One of the most common building materials is drywall. During its installation, joints are formed. To correct them correctly, special materials are used. The master should consider the method of sealing the joints of drywall before starting work. Step-by-step instructions will be discussed later.
Why close the joints?
Do-it-yourself seals of drywall seams are carried out according to a certain technology. This is a mandatory procedure when creating suspended ceilings, partitions, other objects from the presented material. If this stage of work is neglected, the result will be unsatisfactory.
Between the joints of drywall there is a small space. This is a necessary technological gap. It is literally 3-5 mm. If you stack the sheets denser, they are deformed at the joints, covered with cracks. Such a finish will not last long. Therefore, the gaps left when laying drywall sheets must be treated with special solutions.
If there are no joints left, the surface of the drywall ceiling or partition will be perfectly flat. This will allow you to finish. A properly treated surface can be painted, whitened, plastered, etc. Not even the slightest bumps will remain on it.
If the drywall joints are improperly sealed during the operation of the object, the sheets will slightly change their sizes. Expanding and narrowing under the influence of humidity in the room, the materials presented will destroy the upper decorative layer. As a result, cracks will appear on the surface. In this case, all the work will need to be redone. This is fraught with unforeseen financial costs. Therefore, the processing of the seams between the sheets of drywall must be performed correctly.
Instruments
How to putty drywall joints? First of all, you need to prepare the necessary tools. They must be clean. If a solution has frozen on the tools, it must be washed off. Otherwise, the result of the work will be unsatisfactory.
The main tool for such work is a putty knife. They will need two pieces during the repair of joints. The first spatula should be wide. With this tool, the mortar will be applied to the seams. The second spatula should be narrow. It allows you to pry the required amount of solution from the container, and then apply it to the edge of the first spatula.
Necessarily need a clean container for the preparation of gypsum mortar. It can be a wide bucket or a bowl. Capacity can be made of metal or plastic. But its inner surface must be perfectly clean.
You should also prepare a roller or brush. Using this tool, a primer will be applied.
A planer is also one of the main means at hand when carrying out repair and construction works of this type. With its help, the chamfer of sheets (edges) will be cut. The plane is used even at the stage of drywall installation. If the sheets are already mounted, this tool is not required.
Emery paper will allow to qualitatively grind a surface, having prepared it for the subsequent works. You need to choose two grain sizes of this available tool. One of them should be medium, and the second should be small.
Materials
It is necessary to prepare the relevant materials before work. Their choice should be approached responsibly. First of all, putty will be required. Also need a sickle. This is a special tape that makes the seam stronger. Instead, you can also use special paper tape.
Be sure to purchase a deep penetration primer, which is suitable for drywall processing. This composition will make the seam stronger. Acrylic-based materials are more suitable for interior work.
Particular attention should be paid to the choice of putty. For such work, any composition will not work. It should be designed for drywall sheets. These are gypsum based putties. They should have a fairly small fraction, and should also be white. You can choose universal putties that are used for finishing sheets or leveling surfaces. This, for example, “VOLMA-seam” or other similar compounds.
Wanting to save money, you can buy two types of gypsum putty. The first is called the start because its fraction is larger. This is a rougher finish, the cost of which is lower than that of the finishing putty at the same expense. The latter is applied after creating the starting layer. It allows you to create a perfectly smooth surface. However, for many masters, this method seems too complicated. In most cases, the joint is closed only with finishing putty.
The choice of putty
Today, many varieties of putties are on sale. Many manufacturers produce both gypsum and cement based formulations. The second option is used for external work, has a gray color. Gypsum putties are white, but some may have a pinkish tint. It depends on the type of gypsum and how it is processed.
One of the most popular materials is the VOLMA-seam. It is a gypsum composition that comes dry. It is diluted with water in a proportion specified by the manufacturer. This is a universal composition that can be used for finishing gypsum plasterboard, as well as for sealing joints. The product has good adhesion and economical consumption.
Knauf Finish putty is very popular. This is a quality composition that is easy to use. It is elastic, creates a durable seam that is not susceptible to cracking. Putty "Knauf Finish" is also a universal composition. It is also used for the subsequent finishing of drywall.
In addition to the final composition, Knauf also produces special compositions. These are, for example, the Fugenfüller and Uniflot. The second brand of putty is quite expensive. But this is the most durable composition that is currently on the market. When using it, you do not even need to use a tape for drywall seams.
Working conditions
Having chosen the putty for the joints of drywall, having prepared all the necessary tools and materials, you can begin to work. It should be noted that work should be carried out in appropriate conditions. Otherwise, even a very durable material will not be able to provide a high-quality, durable seam.
