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Finishing putty for painting with your own hands. How to properly putty walls for painting Do I need to putty walls for painting

Before finishing, the wall surface must be flawless. Any recesses and bulges are striking, especially if they are covered with a bright gloss. Even the invisible ones. Plastic compositions based on gypsum, cement or polymers will help to solve the problem. They are applied with a spatula at the end of the rough work and serve as a final leveling. To cope with the work, you do not need to have special skills, as is the case with plaster. For laying, you will need a spatula and a small container on which the solution is placed. There are no difficulties here. It remains to decide only one question - which finish is better.

Choosing a finishing putty for painting

To obtain the necessary characteristics, a special composition is required, which differs in chemical and physical parameters.

Distinctive characteristics:

Fine dispersion - necessary for the surface to be perfectly smooth. You can also get the desired result with the help, but its structure includes large particles. The usual mass used to prepare for the final finish consists of small particles, but they are too large. They show through glossy paint and significantly reduce its mirror effect.
High plasticity - appears due to small particle sizes, as well as plasticizers that make the solution more mobile. This property allows filling voids, including narrow and deep cracks. When using plasticizers, leveling is effortless, which improves the quality of work. With strong pressure, it is more difficult to calculate the forces and lay the putty evenly.
Good adhesion - the ability to adhere to the substrate. Fine dispersion in combination with modifying additives improve the adhesion of the material to the base on which it is applied. It must hold the finish, despite friction, shock, temperature and humidity changes, and other physical influences.

Primary requirements

The quality of the coating is evaluated according to several criteria:

Softness and elasticity.
Elasticity - the material should not spread when laying.
Good adhesion to the base.
Resistance to cracking - achieved due to slight shrinkage during drying.
Uniformity - the mass should not form lumps.
White color - any shade can show through under light paint. Surface stains are not allowed.

How to choose a finishing putty for painting

To speed up the workflow, you can use the finished mass, diluted in water. It is not inferior to dry in properties. The only negative is that it cannot be made less plastic, but this may only be necessary for professionals who are accustomed to working with a composition of a certain consistency. For a beginner, this factor is unlikely to be important.

The properties are influenced by the main components from which the material is made. Gypsum, cement and polymer mixtures are produced. Each of these types can be used in any conditions, but some of them are more suitable for finishing dry rooms. It is quite difficult to make a choice, since the quality depends not only on the composition, but also on the manufacturer.

If the product is designed for a certain type of surface, this is displayed on the packaging.

Gypsum

Gypsum finishing putty is used, as a rule, in dry rooms, since gypsum is afraid of water and swells when it gets inside. Oil paint creates a protective film on the surface, through which moisture is difficult to penetrate, but this protection may not be enough. In addition, the paint may peel off in places. For the same reason, laying is best done in dry rooms - rooms or corridors. For unheated basements and pantries, it is advisable to choose a different finish. Due to the cold, moisture condenses in the thickness of the wall, which does not affect the cladding in the best way.

The material sets very quickly. Solidification occurs within thirty minutes, after which the mixture becomes unsuitable for further application. This time may not be enough to work out the entire solution, so it is better to dilute it in small portions.

Among the advantages it should be noted:

low shrinkage during drying and, as a result, the absence of cracks on the surface;
absence of toxic substances;
fire resistance - gypsum does not burn and, in case of fire, prevents the spread of flame;
good adhesive properties.

cement mix

It is made on the basis of cement grades 400 and 500, which have the highest chemical activity. This leads to significant shrinkage during setting, which is compensated by modifying additives. When applied in a thick layer, there is a possibility of appearance, so it is better to work in stages, allowing each of the layers to harden. Fine river sand is used as a filler, which adds strength to the coating. It is not afraid of shock loads and has a high resistance to abrasion.

Advantages:

Good moisture resistance allows the coating to be used for outdoor work and in wet rooms.
The material lays well on the base and dries more slowly than gypsum.

Polymer

The finishing polymer is distinguished by the highest strength and ductility, however, if you choose between a good cement mixture and an average quality polymer, then it is better to choose the first one. Materials based on acrylic and latex are produced.

Advantages:

When applied, the surface is smoother.
No shrinkage. Due to this property, during solidification, cracks do not occur due to uneven deformation.
Due to the improved adhesive properties, good adhesion to the base occurs.
Polymers do not lose elasticity even when solidified, therefore they do not collapse upon impact and do not crumble during friction.
The coating is fireproof - it does not burn and does not emit toxic substances at high temperatures.
The composition is universal and is used in any conditions, regardless of humidity and temperature changes.

