Almost every home owner, sooner or later, must face the process of leveling walls. They are not often perfectly straight. During overhaul the procedure will become especially relevant, since during such repairs, various communications are most often installed in the walls. In this article we will look at how to level the walls on your own and what is better, as well as what is required for this.
Using putty
First, let's look at how to level a wall with putty. Using putty is the easiest way to create a smooth surface. This method is usually used before finishing the room. For example, you need to treat the surface before wallpapering it. Let us immediately note that the cosmetic option will be possible when the walls are without significant damage, i.e. small pits, cracks or similar defects. If there is serious damage, this method is not suitable.
The question immediately arises - what to level and what is better? The technology involves the use of putty without beacons. Before starting work, you need to purchase a dry composition. Nowadays, ready-made liquid putty is available on the market. If you bought a dry composition, then you need to dilute it in some container. The whole process is not complicated and does not require any special skills from you. Leveling is carried out with a large or medium (trowel) trowel. There is no need to apply putty over the entire surface. It should only be used in areas that have defects.
After you have applied the putty composition, it needs to be leveled. Then, when the surface has become smooth, you need to wait a little until it dries. When the composition has dried, you can continue to work. To complete the work, you need to rub the putty with fine sandpaper, thereby removing all unnecessary elements from the surface. We’ve all figured out how to level the walls in an apartment with our own hands, or rather one of the methods. Let's move on to the other methods.
Dry leveling method
Dry leveling is usually carried out using plasterboard. However, many do not know how to level walls with plasterboard.
Plasterboard sheets are one of the lightest and most economical materials to work with. It has the following advantages over other materials:
- Easy to cut. You can create shapes of various shapes;
- In addition to leveling walls, it can be used to perform sound and heat insulation of rooms;
- GCR is completely safe and environmentally friendly pure material. It does not contain harmful additives or impurities;
- Certain types of drywall can be used in fire hazardous areas, but even ordinary gypsum plasterboards resist fire very well.
- Affordable. Sold in almost any hardware store;
- Anyone can work with it, even without experience. However, figuring out how to level the walls with this material yourself will not be superfluous;
- Not needed during operation special tool. A minimum set of tools is required.
In order to level the walls with plasterboard without beacons, you first need to measure the room in which you will be making repairs. It won't hurt if you complete the drawing. After measurements, you need to calculate the required number of components. For fastening plasterboard sheets metal profiles may be required.
Such work can be carried out in several ways - with a frame and without a frame.
Aligning plasterboard with frame
First, let's look at how to line up plasterboard walls with framing. While attaching drywall to the frame, you can simultaneously perform additional layer thermal insulation. In a similar way, you can protect the room from excess noise.. During the work process it will be necessary to assemble the base of the frame. This method is not advisable to use in small rooms. The whole point is that the area of the room will decrease.
In addition to the drywall sheets themselves, you need to purchase guides, hangers, racks and screws. The guides must be installed on the floor. The racks are fixed to the wall. To do this, it is best to use hangers; thanks to them, the racks are held more securely. After fixing the racks, you can attach sheets of drywall to them.
In some cases, using this method is preferable to leveling the surface with putty y.
Leveling with plasterboard without frame
Now let's see how to properly level walls with plasterboard without using a frame. This method involves fixing the sheets by gluing.
Processing a wall without a drywall frame will look like this:
- On the surface of the wall you need to create a grid of dowels and twisted screws. The screws should be approximately 25-30 cm apart from each other.
- A putty solution is prepared. It needs to be placed on each screw. You need to put it on in such a way that the self-tapping screw is hidden under a layer of putty. The thickness of the layer should be no less than 1 cm. To carry out the work, you must use gypsum putty, which dries quickly.
- Drywall sheets must be pressed against the applied putty. This is done as strongly and densely as possible.
If there is a lot of damage or very uneven, then it is better to think about how to level it. Most likely, using the wireframe method will be preferable. It is intended for more complex cases.
Please pay attention! If you decide to figure out how to line the walls in an apartment with your own hands using plasterboard, then you need to know that such walls will not be designed for hanging cabinets. If you hang something heavy, it will not hold and the surface will also begin to deteriorate. plasterboard partition. The material is a very fragile material. However, despite its fragility, in some cases it is simply irreplaceable and immediately removes doubts about how to level the surface. If you still need to hang something, you can use various panels or wood-fiber materials.
Using gypsum plaster
Wet leveling of walls is carried out with plaster. It can be gypsum or cement.
Cement plaster will be cheaper in cost. It is used both during internal and external works. When doubts arise about how to level it, it is she who comes to the fore.
The main advantage of this material is its resistance to moisture. It is thanks to this property that it is actively used in kitchens and bathrooms with high humidity. Cement plaster is also often used in non-residential premises, for example, in garages. In such cases, the problem of how to level the walls yourself does not exist, since you can practice and get better at it.
