One of the most commonly used materials for interior decoration is drywall, which allows not only to level the walls, but also to create partitions, niches and other structures in the shortest possible time. However, it is not enough just to build the required structure, it must also be brought into a decent form. As a rule, drywall structures are finished with the same materials as the load-bearing walls: they are painted or wallpapered. And if earlier light paper wallpapers were used, which were often glued with an overlap, today the use of modern materials requires special attention to the smoothness and evenness of the finished wall surface. Therefore, we propose to consider how do-it-yourself plasterboard puttying is done. Step by step instructions will be presented below.
Why putty drywall?
Despite the fact that drywall has a fairly flat surface, beforeto perform finishing on it, it is necessary to smooth out all the flaws formed on the material during installation. In addition, it will be necessary to close up the joints of the sheets both along the area of \u200b\u200bthe wall and in the corners. For this, two types of preparatory finishes are used: plastering and puttying.
Plaster is a rougher material and is used to level the surface with large flaws, so it is usually used on concrete walls. Putty has a fine-grained structure that allows you to almost perfectly align drywall for finishing. This moment is most important in the subsequent painting and wallpapering. If the wall does not have a perfectly smooth surface, the wallpaper will begin to diverge, and even the smallest irregularities will be visible on the painted drywall.
In addition, do-it-yourself wall putty (drywall) is an additional protection, which is important when finishing. For example, if you stick wallpaper directly on the drywall, there is a high probability that it will swell from the glue, and the new wallpaper will be skewed. In addition, when you change the finish, you are guaranteed to remove not only the old material, but also a layer of drywall.
Features of puttying
The puttying process is quite complicated and requires special care and attention. Therefore, many prefer to order these works from professionals. However, in order to save money, you can perform such a procedure as plasterboard puttying with your own hands. To do this, you just need to stock uppatience and learn some of the subtleties of surface treatment in each case. And also master the basic puttying techniques, since do-it-yourself plasterboard puttying for wallpaper is different from preparing a wall for painting. This must be taken into account.
The puttying of joints and corners deserves special attention, since this work requires preliminary laying of a sickle tape (a special building material to strengthen the seams). It will prevent cracks that can occur from vibration or drywall expansion due to moisture.
Material selection
Today, there are a fairly large number of different types of putty on the market, which differ in structure: coarse-grained starting and finer finishing.
Starting, the price of which is the lowest of all options, is used to level irregularities with surface differences from 0.5 to 2 cm. Therefore, it is practically not used for drywall. As a rule, this material is immediately covered with a finishing putty, which has a finer-grained structure. With it, you can immediately level the surface to a perfectly smooth state, suitable even for painting. However, in case of improper installation of drywall or visible damage, it is recommended to first apply a layer of starting putty and wait for it to dry completely. Then primed and then treat the surface with a finishing agent.
Varieties
In addition, they make a difference in the composition of the putty. It happens on a plaster, cement and polymer basis. Depending on the room in which the repair work is carried out, and the operating conditions, the most suitable finishing agent is chosen. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages:
- Gypsum putty has a very fine structure, so it often acts as a finish. However, the use of this material in rooms with high humidity is not recommended, since such a composition absorbs moisture from the air well, and in this case even a surface primer will not help.
- For places that are constantly exposed to high humidity, it is preferable to use a cement-based putty, which is very resistant to such exposure. In addition, this type is characterized by high strength and durability of the coating.
- The polymer look is the most plastic and is best applied to the surface, so do-it-yourself plasterboard ceiling plastering is most often done with this material.
Which putty is better to use?
Another difference in the material is the form in which it is sold. There are two options: dry mix in bags and a ready-made solution, similar to sour cream, in buckets.
On the one hand, the most convenient is ready-made putty, which can be applied without prior kneading. While the preparation of a dry mix requires some knowledge and skill.
On the other hand, ready-made solution is 1.3-1.6 times more expensive. Therefore, it hasmeaning to carefully approach the choice of material. It should be borne in mind that cement putty is produced only in the form of a dry mix due to the peculiarities of its composition.
If we talk about drywall, then in living rooms it is best to use gypsum putty, and in areas such as a bathroom, kitchen or bathroom - polymer.
Important! It is not recommended to use alkyd putty for finishing work on drywall. Its aggressive composition will destroy the top layer of GKL.