A significant disadvantage is the high cost. If you have to process the facade or make repairs in all rooms, it is better to use gypsum and cement compositions.

Mortar laying work

The finished mixture does not need to be diluted with water. Dry is poured in the proportions indicated on the package, while thoroughly mixed so that lumps do not form. Some builders offer to introduce additives on their own, but it's better not to risk it. For example, antifreeze does increase frost resistance, but shrinkage when using it is too great. The cover may fail.

To work, you will need two spatulas - a large one with a blade 20 to 50 cm wide and a small one with a surface of 5 to 10 cm. A mortar is laid on a large one, a small mixture is removed and applied to the wall. This method is suitable for those who have never worked with putty. Professionals prefer to do the opposite and use a wide tool to apply the mass to the wall, acting like a rail to level the plaster. It is quite difficult to keep such a tool exactly, but with a certain amount of experience, this task becomes feasible.

You need to move up from the lower extreme angle, stretching the mass and making sure that it lies evenly.

Fine emery is used for grouting.

Material prepared: Artem Filimonov

Step-by-step instructions for leveling walls with putty, a description of the types of mixtures, their differences and scope, as well as a small overview of equipment for finishing grinding later in the article.

All about putty

Putty is a special building material for leveling walls for subsequent finishing - painting or wallpapering. All putties, regardless of variety, contain glue with mineral fillers.

In fact, this is a more modern type of plaster, which has a fine fraction that allows you to achieve a smooth surface. Also putty has a light color, not translucent even through thin layers of paint, which allows you to achieve the most aesthetic result.

Putty and putty are the same thing. Both of these names are correct and can be used when writing.

Alignment of walls for putty

The walls are leveled for puttying if the surface deviates from the vertical by more than 4 cm, but experienced craftsmen advise not to apply the mixture with a layer thicker than one, since the following points are observed due to the fine fraction during thick application:

the composition may leak;
it is difficult to level the soft mass on a vertical surface;
work is expensive.

Therefore, before applying the putty, the walls are usually leveled with plaster or drywall, and the mixture is used at the last moment before the finish coating.

Important: when leveling the walls with drywall, the seams between the sheets and the caps of the self-tapping screws are covered with plaster to prevent cracks.

Which putty to choose: types for each stage

Currently, there are quite a few putties that differ in composition and scope:

Oil-based drying oil contains chalk and drying catalysts to smooth floors, doors, window sills, window frames, and other surfaces exposed to water before painting. Differs in considerable moisture resistance, but dries for a long time.
Glue on drying oil has a higher strength.
Oil-adhesive with acrylates and plasticizers is elastic.
Polyester mainly for metal processing.
Latex - an analogue of oil-glue, only for interior work.
Gypsum is white in color and is used for finishing in dry rooms.
Spackle can fill cracks, baseboards, and with a more liquid dilution, whitewash. Some sites indicate that tiles can be glued to the shpakril, but you should not do this.
Epoxy is more often used for wood processing, but there are grades for other surfaces.
Acrylic is universal and facade. Universal - the most popular mixture for interior finishes (with the exception of metal processing). Facade is resistant to weathering and moisture, and therefore is excellent for outdoor work when finishing any surface except metal.
Putty based on PVA has antiseptic properties, prevents the spread of fungus. It is used for interior work for leveling drywall or concrete surfaces, as well as sealing cracks and butt joints.

Each of these varieties can be used on its own, but some masters use several types to achieve the ideal result.

What is the best way to start

For the initial alignment of the walls, it is cheaper to use ordinary plaster, but if you wish, you can also use acrylic. When leveling gypsum, the starting layer is not needed: the finish is applied immediately after the putty of the seams and self-tapping screws.

Important: before starting leveling, it is necessary to remove the old paintwork, lime, loose pieces of plaster or concrete, and also clean the surface of dust, and then apply at least 2 coats of primer. Otherwise, the putty will fall off after drying.

The best finishing putty

It is difficult to say which finishing putty is the best, since all types of mixtures are designed for different types of surfaces, depending on the intensity of use and the level of humidity. The best option for finishing putty inside dry rooms is a gypsum or acrylic universal mixture. By the way, when using its variety, no top coat is required: it is applied immediately as a base and finish at the same time.