Gypsum plaster will be more expensive than cement plaster. However, it will create a more favorable microclimate. It can be applied from above cement plaster, which can serve as the basis of a leveling layer.
Leveling walls with plaster can be divided into 3 stages. Firstly, by level. After placing the beacons, the stage of applying the plaster mortar begins, taking into account the exposed beacons. The final stage the applied plaster layer will be leveled.
What is better: drywall or plaster?
There is quite a lot of controversy over which method will be the most effective. If you are looking for information in order to understand how to level walls with wallpaper on your own, then you a suitable method using putty (if possible) or plasterboard sheets. If you need to figure out how to level more complex walls, then plaster will do.
It must be said that people began to use plaster a long time ago. This is very old method. The surface after treatment with the plaster composition is strong enough to withstand and wall cabinets, and other similar items, which cannot be said about a plasterboard surface.
Please pay attention! Applying plaster will take a long time. Moreover, the bulk of the time will be spent on the process of placing beacons. This process is quite responsible and will require all concentration and accuracy.
Plaster has another significant advantage. She will not take up space from small rooms. Drywall, on the contrary, even if laid directly on bare walls, will still reduce the area of the room.
When you choose what to use to line the walls - plaster or plasterboard, it is best to choose the material with which you are more familiar and will be easier to work with. If you have never dealt with plaster, then it would be better to choose drywall, because... easier to work with. In addition, gypsum boards are sometimes simply irreplaceable. For example, in old houses the walls are sometimes in such poor condition that plaster may not be effective and only sheets of drywall can help.
Or putty.
How well this part of the work is carried out will directly depend appearance finished surface and its performance qualities.
If pre-treatment is neglected, the uneven base may begin to deform and crack over time, which will ruin the aesthetics of the top, finishing coating.
Any type cosmetic repairs, or painting, tiling, implies an indispensable preparatory procedure. It can be done by hired finishing specialists, but you can do it yourself.
First you need to inspect the entire room, determine the size and nature of defects and irregularities. Without this, it will be difficult to plan the progress of upcoming work.
What is the best way to level the walls, how to do it easily and quickly?
To accurately assess vertical flaws, you can use a water or.
This way the degree of curvature of existing defects will be more clearly visible.
When the assessment activities are completed, the actual leveling of the wall surfaces begins.
How to level a wall yourself. Preparation
Depending on the type and size of flaws, the number of defects and irregularities, various methods leveling the walls.
- Dry. Involves installation of auxiliary structures different types. For example, this could be drywall. The method is more labor-intensive, because it will require the manufacture of a frame on which sheets of material will then be attached.
- Raw. This method involves the use of special construction compounds: putty and plaster, including. This method well suited for uneven areas ranging from three to five centimeters in size. All holes are carefully sealed with mortar, and the resulting unevenness is carefully smoothed out.
Required materials and tools
For each type of finishing construction work materials are needed that are impossible to do without. To level the walls you will have to stock up on:
Types of mixtures
Numerous manufacturers finishing materials offer different kinds solutions with different properties and compositions. Based on their main characteristics, they can be divided into the following groups.
Cement
They have some disadvantages: drying time, not very good adhesion s, slight cracking. The first type of mixtures can be considered more universal.
Plaster
Gypsum-based compositions are especially popular for work.
Leveling the surface with gypsum allows you to apply a fairly wide layer that dries quickly, has excellent ductility, and high heat and sound insulation properties.
There are special gypsum compositions - rotgypsum and rotbands: special additives in them significantly increase adhesive properties.
Heat-saving
Straw is used as filler, sawdust and others natural materials, thanks to which it is possible to maintain an optimal microclimate in the room.
Wall leveling process
Leveling walls with plaster
What is the structure of the wall preparation work?
Before starting work on leveling the walls, it is important to do special preparatory work: dismantle the old coating, evaluate the working surface intended for.
It should not delaminate or crumble. Often, already in the process of working on the old layer, after the freshly applied layer has dried, defects that were not visible before become noticeable. To ensure that the result of the work performed pleases you, observe the following conditions:
- the wall must be properly maintained;
- the construction mixture must be chosen wisely;
- beacons are required.
For brickwork It is best to use one of the types of cement mixtures, the cost of which is very low. The material can be applied in a fairly thick layer, which is especially important when treating masonry walls. But it is important to remember that if the applied layer is thicker than two centimeters, a plaster mesh is certainly used to reinforce the composition.
For treating smooth concrete surfaces leveling compounds are suitable for gypsum base. They contain microparticles of quartz, which give the surface some roughness. Before this, the wall must be primed. A polymer mesh of five by five millimeters is used for reinforcement.
For foam concrete surfaces They also use gypsum-based mixtures with mandatory preliminary priming.
Installation of beacons
What are called lighthouses in construction?
These are unique guides that help control the leveling of the surface when using liquid products. In this capacity, a special perforated profile is usually used under the plaster, the width of which is determined by the thickness of the applied composition.