How to putty drywall: step by step instructions
Before starting work such as do-it-yourself drywall puttying, the base is thoroughly cleaned of dust and dirt after installation work. If in some places there are delaminations of the material, they must be removed and cleaned with fine sandpaper. Also do not forget to check how the screws are tightened. Ideally, they should be slightly recessed into the drywall sheet and not protrude above the surface.
After that, the surface is primed, leaving no untreated areas. In this case, it is best to apply 2-3 layers of primer. This is necessary for good adhesion of the material. When applying the composition, it will not only additionally clean the surface of dust, but also impregnate the pores of drywall. After applying each layer, the primer must be left to dry completely. Drying time can be found on the packaging of a specific product.
By the way, you should know that the putty techniqueDo-it-yourself drywall involves finishing the entire surface of the wall. You should not save on building materials and process only corners or joints. Subsequently, when painting or wallpapering, uncoated drywall will stand out strongly.
Preliminary preparation of drywall
The next step is to repair all more or less noticeable depressions on the surface of the drywall. These include holes from unsuccessfully screwed self-tapping screws, damage received during installation, and other flaws. For these jobs, a small spatula is usually used.
You can also putty plasterboard joints with your own hands, and it is preferable to choose a composition specially designed for this purpose. First, we lay the ribbon-serpyanka. To do this, a tape is applied to the putty, previously applied to drywall, which is covered with another layer of the composition. After that, the material is carefully leveled with a wide spatula and further plastering of drywall is done by hand.
Corners are processed in a similar way, the only difference is that special plastic or metal corners are used for these joints. They will protect the edges of drywall from mechanical damage. This is especially true for external corners, such as partitions or niches. For internal corners, if the sheets are tight and there are no large gaps, it is permissible to use the same sickle tape.
Applying putty material to the wall
In order to correctly apply putty to the surface, two types of spatula are used: the material itself is applied and leveled with a large spatula, a small one is used as an auxiliary tool.
If it is initially supposed to apply the starting putty, then, depending on the condition of the drywall, it is applied in a fairly thick layer within 0.5-2 cm. If a thicker layer is needed, theoretically it can be done in two stages. However, the cost of such repairs will be quite expensive. Therefore, it is better to use plaster for the first leveling layer. This material is much cheaper.
In any case, the first layer must be left until completely dry, after which it is primed and dried again. Then you can apply the next leveling layer. Do-it-yourself starting puttying of drywall is carried out to the most even surface. After that, it is dried and primed.
Features of applying finishing putty
After a layer of starting putty (if necessary), a finishing composition is applied. This work is more painstaking, as it is done with a layer of literally a few millimeters. Finishing putty is applied very carefully and in small portions. Level to the maximum and dry. After that, it is necessary to carefully check the smoothness of the surface. The fact is that sometimes small bumps remain or, drying out, materialon the contrary, it fails somewhat. It is permissible to cover the cavities with some more composition, the bumps are quite easily removed with fine-grained sandpaper.
Once a perfectly smooth surface has been achieved, it must be sanded down with zero sandpaper until absolutely smooth.
Ceiling treatment
Puttying the ceiling is considered a particularly difficult event, which is recommended to be carried out with polymeric elastic putty. Despite the fact that the material is quite plastic, applying the composition to a horizontal surface will require a lot of effort. Puttying is performed with smooth movements towards you. This process is quite complicated for beginners in the construction business. Therefore, it is better to first see how someone else puttying the plasterboard ceiling with their own hands. A video of the work of professionals will clearly show all the nuances of this procedure.
All preliminary and subsequent operations, such as priming and sanding, are carried out in the same way as in the case of a vertical surface.
How to putty for different finishes?
There are several nuances of drywall processing that depend on the subsequent wall finishing:
- If subsequently it is planned to stick light paper wallpaper, do-it-yourself plasterboard puttying under the wallpaper should be done very carefully, with the obligatory alignment of all flaws. Otherwise, afterfinishing work, all flaws will appear on the material.
- For heavy wallpaper, on the contrary, it is preferable to use only the starting putty, which will create a rough finish. It will be easier to stick wallpaper on this basis due to the good adhesion of the material.
- The most difficult is the puttying of drywall with your own hands for painting, in this case the surface is smoothed to perfect condition. Professionals even use a lamp for this purpose, under the light of which the slightest flaws in the coating are revealed.