Putty for grouting

It is possible to use putty instead of a special compound for grouting joints between tiles, but it is highly undesirable, since in this case it will quickly fall off. The same applies to the processing of joints between sheets of gypsum or fiberboard, which is best done with plaster.

If you still decide to use putty, then you should choose a mixture with the highest coefficient of elasticity, for example, based on PVA. For bathrooms, it is also important to take into account high humidity and the risk of fungus formation, therefore, special antiseptics and waterproofing components must be present in the composition, which is always indicated on the packaging.

How to putty with your own hands: step by step instructions

Any puttying begins with the preparation of the working surface:

Remove the old coating mechanically.
Remove paint that cannot be removed manually with a special washer or a drill with a nozzle. If a water emulsion was applied, then it is first soaked, and then washed off with soapy water. In this case, it is necessary to wipe the walls from the soap itself, as it has strong repellent properties.
To the maximum, remove all falling pieces, break off those that may fall off in the near future.
Remove dust with a wet cloth.
Apply 2 or more coats of primer.
Align the walls with plaster, plaster or boards (depending on the situation), if there is a large deviation from the vertical (according to the instructions, more than 4 centimeters, according to the experience of the masters - one).
Use the primer again before the actual filling.

Start layer

It is possible to distinguish the starting putty from the finishing putty by a large fraction. Also, the work is simplified if you use a universal mixture that is suitable for both start and finish.

Starting puttying is carried out to eliminate visual defects of the walls, such as cracks, dents or other irregularities. This may require laying several layers, each of which is applied after the previous one has dried.

Important: it is necessary to apply putty in thin layers up to 5 mm, since it has a too small fraction. Another plus in favor of using plaster for leveling is a significant saving of time and money, because 1 layer of putty dries for at least a day, and before applying the next one, it is necessary to prime the surface (by the way, the primer also does not dry immediately).

So that at the end of the work the mixture does not shrink after drying, and, therefore, does not crack, it is advisable to use a paint grid that is attached to the wall.

If the deviation of the surface is large, then it is leveled and putty on the beacons. However, almost no one does this, since it is difficult to imagine how much time and money it will take to apply a few centimeter layer of putty.

After drying, it is required to clean out small irregularities with sandpaper and primed for further work.

Finishing putty

The finishing putty is applied in a thin layer (up to 2 mm) on a leveled surface to achieve perfect smoothness due to its smallest fraction. After drying, the wall is brought to the ideal by mechanical grinding with fine-grained sandpaper, and then primed again for painting or wallpaper.

Reinforcement with gossamer seams or the entire surface

Reinforcement with cobwebs or paint mesh is required. It is carried out in order to avoid peeling putty or plaster from the wall, and also so that cracks do not occur or the composition does not fall out of the joints due to the shrinkage of the mixture after drying.

The mesh sticks to the surface with a small adhesive layer, and then simply smeared on top. In some cases, it can be further strengthened with a construction stapler.

If it is necessary to putty plaster, then the cobweb is laid only on the seams between the sheets, but in cases where the application of the starting layer is required, it is applied to the entire surface of the wall.

Grinding: the right technology

Grinding after puttying is carried out to remove unwanted granularity and perfectly align the joints of the mixture.

It is best to grind manually with ordinary fine sandpaper or a special bar on which it is attached. In this case, the result will be more ideal, and the risk of accidentally wiping the hole is minimal.

Grinding should be carried out in good light, constantly evaluating the result from four sides. What kind of movements to rub: circular or longitudinal is not so important, but the pressing force should be controlled so that holes do not form, otherwise the finish layer will have to be applied again.

In addition to the skin, a special mesh is sold for grouting putty, which leaves less dust and does not clog longer, which increases its service life.

Finishing putty “clean” for painting or gluing

Finishing putty “clean” for wallpaper or painting is carried out with a very thin layer of any finishing or universal mixture, depending on the room, followed by sanding. No matter how thin the applied layer is, before and after its application, it is necessary to prime the surface well.

Wall sanding tools to help with large areas

For grinding large areas, special grinding machines have been developed. At the same time, surface grinding machines with a large working surface are used for walls, and for ceilings - machines with special nozzles that create a vacuum and thereby stick, which greatly facilitates physical labor.

According to the principle of work, they distinguish:

tape;
vibration;
eccentric;
orbital.

When choosing a model, you need to pay attention to the fact that orbital ones cannot be processed in the corners, and tape ones are better suited for removing thick layers.

It is not recommended for non-professionals to use grinders, since the main thing during the final alignment is not to remove the excess.