It is very convenient to use purchased factory products that do not have to be cleaned after the event, and, accordingly, mask the resulting unevenness.
Such beacons are placed vertically on strips of quick-hardening mixture intended for plastering. The distance between individual beacons is calculated according to the size of the rule so that it does not slide off them, relying on a pair of neighboring ones.
Plaster application technique
To do this, you will need a tool with a handle, which is called a “falcon”: in appearance it resembles a familiar trowel, but has a much larger base. With such a “falcon” and a trowel, an excess amount of solution is thrown into the gap between the individual beacons.
The mixture is scooped up from the “falcon” with a trowel, then thrown onto the wall. The use of such a device improves labor productivity, since there is no need to constantly approach the working container for the mixture. And this reduces the time required for the event.
Next, the solution is carefully distributed from bottom to top. To apply a more voluminous and massive layer of plaster, make a rough outline without leveling. When this preliminary layer dries, a finishing mark is carried out, which must be leveled.
Leveling the wall with putty
Before starting work, the surface is primed. The process of puttying with your own hands is not difficult.
But the method is not suitable in all cases: leveling the wall in this way is only possible if the height differences are not very significant.
What will you need for the job?
You will need:
- narrow and wide spatulas,
- low cuvette.
The mixture should have a thick enough consistency so that the mixture formed during stirring does not change its shape.
Over time, the composition begins to thicken, so a little primer or water is added to it periodically.
If the mixture has the required thickness, then it does not slide off the spatula and adheres perfectly to a vertical surface.
The diluted putty is transferred to a cuvette and covered to prevent it from drying out.
A small amount of the composition is applied to the surface with a spatula, which is then leveled with uniform vertical and horizontal movements.
Holding the spatula at a certain angle, the mixture is distributed to a thickness of 1-2 millimeters: the greater the angle formed by the spatula and the surface, the smaller the thickness of the mixture. It is convenient to fix the spatula blade with the second hand.
When the composition has set slightly, it is washed using a primer. This removes various irregularities and sagging. When the first layer is completely dry, which will take at least a day after washing, it is treated with fine sandpaper, getting rid of roughness.
If you plan to apply a second layer, then the previously puttied surface is primed again.
If you skip this procedure, moisture may be absorbed into the already applied one. After about a day, the surface is sanded again. For convenience, it is wound on a small block or small board.
Drywall
It is not uncommon to encounter walls that are very uneven and have large gouges and gouges. These are almost impossible to fix with plastering.
It is best to use drywall for this purpose.
Getting rid of unevenness with its help can be considered one of the most effective, and at the same time low-budget options.
It can be carried out with or without a frame.
Aligning the walls with the frame
If you prefer frame method, then you first need to make the frame itself - sheets of material will be mounted on it.
It can be made from:
- metal profile (rack and guide)
- or wooden beam.
The latter is less durable, since wood is susceptible to moisture, microorganisms, and can become deformed. Yes, and it is somewhat more difficult to install. It is for this reason that a metal profile often acts as a base.
To construct the frame, we screw a pair of parallel profiles (in relation to each other) to the ceiling.
After 40-60 cm, taking into account the width of the sheet, we place guides. On at this stage It is most rational to carry out insulation with foam plastic or mineral wool, if there are intentions to do so.
When the frame is ready, they begin to attach plasterboard sheets to it. To do this, you will need special self-tapping screws made of oxidized metal.
The distance between individual fasteners should be from 40 to 60 centimeters. The hats are slightly “recessed” into the material.
Leveling walls without a frame
The frameless method has significant differences. Sheets of material are attached directly to the surface to be finished using glue. The obvious disadvantage of this method is that walls with large-scale defects cannot be corrected with its help.
There are other ways to level walls. For this they use plastic panels or sheets of durable plywood. The technology for their installation is similar to that with drywall, only wooden blocks are used instead.
It's easy and pretty economical way, which is popular. Among other things, it allows you to mask all communications. It is actively used when decorating bathrooms, country houses and garages.
Very often, when starting to decorate walls, you may encounter a problem related to the quality of the base. Moreover, this problem arises in most new buildings: the walls of the apartment are uneven, with many various defects. Such a surface cannot be painted or wallpaper glued to it, because... The wallpaper pattern will “float” and the sheets will stick crookedly. How to properly level the walls with your own hands so that the surface becomes perfectly flat?
How to level walls with your own hands
There are two ways to level the walls: using plasterboard sheets and using dry mixtures. Plasterboard wall It will be possible to putty, paint, and wallpaper on it in the future. But many craftsmen do not recommend gluing tiles onto drywall: they say its surface is too smooth. A universal method for leveling walls is the use of dry mixtures (plasters, putties). The finished surface turns out to be perfectly smooth and is perfect for any material - tiles, wallpaper, or simply for painting.
