Repair of the room, whether it is office or residential, is accompanied by ceiling decoration. This stage is one of the first when updating the interior. To do this, it is customary to use many different methods, but first you need to do the preparatory work. The most time-consuming of them are manipulations to align the ceiling.
Used tools
If you have a question about how to align the ceiling, then you should prepare a set of tools, among them you should highlight:
- metal spatulas;
- a stirrer for mixing the working solution;
- paint brush.
Metal spatulas should have different sizes. In order to make it convenient to work with them, the tool must have a rubberized handle. To carry out the manipulations, you will need a container whose volume is approximately 20 liters. It should have high sides and straight walls. The former will protect against spraying of the compounds with stirring, while the walls will simplify the intake of the solution with a spatula.
The paint brush should be completed with a roller. Using these tools, you can apply a primer to the surface. For the final grinding of the base you will need building plaster. It allows you to prepare the ceiling before further painting.
Tools for removing old coatings
Before leveling the ceiling, you must prepare its surface by cleaning it from whitewash, old paint and other coatings. It all depends on how carefully you do it. Surface cleaning is best done with a spatula or scraper. It is possible to get rid of these devices from dry paint.
But if you want to do less and reduce the time for preparation, it is better to moisten the ceiling surface with water, eliminating the draft in the room. The old coating will begin to bubble under these conditions. After that, you can remove the remnants of the old finish. Then the base is washed well.
Plaster preparation
Before carrying out plastering work, you must take care of the presence of a puncher with a wide spatula. Will be needed: foam sponge, brush, bath and primer. The foam sponge can be replaced with a roller on the telescopic handle. The surface is wetted, and then with the help of a wide spatula of the punch, the old layers of decorative finish are removed from the surface.
Materials and technology for leveling critically uneven surfaces: using plaster
Aligning the ceiling with stucco is very common today. This process is highly labor intensive. Despite this, the technique remains relevant. If the level difference reaches 5 cm, then this solution can be considered the only one possible to obtain high-quality repairs.
You can plaster any surfaces, it can be wood or concrete. Before applying the plaster it is necessary to carry out preparatory work. To do this, the concrete floor is cleaned of contaminants. Particular attention should be paid to areas where mold and fungus have formed. These areas are treated with a disinfectant solution. Copper sulfate is perfect.
If the fungus has occupied large areas on the ceiling, then you can fight it with open fire. For this, it is convenient to use plasma welding or a blowtorch. If there is a layer of paint or whitewash on the ceiling, remove the old coating. If you were wondering how to align the ceiling with large differences, then the next step is to carry out a primer, for this "Concrete Contact" is usually used.
To increase the adhesive properties of the primer, it is necessary to treat the base with a sandblasting machine, which will create a roughness. For the same purpose, notches are applied to the ceiling. If you have to work with a wooden surface, then before applying the plaster, a metal mesh with a square mesh is stretched, the side of which is 10 mm. The material is attached to the surface to be machined with studs or staples.
Beacon Installation
Quite often, beginner home masters wonder how to properly level the ceiling. In the next step, you can proceed with the installation of beacons. With the help of them plastering works are carried out. You need to start in leveling. On the walls, for this purpose, a zero line using a masking cord is marked. The location of the point is determined taking into account the lowest mark on the ceiling. The first lighthouse is installed at this place.
Every 300 mm, gypsum marks are applied on the surface, which will look like small sculptures. There should not be a layer of plaster on the ceiling whose thickness exceeds 5 cm. This explains that the beacons should not be larger than this size. To control this parameter in the horizontal plane, a two-meter level is used.
Plastering
After completing work with lighthouses, you can proceed to decorate the ceiling with stucco. To begin with, a working solution is prepared, it can consist of:
When using the last composition, each subsequent layer is applied 25 minutes after the previous one. If you have to work with a cement mixture, then proceed to the formation of each next layer is necessary no earlier than 2 hours.
When using a lime composition, the next layer after the previous is applied as soon as the surface turns white. However, to allow complete drying of the layer is not worth it. After spraying it is not leveled. In compliance with the time for fixing the applied mixture, several primer layers are distributed on top. They are aligned and monitored so that the material does not go beyond the level of beacons.
On the surface should not appear defects in the form of pits and shells. The thickness of the coating layer will depend on this. If you decide how to align the ceiling with your own hands, then the next step is to remove the beacons. This is done after the solution is distributed in the final layer.
