In new homes, walls can be of reasonably acceptable quality. But modern design requires them to be perfectly even. Someone will be satisfied with cosmetic repairs, while others need to get a quality surface.
How to make walls even and smooth
How and how to align the walls? Options may be as follows:
- Applying plaster.
- Panelling.
- Combined method.
Most of the area of the premises consists of walls that are almost completely open, so all the defects are visible on them. The question of how to align the walls in an apartment usually arises when a major overhaul is done. Irregularities can be hidden under liquid wallpaper or decorative plaster. Smaller defects are well hidden under wallpaper with a chaotic pattern. This will be a partial solution to the problem, but due to it, the amount of remaining work may be significantly reduced.
How to flatten walls with drywall
If, when deciding how to align the walls, drywall is chosen, thenhere again it is necessary to determine how this should be done. There are two options. It is frameless and frameless.
Frameless method
Installation of drywall sheets (gypsum plasterboard) is made on a special glue. If the irregularities do not exceed 7 mm, the composition is leveled on the wall with a notched trowel. With a curvature of up to 20 mm, the adhesive is applied in the form of cakes on a sheet with a small interval. It should be diluted in small portions, since hardening occurs in half an hour. Cakes are applied around the entire perimeter of the GKL, then two more rows vertically. The sheet is pressed against the wall and leveled with a level and a hammer made of wood or rubber. When laying, the evenness in the corners and at the joints is checked.
Frame method
When deciding how to align the walls in an apartment, it must be borne in mind that the frame method “eats up” a fairly large volume of the room. It is used mostly in spacious rooms and when it is necessary to hide communications.
For the installation of sheets, a frame is first attached from profiles or well-dried wooden bars. First, ceiling and floor guide profiles are installed, and vertical racks are inserted into them at a distance of 40 and 60 cm. The latter are additionally fixed with suspensions that are nailed to the walls. Then, communications are laid inside the frame, after which they begin to fasten with GKL screws. All joints between them must pass along the profiles. During installation, fixtures, sockets and switches are inserted into the drywall. All electrical appliances from the walls underGKL must be removed, and the bare ends of the wires are protected by insulation.
A primer is applied to the joints between the sheets, after which they are glued with a sickle, and then putty is applied to it.
Leveling walls with mortar
When choosing how to level the walls, the first thing that comes to mind is the use of plaster as the most common way. But first of all, it is necessary to determine the curvature of the walls and calculate the required amount of building mixture. The question of how best to align the walls can be solved much easier if you think through all the details and make the right decision. The thickness of the plaster layer can be significantly reduced if the main protrusions are knocked down with a perforator. It is possible that after this the wall will simply need to be puttied, after which it will be perfectly flat.
If the unevenness on the wall cannot be removed, the required amount of primer and plaster should be purchased. Of the tools you will need a level and spatulas.
Such work is usually carried out with a complete replacement of electrical wiring. Even in new homes, it may turn out that it does not suit the owners in terms of power and location of lamps, switches and sockets. Working with electricity is no less laborious, as it may require wall chasing for wiring. In addition, all electrical appliances must be removed and the ends of the wires insulated.
First of all, the wall is covered with several layers of primer. It holds plaster better. The primer is applied with a roller or construction brushes. Brushes are also needed for hard-to-reach places,for example in niches and corners.
After the primed surface has dried, the wall can be plastered. For small unevenness, one leveling layer is sufficient. Usually three coats of plaster are applied with a primer on each.
Rules for applying plaster
- The plaster is leveled on the wall with circular movements of a wide spatula.
- The first layer is a draft, with its help eliminate the main recesses and bulges.
- After applying all the layers, the wall is finally leveled with putty.
Alignment of walls with cement-sand mortar
How to align the walls in the house? For many, the answer to this question is not a problem. The method of leveling the walls with a cement-sand mortar is considered the most common, cheap and simple. Skills in preparing and applying plaster are quickly acquired and always remain in demand.
The surface of the wall is first treated with a primer. Then, guide rails, called beacons, are installed on it at a distance of 1 m. They are fixed on the cement mortar and allowed to dry. Sand cement plaster is prepared according to the recipe indicated on the package. Then the mixture is applied with a trowel to the wall, which is pre-moistened. The layer should protrude 2-3 mm beyond the level of the beacons. After that, you should draw on them with the rule from the bottom up, so that the surface becomes even. In places where there are small indentations, you need to add the mortar with a spatula, and then level the wall again with the rule.