How to evaluate surface roughness
Before you begin leveling the walls, you need to measure the unevenness of the surface. To do this you will need a plumb line or a long level (2-2.5 m). Drive a nail into one of the corners of the room, leaving about 2-3 mm on the surface. This will be the first beacon. Now take some weight, for example a nut, and attach it to the nail by a thread. Hang the plumb line so that the weight almost reaches the floor. When the weight stops swinging, the plumb line forms a straight line. Then drive a second nail into the bottom of the wall so that the nail head and thread are in line.
First of all, you need to carefully prepare the surface for work.
Drive the nails in the same way and lower the plumb line from the opposite part of the wall. You will get four nails driven in around the perimeter of the wall and, accordingly, two straight lines. Now, to measure the unevenness, you will need a long thread, which you need to stretch from one end of the top nail to the opposite side of the bottom one. When fastening the thread crosswise, make sure that it does not come into contact with the wall. Tensioned threads - best landmark, from which you can see the deviation and you can decide how to align the walls, video and photos of the beacon installation process will help you imagine this system.
Now, thanks to the cords stretched at four points, you can see the exact condition of the wall surface in the room. If the deviation is small and is no more than 10-15 mm, gypsum or cement mixtures will be needed to level the wall.
How to level walls for tiles
If you plan to decorate the wall with tiles or tiles in the room, you need to level the walls with dry building mixtures. This method is considered more labor-intensive than, for example, leveling with plasterboard sheets. We will look in detail at how to level the walls in an apartment using mixtures.
The first stage is surface preparation. Clean the walls from old coverings (wallpaper, paint, loose plaster), turn off the power supply. The second stage is priming the base. It is necessary to prime the surface so that the plaster adheres well to the surface. It increases moisture resistance and prevents delamination of materials. For cement mixtures, the so-called “cement laitance” is usually used - a solution of sand, water and cement.
In order for the tile to lie flat and without defects, the surface must be perfect.
To calculate how to level the walls you need to install approximate beacons. Installation of the slats, which will serve as a guide, begins with installing the profile on opposite sides of the wall. The vertical position of the beacon is checked using a plumb line. The profile is fixed on the wall with construction plaster - it is applied to the lath at several points. Now pull the cord through the profiles in the middle, bottom and top. Install the remaining slats so that the cord lightly touches them. The distance between the beacons is selected in accordance with the size of the tool that will be used to apply the plaster.
Choosing a leveling mixture
After this, you can begin applying the building mixture. When choosing a leveling compound, pay attention to the maximum thickness of the layer that will be applied and the type of bonding material. Gypsum building mixtures are best used for living rooms (bedroom, living room, children's room, etc.), as they well maintain the indoor microclimate. For wet rooms such as the kitchen or bathroom - cement mixtures are recommended. Cement-based mixtures prevent moisture from penetrating into concrete base, which prevents the development of fungus and mold.
The choice of dry mixture must be taken very seriously, because this is the key to successful repair work. In this case, you cannot save money by buying cheap building mixtures of dubious production. Also, remember that each room is suitable for a specific type of mixture. For example, you cannot level the bathroom walls with gypsum mixture, which may remain after leveling the wall in the bedroom. Relatively brands You can get recommendations directly from a hardware store.
Plaster solutions You can cook it yourself. For cement mortar you will need 1 part M400 cement and 6 parts sand. Pour sand into the mixing box and then add a layer of sand. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and start adding water gradually. Stir until creamy consistency. Some masters cook cement mortars, using 1 part cement and 2-3 parts sand as a basis. A mixture with a small amount of sand is more flexible and therefore easier to work with. You need to dilute the purchased dry mixture according to the instructions. Ready solutions must be used within 1-2 hours after preparation, otherwise they may lose their properties.
Work order
Having determined the curvature of the walls using a plumb line, you can calculate approximate costs and consumption of the selected material. By the way, to reduce costs, it is not at all necessary to plaster all the walls to a perfectly smooth surface. In some cases it is enough to Finishing work only on those surfaces on which it is very noticeable: walls on which light falls, walls opposite the window, etc. The surface behind the furniture, cluttered with cabinets, does not have to be perfectly smooth. But, if you decide to correct only the most visible defects, think carefully about this step, suddenly after a while you decide to rearrange or re-glue the wallpaper, and all the irregularities will become noticeable.
The job of leveling walls with a plaster falcon requires some skill, but is not too difficult
Prepare the tools for plastering works. In order to level the walls with your own hands, you will need a spatula for mixing, spreading and smoothing the mortar, a drill with an attachment (construction mixer) for stirring dry mixtures, and a plaster falcon. The plaster falcon is indispensable assistant when carrying out finishing work. Many masters manage without it, despite the fact that this tool greatly simplifies the process of putty and plastering. It is a square shield 45x45 or 40x40 cm, in the middle of which a metal or wooden handle. Applied to the falcon required amount plaster, which is immediately used. Using a falcon, you won't have to constantly bend over to the bucket.