In those places where the lighthouses were located, a solution is applied. The plaster layer is checked for evenness. In this case, a rule is applied that is applied to the surface with a change of direction. In this case, irregularities that can be cut can be detected. If you notice cavities, then the used solution is applied to them. At the same time, the places where the ceiling joins the wall and the internal corners are closed. Use for this you need a half.
At the final stage of plastering, a coating layer is applied, which is well leveled to obtain a smooth surface. If the level difference does not exceed 5 cm, then you can perform leveling with dry mixes. They are usually used for small amounts of work. This applies to sealing potholes, when the acquisition of other materials in large quantities is unprofitable. The best solution is the universal Rotband mix, which is suitable for plastering and is made on a gypsum basis.
Ceiling Putty
Aligning the ceiling with putty is the stage that follows after rough roughing with plaster. When there are no significant differences on the ceiling, you can start applying putty. It differs from plaster by the filler fraction. As a result, it is possible to achieve perfect smoothness.
Application of the mixture is carried out in a thin layer. Before this, layers of old plaster are removed from the ceiling. This is true if the surface has not been prepared previously. Small irregularities and tubercles are cleaned with a sandpaper or articulated grater, which is most convenient to use on a long handle.
On the surface being trimmed using PVA glue or a special composition, you can strengthen the paint net. It is also called serpianka, because it is similar to gauze. Recently on sale is offered a serpyanka, which has one self-adhesive layer.
If you still have not decided how to level concrete ceilings, then you can use the described technology. It says that after completing the preparatory phase, you must mix the putty solution. To do this, 30 kg of the mixture is combined with 12 liters of water and mixes well. It is better to use a construction mixer installed at low speeds. It is usually equipped with a whisk. A drill with a special nozzle is also suitable. In the finished form, the mixture should resemble sour cream in consistency. Further work is necessarily carried out as quickly as possible, because the solution can set and harden.
Technique for leveling with putty
If you want to know how to level the ceiling, you must consider that putty is great for this. Its application is carried out with a wide spatula, on the working surface of which the composition is superimposed with a narrow spatula. Then the mixture is transferred to the ceiling.
It is worth wasting time on equalizing stains. They will be removed with a grout net after hardening. As soon as the last coat of putty dries, the base can be sanded. For this, paste with a mesh is used. Its minimum rudeness should be 120 units.
Drywall Leveling
Before you level the ceiling for painting, you must decide what material to use for this. You can apply plaster and hard putty, which are often replaced with drywall. It allows you to work on the dry method. This helps to hide surface defects and to place the communication ceiling in the hollow space.
This type of work is suitable for surfaces with impressive elevations. The plasterboard ceiling allows you to reduce time and financial costs. After mounting the structure you will get a flat surface that will be ready for further decorative decoration.
Drywall ceiling is a structure that consists of metal profiles and the cladding itself. The frame is assembled from the first, to which the canvases are fixed. To perform alignment work, it will be necessary to mark the position of the ceiling. Next, the points where the suspensions will be attached are indicated. These elements hold the structure.
Frame manufacturing
The plasterboard ceiling is arranged using a special technology. At the next stage, you can begin to manufacture the frame. It is based on metal profiles. Drywall sheets will need to be prepared for the installation process. They should be given the required dimensions. The excess is trimmed, and then the paintings are fixed to the frame. Such a ceiling is suitable for rooms of any purpose. This applies even to those rooms whose conditions are characterized by high humidity, because on sale you can find sheets that have high moisture resistance and are resistant to external factors.
Alternative alignment solutions
Before leveling the ceiling in a wooden house, you must select the appropriate material. It may be a suspension system. It consists of elements of the same name, which are attached to install the frame of metal profiles. The next step is the installation of panels that can be made of a variety of materials, namely:
- mineral fiber;
- metal;
- Chipboard.
Stretch ceiling
If you, too, were among those who thought about how to level the ceiling, you can use the hinged system. It is usually quite expensive. This decision is accompanied by mounting the frame-baguette around the perimeter of the ceiling. A polyvinyl chloride web is set into this design. It is heated with a heat gun, and then allowed to cool, which ensures the tension of the material. It becomes resilient and durable.
Finally
Quite often, in apartments of old-type houses, ceilings and walls are uneven. You may encounter this problem when updating the interior of the room. No matter how high-quality materials are used, the design will not turn out to be not so attractive, if you leave the bases unaligned. This is especially true for the ceiling. Its repair is carried out in several stages, the first of which involves the removal of old layers of paint and whitewash. One of the most affordable leveling methods is to apply plaster. But it can not be called the only one.