Important points at work

When self-puttying, it is very important to observe the following rules:

It is necessary to putty only in good light, otherwise it will be impossible to achieve a perfect result.
Before and after applying each layer, the surface must be carefully primed. It is important to wait for the complete drying of both the putty itself and the primer.
It is advisable to putty the entire surface at the same time and dilute the amount of the mixture necessary for work at once, but at the same time remember that it hardens quite quickly (depending on the variety).
If the mixture is over, but work needs to be continued, then the already applied layer must be moistened with water at the junction for greater adhesion. When it dries, it is better to use a primer.
When joining, it is worth applying the mixture with an overlap.
It is imperative to reinforce with a cobweb, otherwise cracks will appear. The exception is the finishing puttying of drywall.
With a large area, you can check whether the layer is even or not with a regular thread, which is pulled diagonally.
After drying, dilute and reuse the mixture does not work.

You should also pay attention that dry putty is cheaper, but sets much faster, which is important when planning the scope of work.

When puttying, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the selected mixture depending on the purpose, and carefully follow the manufacturer's recommendations. It is also worth using putty only for finishing walls before painting or wallpaper, and they need to be leveled with plaster. This will save a lot of time and money

Useful video

Preparing the walls for painting involves their high-quality alignment, which is carried out in several stages. One of the stages of this process is puttying (puttying). Let's see how you can perform this operation yourself in order to get a perfectly even base for applying paint to it.

Putty - different in cost and properties

Puttying makes it possible to make the walls smooth and even. It is on such grounds that any coloring composition lays down with truly high quality. In addition, putty gives wall surfaces greater strength, thereby strengthening them. Due to this, the durability of the coating increases several times. This means that we will not need the next painting of the walls soon.

All putty compositions are divided into three groups. They are gypsum, cement and polymer. The first have an affordable cost, do not shrink. Their minus is insufficient moisture resistance. It does not make sense to use them in rooms with constantly high humidity, since the coating quickly loses its performance characteristics. Gypsum mixtures are sold in the form of dry compositions. The home master only needs to dilute them with water, guided by the manufacturer's instructions. Let's highlight a few more advantages of gypsum compositions:

ecological cleanliness;
fire safety;
high noise and heat insulation;
plastic;
fast drying of the mixture after application to the wall.

Cement putties are not afraid of moisture. But after application, they shrink a lot. Also, the minus of such mixtures can be attributed to their low elasticity. At the same time, cement compositions have a lot of useful properties. They tolerate temperature changes without problems, are suitable for processing various bases, ranging from concrete to stone and brick.

Polymer putty is highly elastic and durable. It is well applied to any surface, does not shrink. This putty allows you to level the walls with your own hands in any room. Moreover, its application guarantees a perfect result. The only drawback of such mixtures is the high price.

Types of putties - for each stage of work there is a mixture

Puttying walls for painting is carried out in several stages. For each of them, certain types of putty are used. From this point of view, they are divided into:

starting;
finishing;
universal.

Starting compositions, called leveling compositions, have a large grain size, good adhesion and excellent strength. They are usually used to prepare walls for painting after they have been plastered. The starting mixture should be applied in a layer from 3 to 20 mm. It all depends on the state of the base (the presence of high-altitude differences and other flaws on it).

Finishing putty (decorative) has a lower strength than the starting one. It is used for final alignment. With the help of finishing compositions, minor defects (for example, small scratches) are removed from the walls. Such mixtures are applied in several thin layers. The total thickness of the coating in this case should not exceed 2–4 mm. Finishing putty is described by a fine-grained structure. It is easily rubbed on the walls of any materials.

There are also universal putties. They combine the possibilities of starting and decorative mixtures. They are allowed to perform both initial and final alignment. But experts say that in terms of operational potential, such trains are worse than the starting and finishing ones. In addition, universal putties have a high cost. And they can only be used on walls with small defects. In the case of significant height differences, there will be no sense from universal compositions.

Almost any modern starting or finishing putty can be purchased dry or in a completely ready-to-use form. Pre-diluted with water or special solutions mixtures are easy to use. They don't need to add anything. We open the container with putty and start working. But ready-made compositions also have serious drawbacks. They quickly harden in storage containers, shrink, and are expensive. With dry mixes, there is more trouble. At the same time, their low price and the possibility of long-term storage make them quite popular.

The principles of leveling walls for painting - how to take into account all the nuances?