Clear the walls of old paint and wallpaper. After cleaning, carefully inspect the walls for rust stains, soot, oil stains and mildew. Remove all defects found mechanically. For some types of stains, you can use special acid or alkaline compounds. After this, inspect the old plaster, selectively tapping the wall surface. Beat poorly adhering plaster away from the surface so that you can subsequently plaster this area with a more durable solution.
Do not carry out finishing work on a damp wall. All damp places from old plaster or stains must be dried. After this, the wall surface is carefully primed. Due to the fact that the primer penetrates deeply into the surface of the base, it significantly improves the adhesion of layers of plaster applied to the wall.
In preparation for work, clear the floors of debris and cover them thick paper or cardboard so as not to subsequently clean them of dried solution. So, let's get to work. IN right hand take the plaster spatula and the falcon in the left one. Having collected the required amount of plaster on its surface, throw a portion of the mortar onto the wall and begin leveling. You can plaster the wall by spreading mortar from the falcon. In this case, it must be placed directly against the wall and the falcon with its contents must be directed from the bottom up.
Without experience, it will be quite difficult to get a perfectly flat surface, because... Such work requires accuracy and precision. The same beacons will help you achieve smooth walls. As a guide, there can be slats of the required length, width 2-3 cm and thickness equal to the thickness of the plaster coating. The slats can be secured with plaster mortar or nails.
Installing beacons will help achieve better results and facilitate the alignment process itself.
Plastering with beacons is done as follows: level the solution with a trowel and apply it in the direction from bottom to top. The amount of mortar is added until the layer of plaster reaches the level of the beacons. After this, the slats are carefully removed, and the remaining space is filled with solution.
At the junction of the walls and ceiling, angles are formed that must be made absolutely equal. Crooked corners can also form where two walls meet. How to align the corners of walls and remove defects after plastering work? Leveling can be done both by level and by plane (along the bumps). If the walls are being prepared for wallpaper, then it is better to level the corners. For other types of finishing: decorative plaster, painting, etc. corners can be aligned flat.
When leveling corners with gypsum plaster, a beacon is made in the corner itself, after which the corner is tightened to the width of the rule. The smoothness of the transition from the corner to the wall depends on the width of the rule. The longer the instrument, the less noticeable the transition will be. When working, you should use gypsum plaster (starting putty), since it is this mixture that allows you to level thin layers without sagging.
Leveling walls under tiles using drywall is different high quality
You can align the internal corners using reinforcing tape. Moisten a wide spatula with water and apply to both sides. internal corner putty. Make sure that the surface is evenly covered and that the layer of putty is not too thin. On both sides of the corner, the area covered should be about 50 mm. Dip the reinforcing tape into a bucket of water and bend it in half lengthwise. Now place it on the corner and press it into the putty. Start straightening it by holding the top end and straightening it towards the bottom edge.
Then moisten a wide spatula (10 cm) again and run it along each side of the corner. In this case, the edge of the spatula must be kept as close as possible to the bend. The force with which you need to press should be sufficient to squeeze out excess putty from under the tape. To avoid sagging and unevenness, clean the surface of the corner with a dry spatula. It is not recommended to use sandpaper or sanding mesh for cleaning, because... Doing so may damage the tape. Repeat applying the putty until your angle is perfectly even. Last layer apply with an angled trowel, which is more than 25 cm wide. After applying a fresh layer of plaster, run the angled trowel over the surface of the wall, pressing it to both sides. Now grab a 15-25 cm section along the wall. If you get a slight corrugation, remove it with a thin layer of finishing putty.
How to align walls with wallpaper
It is much easier to level walls with plasterboard than with dry mixtures. Gypsum boards are fixed on a special frame made of metal profiles. Standard Sheet plasterboard - 2500x1200x12.5 cm. Based on these parameters, decide on the amount of material.
Measure the walls. If their length above and below is the same, then you can safely continue. If the lengths are different, this must be taken into account when mounting the frame. For example, the length of the lower edge of one wall is 3 m, while the length of the opposite wall is 3 m 5 cm. Therefore, these 5 cm must be taken into account when initial marking premises under the frame. You need to start marking from more long wall, taking into account the distance under the guide.
Wallpaper walls lined with plasterboard look impeccably smooth and even
Next, stepping back 3-4 cm from the wall and ceiling, screw in the self-tapping screw. Attach a plumb line to it with a thick thread (you can take a regular nut). Now tie a thread to the screws and pull it tight. Do the same operation in all corners of the room, stretch the threads on the floor and near the ceiling. This will create the outline of the future drywall sheet. After checking the length of the parallel lines, remove the threads and attach the guides to the screws. After this, insert the guide posts into the guides on the floor and ceiling, in increments of 40-50 cm, having previously sawed them off to the height of the room. The resulting frame must be firmly strengthened. This is done by securing the racks to the guides with self-tapping screws. Now each of the racks must be firmly attached to the wall. Use simple ones for this wooden planks, slipping them into the gap between the wall and the gypsum plasterboard wall, attaching them with long self-tapping screws, having previously inserted dowels. Sheets of plasterboard are attached to each rack in increments of 30-40 cm. In this case, the heads of the screws must be slightly recessed into the plasterboard.
