizontal plane of the top and bottom of the wall, thereby obtaining a kind of beacons for further alignment.
- After drying the resulting beacons, you can proceed to the next step: vertical alignment. A process similar to the previous step, but now a vertical plane is covered with plaster. You should start from the corners of the room, holding the rule perpendicular to the wall. It is not advised to press hard on the rule, as it tends to bend, which means that the plane will eventually turn out to be concave. But also do not allow an increase in the layer. Depending on the condition of the wall, this step may need to be repeated. Particular attention should be paid to the corners of the room, since when wallpapering an uneven corner can cause a lot of trouble. Yes, and such an angle will look ugly, even under the wallpaper.
Plaster on lighthouses
Perhaps the most time-consuming and costly way to prepare walls for wallpapering, but the most effective and efficient leveling option. If everything was done correctly during the work, then the resulting walls and corners will be even not only in plane, but also in level. This requires the following:
- If the length of the wall is longer than the length of the rule, then it is recommended to tighten the thread to avoid curvature of the horizontal plane.
- If you need right angles (90 degrees), then the thread is pulled around the entire perimeter of the room, taking into account the turn of the angle. The thread should be pulled on the most protruding parts of the wall (bottom, top or middle), at a distance from the wall, taking into account the beacon.
- Beacons are exhibited strictly according tothread, and then with the help of a long rule and a building level, they are set to a vertical level. The gaps between the beacon and the wall should be completely filled: you should get a bump with a beacon on top.
- The distance between the beacons should not be too large (usually 1.5-1.7 m), slightly less than the length of the working rule. First, it will be difficult to physically level a large gap, especially on a thick layer. Secondly, the greater the distance between the beacons, the more likely the deflection of the plane.
- Leveling is carried out only after the plaster mixture under the lighthouses has completely dried.
- After the initial setting, carefully trim the settled plaster. Actual for a thick layer.
Putty
This step is definitely recommended before wallpapering, no matter what type of leveling was used, or the preparation took place without plastering at all. After the plaster has completely dried, you can proceed to the final stage in preparing the walls for wallpapering - to putty. The term for the complete setting of the plaster mix directly depends on the thickness of the layer, the level of temperature and humidity inside the room. It can be from 1-2 days to a week. A fairly simple and non-voluminous stage.
Quality performance requires the following:
- Before you start, you need to clean the surface of the wall with an emery cloth or spatula, thereby removing the flaws made during the plastering process. Then be sure to prime the wall.
- The mixture is applied towall with a thin layer, the thickness depends on the quality of the plaster. They usually start from any of the corners, with smooth movements along the entire wall, as if smoothing its surface.
- The number of layers also depends on the quality of the plaster, for walls under the wallpaper usually need 1-2 layers.
- The putty is applied with spatulas of various lengths from 10 to 45 cm.
- After the putty layer has dried, the wall is sanded and primed. If necessary, apply a second layer.
Concrete wall preparation
No matter who or what you say, in no case should you stick wallpaper on a concrete surface. Any, even the thickest wallpaper, necessarily repeats the relief of a concrete wall, and these are numerous bumps, chips and tubercles.
Thin wallpaper is likely to tear, while light wallpaper will take on the color of concrete. And this is provided that the wallpaper will generally stick to such a surface. Therefore, the main stages of work in preparing concrete walls for wallpapering are simply required:
- First of all, the surface bounces off all protruding elements: tubercles, pieces of rebar and the like. Doing this by hand is unlikely to succeed, so use a puncher. You can also make notches.
- Be sure to treat the surface of the wall with a special compound (betonokontakt). Before that, it must be thoroughly mixed. Apply to wall with roller and brush.
- It is necessary to apply at least a minimum layer of plaster of 5-10 mm on the wall, while the costs will be minimal. And here is the guarantee that nothingfall off in a couple of days, increase.
- Next layer of putty and primer.
Preparation of drywall walls
This is perhaps the best option for walls just for wallpapering. Drywall walls have a number of advantages over other types of partitions: they do not require long-term preparation, which means they save time and money. This, of course, provided that the work on the installation of the gypsum plasterboard was of high quality. Therefore, preparing drywall walls for wallpapering is also suitable for beginners. Includes the following steps:
- Primer surface. Mandatory step before starting any work.
- Next, you need to close up all the joints and holes from the screws. The joints of drywall sheets are filled with a plaster mixture and glued with sickle or special tape for reinforcement.
- Then you need to strengthen the outer corners (if any). This is done with the help of metal painting corners, which are set according to the level. It is necessary to put the corner only on the plaster mixture, and not on the putty. Since the putty will not hold the corner, and cracks will appear very soon, and then fall off completely.
- After the plaster has dried, it will be necessary to sand, prime and putty the surface of the wall. If you skip puttying, then when dismantling the wallpaper, the surface of the drywall will definitely be damaged.
- As soon as the putty dries, the surface should be sanded and primed again.
Wallpaper selection
In the end, I would like to touch on this topic, since from themthe type depends on the step-by-step instructions in preparing the walls for wallpapering:
- Paper-based, as a rule, thinner and more sensitive to the quality of the surface of the wall. For such wallpapers, it is required to prepare the wall as carefully as possible, especially for photo wallpapers. Not recommended for new buildings, as they do not tolerate wall shrinkage.
- The non-woven base is more undemanding to the wall surface, compared to paper wallpaper. But here it all depends on the thickness and structure of the top layer. Such wallpapers are able to "align" minor wall defects.
- Liquid wallpaper. They are able to really level the structure of the wall, so they do not require careful surface preparation. Resistant to wall shrinkage. Before applying, it is recommended to prime the walls at least twice, and even out the tone of the surface (the walls must be plain white).
Conclusion
Whatever the wallpaper, it is still better to thoroughly prepare the surface of the walls.
Of course, a lot depends on the possibilities, but, as they say, the wallpaper is glued for a while, and the walls for a year. In addition, any coating will also be of high quality on a quality base, and when re-repairing, you will not have to do the same steps again.