It is recommended to work with gypsum putty at a room temperature of +10 º. Some manufacturers indicate on the packaging that the putty is designed to work at a temperature of +5 º, but it is still better to provide a higher level of heating in the room. It is also worth noting that temperature jumps must be excluded during the entire period of repair work.
Drafts in the room are strictly prohibited. Therefore, you need to close windows and doors tightly.
Certain restrictions also apply to indoor humidity. It should not be too high or too low. Humidity should be between 50-70%. Therefore, the sealing of joints, as well as the installation of sheets of drywall, must be performed after pouring the screed and its complete drying. All processes requiring the use of wet formulations (except for the drywall finish) should already be completed.
It is very important to properly attach the drywall sheets to the frame. If they do not adhere firmly to the metal profile, the sheets will peel off. This will lead to cracking of even the strongest solution.
Beginning of work
First you need to properly process the drywall sheets. This procedure is carried out at the stage of their installation. Use a planer to chamfer. An open place made of gypsum material will differ in maximum adhesion only after processing the end with a primer. To do this, use a roller or brush.
When the sheet is installed in the appropriate place of the frame, you need to prepare a gypsum solution. To do this, use the manufacturer's instructions. When the putty is prepared, it is filled with a joint.
With a narrow spatula, a solution is collected, applied to the edge of a wide spatula. Then it is distributed longitudinally to the interface. The width of the seam must exceed the size of the gap. Putty must be pressed into the recess so that there are no voids under it. If the seam is long (more than 3 m), you need to break it into several sections.
Next, you need to impose a reinforcing tape on the adhesive base of the prepared joint. It must be applied to the seam before the solution dries. Drywall Serpyanka is a reinforcing frame. Outwardly, it resembles a medical bandage. But this tape is made of polymer. It must be applied to an important layer of putty, slightly pressing it into the solution. There is also a paper tape.
Serpyanka impose so that the joint runs in the center of the tape. After that, the layer is left to dry. When it is completely dry, put another layer of putty on top of the reinforcing tape. The adhesive base of the joint should dry thoroughly.
Shutdown
The sealing of drywall joints does not endure haste. It is necessary to wait for the complete drying of the solution both when applying the first and second coat of putty. When this happens, the top layer of the solution, which is located above the sickle, needs to be sanded. To do this, use sandpaper. If the amount of work is large, you can use a drill with a special nozzle. An emery wheel is put on it. So grouting is faster.
First you need to wipe the dried putty with an emery cloth of medium size, and then with a fine material. Next, coat the created seams with a primer. When it dries, you can begin the subsequent work on the decoration of drywall. They are also puttyed with the finish composition. When it dries, the surface is ground.
After that, it will be possible to paint the surface of the ceiling or partition. If desired, you can use any other type of finish. This can be wallpaper, whitewash, other materials that match the selected design and interior style.
Corner trim
In the process of sealing joints of drywall, you need to consider the procedure for processing a solution of angles. In this case, an unprofessional master may have certain difficulties. First you need to distribute the prepared solution on one side of the spatula.
Then putty should be applied to one gap, which forms a right angle. It is necessary to ensure that the solution qualitatively fills the seam. The same procedure is carried out on the other side of the corner. Such actions can avoid overuse of putty.
Next you need to cut a piece of sickle. It is doubled and applied to the corner. After this, a layer of solution is first applied to it, first on one side of the corner, and then on the other. Having stretched the solution with a spatula in the direction from the intersection of the two seams, it turns out to close the seam. This technique is used for internal angles in the flow. Then the procedure is performed as usual.
To process external corners, you will need to purchase a metal corner. It is fixed with screws. Then, using a wide spatula, first putty is put on the seam on one side. The same procedure is performed on the other hand. Then you need to wait until the solution dries. It is polished as usual. Serpyanka in this case is not needed, since the seam was already additionally reinforced with a metal corner.
Humidity level
Experts say that even if all of the above requirements are met, cracks may appear on the drywall surface. This is due to significant changes in temperature and humidity in the room.
Gypsum, from which sheets and mortar are made to seal joints, can absorb a large amount of moisture. Because of this, materials are increasing in size. If the room first significantly increased the humidity level, and then it dropped to normal, with a high degree of probability cracks will appear on the finishing materials.
To avoid this, do not mount drywall in the bathroom, in the kitchen. Here the humidity level can fluctuate significantly. It is better to choose other materials for decoration, such as PVC.
Some tips from professionals
Experienced builders claim that one of the most common mistakes made by beginners is not filling the joints well with mortar. Voids appear inside the joint, which significantly reduces the life of the finish. Therefore, when performing work, you need to ensure that the solution is well rammed in the recess.
To extend the life of the finish, you need to make good ventilation in the room. You can install a climate control system in the room, which will monitor the level of humidity and temperature. This will maintain the same indoor conditions. In this case, the likelihood of cracking will be minimized.