When you have installed all the sheets, you will have a perfectly flat surface that can be painted, wallpapered or applied to decorative plaster.
Video guide
Beautiful apartment and high-quality repairs, tastefully selected modern furniture And comfortable interior- the dream of every person. But all this splendor fades in rooms with uneven walls. Very often people try to hide a small blockage and cover it with furniture or resort to other tricks. In vain, because Not smooth walls needs to be leveled, not masked. For example, furniture only emphasizes such a drawback. Therefore, in this article we will talk about how to level the walls and achieve the desired result.
The reasons for uneven walls can be different. Ceilings and walls in old houses often leave much to be desired, but in many new buildings they are also not ideal. Majority panel houses have crooked walls due to the fact that the panels are a little uneven. But not to such an extent that the house cannot be put into operation - this aspect does not affect its reliability in any way. During the installation itself, the stove could turn around a little. To visualize the situation more clearly, you need to find a landscape sheet of paper and put it on the table. The sheet is even, but if you take it by the ends diagonally, and then pull one end up and the other down, you can observe an interesting picture. What happens to the leaf? By the same principle, it can bend and concrete slab. This deviation is insignificant, but it is enough to block the walls and disrupt the geometry of the corners in the room.
Determination of vertical deviations
It is quite possible to level the walls with your own hands, but first you need to determine where the blockage is. To do this, you should pay attention to the corners; if there is an assumption that some wall is uneven, then you need to check the correctness of your thoughts. This is done in an elementary way: a heavy object is tied to one end of a thin but strong rope, and the opposite end must be attached to the joining corner top floor and walls. Well, are the line of the wall and the rope parallel? This means the walls are smooth, but if deviations are observed, that is, there is a blockage and it needs to be removed.
Important: it is advisable to carry out this check together - one person holds the cord, and the second, from a distance of several meters, assesses the parallelism of the lines.
There is another option for assessing the condition of surfaces. For this process you will also need a homemade plumb line with a weight that does not rotate. In each corner you need to perform the so-called hanging. To do this, the plumb line is attached to a nail driven into the wall.
Important: the nail is driven near the ceiling, so that the plumb line is located near the wall, but does not touch its surface.
A similar operation must be carried out with the other edge of the wall. The next step is to pull the cords along the four beacon points; as a result, you can get an accurate picture of the condition of the wall surface.
Determining the verticality of walls
If there is a slight deviation of 10 mm during repairs, it will be necessary to carry out putty work using gypsum and cement mixtures for leveling. And with more significant vertical deviations, you will need to resort to leveling the walls with plasterboard.
Start - surface preparation
How to properly align the walls, that is, what order should you follow? First, the surface is prepared: a solid base and the absence of crumbling areas are important. It is also necessary to remove the remnants of old wallpaper and dilapidated plaster. Next, the prepared wall is carefully primed with a roller, brush or spray. The primed base should dry for about 12 hours, so this work is best done closer to night, so as not to waste time waiting.
Ways to level walls
Depending on the materials used, there are 2 ways to level the curvature of the walls. The first is wet (using building mixtures) and the second is dry (installation of structures). Both methods are good, but only if all processes are strictly followed. And each has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. Basically, leveling with plaster is used for small differences (30-50 mm). Of course, it is also possible to use them for surfaces with greater curvature. But these are additional financial expenses both for work and for materials. Therefore more best option in such cases - installation of the frame and covering it with plasterboard.
Leveling with plaster using beacons
So, if the unevenness has already been identified and the surface of the walls is prepared, you can proceed to direct leveling.
Important: do not forget about electricity - you should turn it off first. And when cleaning the walls, act carefully so as not to damage the electrical wiring elements that are hidden in the wall.
To firmly fix the plaster, the walls must be primed. This process prevents extremely undesirable delamination of materials and also increases moisture resistance. For cement mixtures, cement laitance is used, consisting of cement, water and sand.
Installation of beacons before “wet” leveling with plaster
At wet leveling When using plaster, it is best to use the “beacon” technology. This is special metal element made from flexible aluminum. The lighthouse is embedded in a curved wall, and it is along it that subsequent alignment takes place. For greater clarity, we can give the following example: if the wall is blocked at the top, then you can understand that the lighthouse must be rested against the wall from below, and some material, for example, a rotbow, will be placed on top between the wall and the lighthouse - this will eliminate the unevenness.
Beacon installation process
The installation of beacon slats begins with the installation of profiles on opposite walls. The verticality of each lighthouse is checked with a plumb line, and such profiles are mounted on the wall with building plaster. Plaster is applied to the rail at several points while maintaining a distance of 50 cm. Then a cord is pulled through the lower, middle and upper profiles. The following slats are also mounted on the wall, but so that the cord barely touches them.