Correctly puttying any walls is not so difficult if you know in advance the features of such an operation. First of all, we stock up on the necessary tools:

A set of spatulas of different sizes. The set must contain both large (up to 50 cm) and small tools. The latter are needed for processing hard-to-reach sections of the walls.
Electric drill with mixing attachment. This tool allows you to mix dry starter or finish putty in water. We will not be able to manually mix a high-quality composition. There will definitely be lumps in it. If we work with ready-made putties, a drill is not needed.
Brush and roller. They are necessary for applying soil to the walls. Note! Priming is not a mandatory step in preparing walls for painting. But it's better to do it. Then the wall will be characterized by high adhesion to the paint. In addition, priming increases the strength of the surface to be decorated, which is important.
Level - laser (ideally) or regular alcohol. Without this tool, we will not be able to qualitatively level the wall surface.
Rule. The main working tool in situations where the walls have serious height differences. The rule provides fast and high-quality application of large volumes of leveling (starting) mass. It is optimal to perform such work with a long metal rule.
Manual skinner, sandpaper. The leveled surface is grouted with coarse (starting puttying) and fine (finishing) skins. The process of their application becomes much easier with the presence of a manual skinner - a simple device with clamps for installing and fixing the skin.

The puttying operation begins with the preparation of the walls. We remove stains of soot, old paint, grease from them. We tap the plaster. If the old layer is holding very poorly, completely clean the wall. In cases where only separate plastered sections depart, we knock down only them. Then we vacuum the wall, apply a primer on it. It is most convenient to do this with a roller. One layer of soil is enough. The main thing is that it completely covers the wall. We begin work on filling the surface for painting at normal room temperature. It is forbidden to putty frozen walls.

After preparing the surface, you can proceed to the main operation. Puttying in most cases is carried out in two stages. First, we level the wall with the starting mixture, then with the finishing mixture. When using universal compositions, puttying is also performed in two stages.

We putty according to the rules - everything will work out!

We mount a painting grid on the wall. It is used for significant elevation changes. If the defects are minor, you can do without a grid. Then we knead the starting putty (if you took a dry composition). Tip: we prepare the composition for work in small portions, then it will not have time to freeze in the bucket, and we can calmly process the wall with it. To apply putty, use a large spatula. It should be held at a 30° angle. Immediately distribute the leveling compound over the surface. At one time, you can create a layer up to 1.5 cm thick. We are waiting for it to dry. If necessary, repeat the operation.

So that bumps and noticeable transitions do not appear on the wall, we apply the second and subsequent layers of the composition with an overlap.

As a result, we will get a leveled surface, on which, no matter how hard we try, there will be stripes from the working tool (trowel). It's not scary. Subsequently, we will hide them with the help of the finishing mixture. Nuance. Processing of corners and hard-to-reach places is carried out with a special angular spatula. Complete drying of the starting coating occurs in 20–30 hours (it all depends on the type of putty used). After this time, we proceed to the finishing of the wall.

The final alignment is carried out with two spatulas. The technology is simple. With a small tool, we impose a small portion of the finishing material on a large spatula. We apply the last (as evenly as possible) putty on the wall, creating a layer up to 1.5–2 mm thick. The surface finish composition can be processed several times. Until we get a flawlessly smooth wall. The final work is the sanding of the leveled surface. After its completion, we can safely proceed to painting the walls!

Proper preparation of walls for painting is the most important stage of decorative finishing, ensuring the aesthetics of the result. The work consists in leveling and filling the walls, and this can be done in several ways, differing in complexity and time. In all cases, the base is the starting layer of putty, which can be supplemented with reinforcement and decorative material to achieve greater smoothness and durability of the coating. In addition, the surface must be sanded. What you need to know to make the perfect wall to paint?

Leveling the wall and preparing for puttying

To get perfectly even walls, their surface must be pre-treated, eliminating even the smallest height differences and all noticeable base defects. Depending on the initial state of the walls, you can align them in one of several ways:

on the frame structure.

Grinding is a suitable option if the clean concrete base or old plaster layer does not have significant bumps, cracks or other defects. In this case, it is enough to remove the old coating (wallpaper, paint, decorative plaster, etc.) and remove the thin top layer of rough plaster or concrete with a grinder or a bar with sandpaper. Before the walls are puttyed for painting, the base must be covered with two layers of primer, antiseptic and antifungal impregnation if there was mold. As a result of measurements, height differences should not exceed 2 mm.

