When performing repairs, one of the most important stages preceding the wallpapering is the alignment of the walls and their puttying. Wallpaper, even the most beautiful and expensive, pasted on a curved wall, can spoil all the impressions of the repair, and even bring disappointment. It should be noted that the puttying process itself is quite laborious, but not so complicated, and therefore almost anyone can do it.
So, how to putty the walls under the wallpaper?
1. The choice of material and its quantity
Before you putty the walls under the wallpaper, you need to decide on the choice of putty. The modern market provides us with a very wide range of building materials. There are many types of putties (adhesive, latex, acrylic, oil, based on PVA, etc.). To select the right material, you should carefully study all the information about each type, consult with the seller or other specialists. By readiness for the use of putty, there are several types:
- Dry mixes. They contain all the components necessary for performing puttying operations: fillers, additives, binders. To work with such putty, it must be diluted with water in the proportions indicated on the package. The advantage of dry mixes is that they do not shrink, and therefore can be used for the most delicate work. The disadvantage is that they require strict adherence to the given proportions of water and mixture, as well as thorough mixing. The term of use of diluted putty usually does not exceed a day.
- Ready mixes. They can be applied immediately to the wall, as they are ready for use. The disadvantage is that after drying there is a slight shrinkage, and therefore it is better not to use ready-made mixes for finishing and not to apply with a thick layer.
After selecting the material, you need to determine its quantity. This is done by calculation, depending on the condition of the walls and the surface area to be putty.
2. Preparatory phase
Before starting work, the walls must be primed. This procedure must be performed before you putty the walls under the wallpaper to ensure reliable adhesion of the putty layer to the wall surface.
3. Directly puttying
Now you can begin to putty. If a dry mixture is used, then before you putty the walls under the wallpaper, it must first be prepared in sufficient quantities. The technology for applying putty is quite simple: with the help of a trowel, the mixture is spread on the wall and then leveled with a spatula, moving it in the right-left and up-down directions, while applying pressure. You need to start work from one side of the wall and move in the opposite direction.
And how to putty the corners of the walls? To putty the inner corners, the mixture is applied on both sides of the corner, and then pressed into a sickle (special adhesive glass tape) previously glued into the corner. It is very important to evenly distribute the putty between the walls. To putty the outer corners, you will need a metal corner, which must be cut in height. Putty is applied to the sides of the outer corners, and then the corner itself is pressed into it. After that, the corner is closed with an additional layer of putty.
You can also apply more putty on the corner, and then after complete drying, treat this place with a wooden block wrapped in sandpaper.
4. Grinding
After the putty is completely dry (usually in a day), the wall must be sanded to get rid of excessive microscopic bulges.
After this, it is necessary to evaluate the result and, if necessary, re-putty.
That's all. Now you have learned how to putty walls. You can safely get to work - and you will succeed!