Important: the distance between the beacons is selected based on the size of the tool that will be used to apply the plaster.
It is also possible to attach the beacons with self-tapping screws. This slows down the work a little, but then makes it much easier. Even a non-professional can easily adjust the verticality of the lines by tightening or unscrewing the screws.
What is the best way to level a wall?
The leveling composition depends on the maximum thickness of the leveling layer, as well as on the type binder component– cement or gypsum. The cement mixture is most suitable for wet rooms (bathroom, kitchen), and the gypsum composition is preferably used in living rooms, because it perfectly maintains the microclimate of the room.
Leveling "wet"
When the display of beacons is completed, little remains to be done. Now you need to dilute 10-15 liters of plaster and apply it between the beacons. The mixture should have a certain consistency, it should not be too liquid (it will slide) and too thick (it will be difficult to apply). If gypsum compositions are used in the work, then their quantity should be such that the mixture is produced within an hour.
After applying the mixture, take the rule of the required length and press it against the beacons, and then level the surface with movements from bottom to top, or vice versa, whichever is more convenient for you. If in some places there is not enough mixture, then you need to add it and apply the rule again. These steps are repeated until the wall becomes perfectly flat.
When the applied layer of plaster dries, you will notice the roughness of the wall. For this reason, it is necessary to treat it with finishing putty and sanding with fine sandpaper.
The advantages of this leveling method are that the usable area of the room is not taken away, but the disadvantages are that preliminary cleaning of the walls is necessary and this is a rather labor-intensive process, after which a lot of debris and dust remains.
Plaster square - a device for forming ideal angles
A separate point in the alignment process is the corners. How to align the corners of the walls, since these are the most problematic areas? It is advisable in this work to use a corner trowel, level and other auxiliary tools. Aligning corners is a painstaking task and requires experience and knowledge. To make the solution set faster in the corners, you need to add a small amount of gypsum to the mixture.
How to eliminate significant irregularities?
How to level the walls in an apartment with large differences and terrible curvature of the walls? In this case, it is rational to resort to installing specific structures and then covering them with plasterboard. This method has the main disadvantage - “eating” usable area, but is also characterized by positive aspects: no need for preliminary work, and also inside the constructed frame you can hide communications and lay sound and thermal insulation materials.
This method has the right to life. First, the frame is mounted, which is subsequently covered with plasterboard. It is possible to level the blockage, but still the blockage does not disappear anywhere, but simply hides under the casing. If the apartment is small, then such machinations will make the living space even smaller.
Preparing the walls for wallpaper
If renovations have begun in your apartment, the question will probably arise: how to align the walls with wallpaper? Wallpapers and others decorative coverings require a smooth surface that needs to be prepared.
If the unevenness is minor, you can safely treat the wall with regular putty. For this purpose, you need to use a spatula, which is designed for opening cracks and then puttingtying them. Most convenient option– use two medium-sized spatulas.
Perfectly smooth walls beautiful room
For a large amount of work, you can dilute the putty in a basin so as not to constantly jump up and down. And for small holes and crevices, a small vessel is used.
Important: if the volumes are still large, then better mixture dilute using a drill with a special attachment.
And if the layer is thick, then the surface must first be treated with starting putty. At the right technology The putty is applied in several stages, but only when the previous layer has dried. Three layers are usually used, the last one being finishing putty to finish work. Then the entire surface is cleaned with sandpaper.
The bathroom is no exception to the rule
The most common reason in the alignment of bathroom walls - view future finishing. If it is tile, then you need to know how to level the walls to match the tile. It should be noted that working with tiles is a responsible and serious process that requires a competent approach, and uneven walls are no exception. This means that before starting the main process, you need to think about how to level the walls in the bathroom, adhering to technology.
Laying ceramic tiles is only possible on smooth walls, since if you ignore this issue the result can be disastrous: the masonry bulges and the appearance of the room is spoiled. The most common alignment method is the same beacons.
Alignment beacon installation diagram
Walls with beacons are more durable because after the work is completed they are not removed from the wall, but continue to support the plaster. When working with plaster squares, you can get excellent 90 degree angles.
The plaster is applied according to the principle of “throwing” the wall. For this purpose it is advisable to use a trowel. A small area is covered at a time, and not the entire surface of the wall. After the mixture is applied, you need to give it time to dry, and then you can cut off the excess protruding parts of the solution that extend beyond the beacons. Water is added to the cut solution and the next gaps are rubbed with it again.
Installation of beacons with gypsum mixture
After the plaster has dried, the walls are primed, and then the tiles are laid. The primer promotes better adhesion of the adhesive solution to the base.
There are options for leveling walls, knowing all the subtleties and tricks of this labor-intensive process, you can achieve good result. The work of a plasterer, a master of his craft, is based on a high-quality surface, the composition of the plaster and precise beacons.
Video instructions for leveling walls
If you still have questions and need to learn everything in detail about how to level walls, a video example with well-presented material should help.