If the irregularities are significant or the base has significant defects, it is necessary to completely or. Previously, the main surface is sealed with a solution. The old finish should be removed completely, and not just the damaged areas, even if it seems that part of it is quite strong. Then a new layer of plaster is applied or drywall sheets are mounted using the appropriate technology.

When the preliminary leveling is completed, it is necessary, as in the case of grinding, to cover the surface with a primer. You can start further work after 5-6 hours, since it is possible to correctly putty the walls for painting only on a perfectly dry surface - it is better to wait a little longer than to apply putty on a wet wall.

Types of putty

Reinforcement "cobweb"

To create a high-quality painted wall, it is recommended to use a cobweb; it will protect the wall from cracking. To prevent this, you can strengthen the finish - for this, a cobweb is used for walls for painting.

Glue is applied to the surface of the wall in an even thin layer.
Strips of fiberglass are applied to the wall. They can be of any size, the main thing is to correctly determine the front and back sides of the cobweb, otherwise the material will adhere worse to the surface.
The paint canvas is then spread by hand and rolled with a roller to remove air bubbles from under it. It is important to ensure that the edges of the cobweb exactly dock with the corners of the room. If necessary, excess edges are trimmed.
From above, the cobweb is smeared with glue until the entire canvas is saturated. The glue will play the role of a primer, which will reduce paint consumption, as well as provide better adhesion of the finishing plaster to the reinforcing layer.
The following strips are overlapped; it is recommended to glue them parallel to the floor.

Complete drying of the adhesive takes a day, after which you can start applying the finishing putty. In addition, you can paint directly on the fiberglass - in this case, an aesthetic relief will appear on the surface of the walls. only needed to get a perfectly smooth surface for painting.

Grinding Features

The main rule of grinding is that it is necessary to work with a perfectly dry surface, before processing it with a primer. The secret is to use a wide spatula when applying putty and use light when sanding.

First of all, you need to decide what is the best way to sand the walls after puttying - the choice of tool will depend on the type of material (starting or finishing), as well as the type of surface. Based on the wall area, one of the following tools is selected:

a wooden block with sandpaper - for small areas that are easy to process by hand;
electric grinder - for large surfaces, it should be borne in mind that the joints of the walls in any case will have to be processed by hand;
if there are protrusions, bas-reliefs and other areas with complex geometry on the wall, a machine with an eccentric will do.

Purchased Tools

If a wooden block seems too uncomfortable, a special device with a handle and clamps can be used for manual work, allowing you to quickly change the worn sandpaper. Instead of paper, you can use an abrasive mesh.

Mesh is preferred due to the fact that, unlike paper, it does not clog with dust and wear out more slowly; however, it is more expensive. The difference in price is offset by the amount of paper required - in order to get the perfect walls for painting, you need a lot of sheets. To save money, you should not buy cut paper - it is not difficult to cut it yourself, and at the same time sharpen the scissors.

The grit size of the sanding stone depends on the type of finish: a mesh size of 120 is suitable for starting putty, and 80 or 60 for finishing. the lighting of the wall will not stop the shadows from appearing.

It is more convenient to use and allows you to complete repairs faster; in addition, with its help you can get a really flawless surface. However, it is not always cost-effective to purchase a power tool for processing a small area.

Homemade grinding devices

You will have to make a device with your own hands, if necessary. wall sanding for painting in hard-to-reach, small areas that cannot be reached with a bulky bar. Homemade tool is made as follows:

a piece of plastic profile is cut in such a way that a strip with a width of about 70 mm is obtained;
on one side, sandpaper is glued to the profile using double-sided tape;
the end of the segment is cut at an angle in the shape of an arrow.

If desired, you can cut and glue several strips of paper with different grain sizes. You need to work with an angle, and cut it off as the sandpaper wears - the principle is the same as when sharpening a pencil.

Cleaning in the corners is an important step in wall preparation.

Work rules

Before grinding, you need to protect the room from dust - furniture, window and door openings, and decorative flooring are covered with polyethylene film. You need to work in a protective suit, mask and always with a respirator.

Perhaps the most minimal financial investment during the repair of an apartment is painting the walls. But before moving on to the last stage of repair, you need to put the walls in order with plaster, hide all the flaws, defects, leveling the surface. This process is painstaking, takes a lot of time and effort, but not difficult, anyone can cope with it, subject to all the rules.