After the first layer is applied, it is allowed to set and dry, then the next one is applied. Thus, work continues until the entire wall is leveled. Finishing work can be continued after 10 days, when the cement is completely dry.
How to line bathroom walls
The bathroom is a small room, repairs in it can be done quickly and efficiently. How to align the walls in the bathroom? For this, a cement-sand mixture or gypsum is used, which, after hardening, are not afraid of water. Waterproof drywall is also suitable, but it takes up a lot of space. When deciding how to tile the walls, you need to weigh the pros and cons to make the right choice. The laying of the mortar is carried out according to special plaster beacons, which are not removed afterwards and thereby strengthen the applied layer. The solution is thrown onto the wall with a trowel, and the protruding parts are cut off and the resulting recesses are rubbed with them. Before finishing, the wall is primed. Then you can glue ceramic tiles on it.
How to align the walls under the wallpaper
Achieving a perfect wall surface in a large room is difficult. And often you have to think about how to align the walls under the wallpaper. The last step is the most important here. The rough finish is also of great importance, since the overall evenness of the surfaces depends on it. Brick walls must first be plastered. Old surfaces are carefully cleaned, all previous finishes must be removed from them. To level the surface under the wallpaper, as a rule, more oftenputty is used in total.
The solution is applied in several layers until the final leveling is achieved. Each time the surface of the wall should be dried and a layer of primer should be applied on top. The last layer of putty is sanded with sandpaper.
How to prepare wall leveling mortars
Solutions can be ready-made or you have to dilute them yourself. Filling and plastering mortars for leveling are mineral mixtures with special additives. As a binder, they use cement intended for use in wet rooms. If an adhesive base is used, then the composition is only suitable for dry rooms.
Gypsum plaster is widely used. It is able to regulate the humidity in the room by absorbing or releasing it, and is a good thermal insulator.
The question of how to level the walls can be easily resolved if decorative plaster is applied. Its different types serve as a finishing coating or base for it. The textured surface hides irregularities and flaws well.
There is a large variety of leveling compounds for plastering a thin layer of even surfaces of building materials. They do not hold well only on plastic and wooden bases. Special compositions are being made for the restoration of building facades.
Conditions for applying all wall coverings:
- substrate must be clean and free of old coating;
- surface preare treated with a primer or lining emulsion.
When solving the problem of how to level the surface of the wall, the question of saving always appears. The cheapest are simple solutions. They are quite effective, you can cook them yourself. Lime dough is mixed with sand in a ratio of 1:5 and thoroughly mixed. The mixture must be used on the same day so that it does not lose its properties. Cement is mixed with sand in a ratio of 1:5, 0.1 part of lime is added to it. The setting occurs after an hour.
Mixture can be lean when it contains little binder. It does not delaminate during application and does not crack when dried, but is not durable. The greasy mixture is different in that it sticks to the tool. As it dries, it shrinks and may crack. When preparing, you need to make an average solution. Then it is well applied and forms a durable layer.
How to align corners
The unevenness of the corners emphasizes the curvature of the walls, and this spoils the appearance of the room the most. To bring out the inner corners, beacons are first installed. They should be at a distance of about 30 cm from the corners. First, the plaster is applied between all the beacons, and then leveled with a rule. After the plaster has dried, the corner is laid with putty with a slightly greater density than necessary, at intervals of 20 cm. Then a perforated corner (counter-shulz) is pressed into it with the help of a level, the excess coating is removed. Nextday the surfaces of the adjacent plane of the walls are leveled, and then the finish coat is applied.
On the outer corners, the counter-shulz is pressed into the putty in reverse. All other operations are performed in the same way.
To speed up the process, the profile is first installed on the drywall adhesive, after which in an hour it will be possible to level the corner. If the differences are too large, then you can smooth them out with the same material.
Conclusion
When deciding how to level the walls, you should first determine the consumption of materials and funds. Walls are easier to level with drywall if the unevenness is significant.
Proper assessment of the quality of the surface allows you to make the right decisions and facilitate the repair of an apartment or house. Modern building materials can achieve a lot, and some of them even have unique properties.