The main thing is to strive for something better, and not live by the principle “this will do.” No, it won’t do, a person’s home must be properly decorated: with smooth walls, beautiful decor And suitable furniture. Living in a room with such conditions is much more comfortable than contemplating crooked corners and collapsed walls every day. Perfectly straight walls are the norm to strive for, since the curvature cannot be hidden by either high-quality wallpaper or compositionally installed furniture.
Paint, wallpaper, ceramic tiles - in a word, any finish fits well only on a perfectly flat surface. That is why any uneven walls in the apartment cannot be ignored.
Moreover, the walls occupy the largest surface of the apartment and are always visible! If there is even the slightest flaw on the bearing surface, then sooner or later decorative finishing may lose its appearance, and you will have to take on repairs again.
Even novice home craftsmen can level the walls with their own hands. Let's talk about how to level walls using plaster or drywall.
Small cracks or unevenness will help hide expensive wallpaper with a corrugated pattern, but if the walls in your apartment are “wavy”, then only alignment will help.
According to the types of materials used, there are two types of wall leveling - dry (installation various designs from plasterboard) and raw (using building mixtures). Each of these methods is effective only if a strict sequence of work is observed, but has its own characteristics.
Thus, leveling walls with plaster is used for small differences in “heights” - from 30 to 60 mm. If necessary, you can level walls with greater curvature using the raw method, but this will require more time and money spent on material and work. In this case, it is better to give preference to installing the frame and then covering it with plasterboard.
But whatever method you choose, the main thing is to pay maximum attention to aligning the corners. Curvature, invisible to the eye, will manifest itself when gluing borders and installing baseboards.
Immediately before leveling the wall, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory work.
First of all, you need to determine the size of the wall irregularities. When measuring horizontally, you can use a cord, pulling it tightly along the wall, or use building level, the length of which should not be less than 1.5 m. Vertical irregularities are measured with a plumb line. If the differences are no more than 3–5 cm, then this wall defect is corrected using building mixtures.
Leveling walls with plaster
Before starting work, turn off the power supply to the room. Then thoroughly clean the surfaces of old wallpaper, paint, flaking plaster, etc. After this, the cleaned walls are treated with a primer.
This must be done so that the building mixture is better fixed to the wall. In addition, the use of a primer prevents delamination of materials and increases their moisture resistance.
For cement mixtures I use the so-called “cement laitance”, consisting of a solution of cement, sand and water.
In order for the wall to be level, it is necessary to install beacon lines. The installation of beacon strips begins with the installation of profiles on different sides walls. To check the verticality of the beacons, use a plumb line.
Next we dilute about 10 liters cement mixture and with a construction spatula apply it to the wall in large strokes between the beacons. Then take a rule or a straight stick suitable size and level the applied mixture by drawing from bottom to top or vice versa (as you prefer) along the beacon lines.
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Add mixture until the wall surface is leveled in accordance with the beacon lines. Level the corners with a spatula.
When choosing a dry building mixture, you need to pay attention to both the thickness of the applied layer and the type of “binding” material (cement or gypsum).
Gypsum-based compositions are used to decorate walls in living rooms, since gypsum maintains the microclimate of the room well.
Cement-based mixtures are usually used in wet areas– kitchens and bathrooms.
Leveling walls with plasterboard
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Another way to correct the curvature of the walls is to level it with drywall. This method is used when the differences in unevenness on the wall are more than 5 cm.
When using plasterboard for wall cladding, pay attention to the base - it should not have crumbling fragments and be durable.
A wall lined with plasterboard must be protected from exposure excess humidity. This wall should also not be subjected to spatial deformation. Do not allow the wall to freeze and condensation to appear.
And in order for the plasterboard sheets to last better and longer, the wall must be cleaned of residues mortar, oils, wax and other substances that impair the contact properties of the adhesive. After this, the wall must be primed.
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On very porous, loose surfaces it is necessary to apply deep penetration primer using a brush or spray.
For walls that do not absorb moisture - concrete and other dense, low-porous surfaces - use a special primer marked “betonactive”.
Before installing plasterboard sheets, do not forget to install hidden wiring. Mounting boxes for sockets should not protrude above the wall surface by more than 20 mm.
Pros and cons of leveling walls with plaster and drywall
The use of building mixtures does not reduce living space apartments. But this method is quite labor-intensive; during the work, a lot of dirt - debris and dust - remains.
When covering walls with plasterboard, no preliminary cleaning of the surface is required. In addition, heat and sound insulation materials can be laid behind the frame, as well as various communications can be hidden. But walls covered with plasterboard “eat up” part of the usable area of the apartment and can withstand significantly less load compared to covered ones. mortar wall.
When purchasing material, pay attention to the color of the drywall sheets. Its moisture-resistant varieties can be distinguished by their green cardboard covering, while regular sheets will be grey. For cladding the walls of the bathroom, kitchen and other rooms with high humidity choose gypsum board sheets.