Peculiarities

Puttying the walls is an important, responsible, but not at all complicated process. With the help of finishing the surface of the walls with mortars, they achieve a perfectly even, without flaws and defects in the surface of the walls. Small cracks, shallow pits are eliminated, visible and invisible sagging of plaster is smoothed out. The quality of the work done depends on the uniformity of the color of the surfaces. Walls after such processing can be painted in any color.

The process of puttying the walls takes place in several stages. The initial stage is the cleaning of the surface from the old interior decoration, wallpaper. All swollen places on the surface are cleaned, cracks and pits are filled with a freshly prepared plaster solution. Only after cleaning the surface is a primer applied. Then you can start filling the surface. Putty is applied in several stages. Each superimposed layer of the composition is dried. This lengthy process takes several days.

Which one to choose?

Preparing a room for painting involves priming and puttying the surface of the walls, acquiring the necessary building materials for interior decoration. Putty can be purchased in the form of a ready-made solution or in the form of dry mixes. You will also need special tools - spatulas of various sizes and shapes, brushes, trowels.

Manufacturers in the manufacture of mixtures use adhesive bases, chalk, gypsum, building materials and other components to make the finish more durable, reliable and durable.

Before purchasing the desired mixture, it is necessary to clarify the quality of the composition, how many layers will need to be applied during the work, the thickness of each layer.

You can choose the right putty yourself, just a little knowledge of where and what type of this building material is better to use:

Moisture resistant cement mixture. It is better to use for finishing rooms with high humidity. This type of putty mixture is more suitable for the starting layer - the unsightly gray color of the coating is very difficult to hide with paint and even under wallpaper.
For interior decoration of dry rooms, bedrooms, living rooms, powder gypsum plaster is quite suitable. This type of construction mixture is absolutely not resistant to high humidity. The surface after treatment with gypsum putty mortar and drying is even, white.
Ideal for the final layer in finishing works polymer textured putty. Expensive, high-quality, modern material dries for a long time, but the end result will exceed all expectations. The surface of the wall is perfectly smooth without flaws, the paint lays on such a coating easily, without forming sagging.

The building materials market represents a wide range of various compositions. A distinctive feature of each such material is its properties, structure, technical characteristics. Before buying, it is very important to decide whether putty is needed for interior or exterior.

Then, based on the physical and technical parameters, choose the appropriate putty mixture for each stage of finishing work:

The putty mixture for the starting layer is a substance with large particles of the mineral. Ideal for filling large and severe imperfections in the coating. The thickness of the starting layer of putty applied to the surface should be no more than 20 mm;
Putty mixture for the finishing layer. The structure of this composition is fine-grained, after the last layer of putty has completely dried, the wall surface is fully prepared for painting. It is possible to apply such a composition on a non-putty wall treated and cleaned of old plaster;
Universal grout. It goes on sale in the form of a ready-made thick, finely dispersed polymer-based solution with mineral additives for improved layer elasticity. It is waterproof, so it is suitable for the bathroom.

In addition to high-quality putty composition, it is necessary to purchase special tools for finishing work. The quality of the finish depends on the right tools.

For interior decoration you will need:

To make it more convenient to apply primer to the surface of the walls, you should purchase a wide roller. In places inaccessible for priming with a roller, you can use an ordinary brush.
To prepare your own solution in containers, it is better to use a construction mixer. In the absence of this tool, it is quite possible to use a conventional electric drill with nozzles.

Carrying out work on puttying the surface is impossible without spatulas of various sizes and shapes. The widest - 50-60 cm, will be required for large surfaces. This will help to apply the finishing solution much more evenly and faster. A medium-sized trowel, about 25 cm wide, is very convenient to use for surface treatment in the corners of the room. Small - about 10 cm in size, ideal for finishing hard-to-reach places and puttingty visible flaws on the wall surface. For puttying the corners of the room, it is more advisable to use an angular spatula.
After the last putty layer has dried, the wall surface is rubbed with a special mesh. The finish will be even and smooth. Therefore, it is necessary to stock up on a fine-grained grout mesh.

There is a mixture, the basis of which is interlining. It can even be used for a car. It has a good moisture-proof effect.

Varieties

Before starting work, it is necessary to determine the type of putty material that will be used in the work. So, there are:

Cement-sand facade putty. By the name of the mixture, you can understand the components of this coating. Ordinary building cement is taken as a basis, fine sand is used as a mineral additive. Before use, it is enough to dilute this mixture with clean water in accordance with the instructions. You can buy it at any specialized store. The cement mixture is sold in bags, packs of 25 kilograms.

