In new homes, walls can be of fairly acceptable quality. But modern design requires them to be perfectly even. Someone will be redecorated, while another needs to get a quality surface.
How to make walls even and smooth
How and how to align the walls? Options may be as follows:
- The use of plaster.
- Paneling.
- The combined method.
Most of the area of the premises consists of walls that are almost completely open, therefore all defects are visible on them. The question of how to align the walls in an apartment usually arises when overhaul is done. Irregularities can be hidden under liquid wallpaper or decorative plaster. Smaller defects hide well under the wallpaper with a chaotic pattern. This will be a partial solution to the problem, but due to it, the amount of remaining work can be significantly reduced.
How to make walls flat with drywall
If, when deciding how to align the walls, plasterboard is selected, then here again it is necessary to determine how this should be done. There are two options. It is frameless and wireframe.
Frameless Method
Plasterboard sheets (GKL) are installed on special glue. If the irregularities do not exceed 7 mm, the composition is leveled along 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 bred in small portions, since hardening occurs in half an hour. Cakes are applied around the entire perimeter of the GCR, 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, evenness in the corners and at the joints is checked.
Wireframe method
When deciding how to align the walls in the apartment, it must be borne in mind that the frame method “eats” a rather large amount of space. It is used mainly in spacious rooms and when it is necessary to hide communications.
For the installation of sheets, a frame of profiles or well-dried wooden blocks is first attached. First, ceiling and floor guide profiles are installed , and vertical racks are inserted at them at a distance of 40 and 60 cm. The latter are additionally fixed with suspensions, which are nailed to the walls. Then, communications are laid inside the frame, after which they begin to be fixed with self-tapping screws. All joints between them must necessarily go through profiles. During installation, fixtures, sockets and switches are inserted into the drywall. All electrical appliances from the walls under the GCR 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 serpentine, and then putty is applied to it.
Alignment of walls with a building mixture
When choosing how to align the walls, the first thought comes to 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 to better 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 by knocking down the main protrusions. It is possible that after that the wall will just need to be puttied, after which it will be perfectly flat.
If the bumps on the wall cannot be removed, the necessary 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 the 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 time-consuming, as wall breaking for wiring may be required. In addition, all electrical appliances must be removed and insulated the ends of the wires.
First of all, the wall is covered with several layers of primer. Stucco is better on it. The primer is applied with a roller or construction brushes. Brushes are also necessary for inaccessible places, for example in niches and corners.
After the primed surface has dried, the wall can be plastered. With small irregularities, one leveling layer is sufficient. Usually put three layers of plaster with a primer of each of them.
Rules for applying plaster
- The plaster is leveled along the wall in a circular motion with a wide spatula.
- The first layer is draft, with its help eliminate the main grooves 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 cement-sand mortar is considered the most common, cheap and simple. Skills for preparing and applying plaster are quickly acquired and always remain in demand.
The surface of the wall is first treated with a primer. Then on it at a distance of 1 m are installed guide rails, called beacons. They are fixed on a cement mortar and allowed to dry. Cement and sand 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 project 2-3 mm beyond the level of the beacons. After that, you should draw a rule along them from the bottom up, so that the surface becomes smooth. In places where there are small recesses, you need to add the solution with a spatula, and then once again align the wall with the rule.
After the first layer is applied, he is allowed to fix and dry, then the next one is applied. Thus, they continue to work until the entire wall is leveled. Finishing work can be continued after 10 days, when the cement is completely dry.
How to align the walls in the bathroom
The bathroom is a small room, repairs in it can be done quite quickly and efficiently. How to align the walls in the bathroom? To do this, use a cement-sand mixture or gypsum, which after hardening are not afraid of water. Water-resistant drywall is also suitable, but it takes up a lot of space. When deciding how to align the walls under the tiles, you need to weigh the pros and cons to make the right choice. The mortar is laid by 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 they rub the resulting recesses with them. Before finishing, the wall is primed. Then you can glue ceramic tiles on it.
How to align the walls under the wallpaper
It is difficult to achieve the ideal wall surface in a large room. And often you have to think about how to align the walls with the wallpaper. The most important thing here is the last stage. Roughing is also of great importance, since the overall flatness of the surfaces depends on it. Brick walls must first be plastered. Old surfaces are thoroughly cleaned, they must be removed from all the previous finish. For smoothing the surface under the wallpaper, as a rule, putty is most often used.
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 primer coat applied on top. The final layer of putty is sanded with sandpaper.
How to prepare mortars for leveling walls
Solutions can be prepared or have to be diluted independently. Putty and plaster 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 suitable only for dry rooms.
Gypsum plaster is widely used. It is able to regulate the humidity in the room, absorbing or giving it away, and is a good heat insulator.
The question of how to align the walls can be easily resolved by applying decorative plaster. Its various types serve as a finishing coating or base for it. The textured surface hides bumps and flaws well.
There is a large variety of leveling compounds for plastering with a thin layer of smooth surfaces from building materials. They do not hold well only on plastic and wooden substrates. Special compositions for the restoration of building facades are made.
Conditions for the use of all wall coverings:
- the base must be clean and free from old coatings;
- surfaces are pre-treated with a primer or lining emulsion.
When solving the problem of how to level the wall surface, the question of saving always arises. 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 still added to it. Setting takes place in an hour.
A mixture can be skinny when it contains little binder. It does not delaminate during use and does not crack upon drying, but is not durable. The greasy mixture is characterized in that it adheres to the instrument. When dried, it shrinks and can form cracks. When cooking, you need to make a medium solution. Then it is well applied and forms a strong layer.
How to align corners
The unevenness of the corners emphasizes the curvature of the walls, and this most of all spoils the appearance of the room. To derive internal angles, beacons are first installed. From the corners they should be at a distance of about 30 cm. First, the plaster is applied between all the beacons, and then leveled by the rule. After the plaster dries, the corner is putty with a putty with a slightly thicker thickness than necessary, at intervals of 20 cm. Then, a perforated corner (counter-schulz) is pressed into it using a level, the excess coating is removed. The next day, the surfaces of the adjacent plane of the walls are leveled, and then the finish coating is applied.
On the outside corners, the countertop is pressed into the putty the other way around. 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 it will be possible to level the angle in an hour. If the differences are too large, then you can smooth them with the same material.
Conclusion
When deciding how to align the walls, you should first determine the consumption of materials and means. Walls are easier to level with drywall if the unevenness is significant.
The correct assessment of the surface quality allows you to make the necessary 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.