The main features of this composition is its low price, since the constituent components - sand and cement, are readily available. Work on filling the walls with a cement mixture is characterized by low cost.

Due to the presence of cement in the composition, it can be used for exterior decoration and in rooms with high humidity, since the coating can withstand exposure to water for a long period of time. The surface after finishing work with cement mortar is rough and gives excellent adhesion to water-dispersion paints.

After a certain period of time, cracks appear on the surface treated with such a solution, the material after complete drying does not have elasticity. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to re-putty the surface.

Gypsum putty. The technical characteristics of these mixtures are very similar, but the conditions of use are slightly different. It can only be used in dry rooms. After complete drying, the surface is perfectly smooth, white. You can paint the wall in any color, or you can use your imagination and draw pictures or an ornament. Gypsum is absolutely safe for health. In a room treated with gypsum putty, air humidity will always be favorable for humans. With an excess of moisture, the coating will absorb it into itself, with dry air it will give it away.

The price of the mixture is slightly higher than the cost of the cement-sand mixture.

Acrylic putty mortar. This type of putty is good because you can buy it already in the form of a ready-made solution of the desired consistency in plastic buckets of various capacities. Acrylic resins and mineral components, such as chalk, very fine quartz sand, act as a substance for a better bond in this polymer-based mixture. Finishing the surface of the walls with acrylic mortar is only suitable as a finish, since according to technical specifications it is recommended to apply this composition in a thin layer of about 3 mm. It can be used for both outdoor and indoor work. The hardened layer is absolutely resistant to any moisture effects.

Acrylic putty, thick in texture, holds very well on various coatings (wood, chipboard, brick, concrete), it can be leveled with an ordinary metal spatula. It is better to use for finishing the ceiling due to the creation of an excellent vapor-permeable protective layer.

The cost of such solutions is much higher than the cost of dry mixes.

Latex putty- a variety of ready-made polymer-based solutions. In fact, this is an acrylic solution, in which latex is added in small quantities during production to increase the plasticity and elasticity of the coating after applying this composition. Technical characteristics are almost the same with acrylic mixture, it is sold in plastic buckets of various capacities.

Latex in the composition of the acrylic solution gives the coating excellent elasticity after hardening, so the surface after finishing can withstand shock, vibration and other mechanical stress well. Due to certain properties, the use of latex putty allows you to hide the seams and joints between sheets of drywall. The cost of these solutions is quite democratic in relation to the quality.

All these mixtures can work on drywall, concrete surfaces, plasterboard, OSB, metal, fiberglass. They are suitable for wet rooms, but the surface must first be primed. For the floor, use drywall or plywood.

Application technology step by step

Before applying the putty on the wall with your own hands, you need to prime the surface. It is cleaned of fine dust, so the adhesion to the base will be more resistant, high-quality, durable. When carrying out work on priming walls, it is better to use a wide roller, for hard-to-reach places and joints - a brush. The applied layer of soil is thoroughly dried.

Next, the surface is ground, for example, with sandpaper, then the first layer of starting putty is applied. The solution must be prepared before use. The dry mixture is poured into a container with water, mixed and water is slowly added until the solution reaches the desired consistency. The solution cannot be too thin and too thick. When applying putty, a special spatula is used. The layer of starting putty is thoroughly dried and the primer is applied again. The dried primed coating of the wall surface is re-sanded.

At the next stage, the finishing composition is applied. Sometimes the finishing solution is applied twice with an interval of 12 hours. After high-quality drying, it is necessary to carefully sand the surface.

Applying putty is a very time-consuming process that requires skills and experience.

To do the job better, it does not hurt to remember some useful tips:

It is not necessary to prepare a large amount of the mixture at once. It has a tendency to dry out. Better a little, but more often.
To prepare the composition, you need to use only clean dishes and water.
The solution must be taken with a small spatula, transferred to a large spatula, and only then - on the surface of the wall.

You can putty in different ways: horizontally, vertically, as well as in such ways as "bouquet", "herringbone", "zigzag".
You can choose the angle of inclination of the spatula yourself, the most important thing is to cover up all cracks, crevices, visible defects.
To check the level of coverage, you can use a metal rule by applying it to the surface. All irregularities are easily cut off with a spatula angle.
When puttying, the tool used sometimes leaves barely noticeable grooves; after applying the last finishing layer of the putty mixture, they will disappear.

Grinding the surface of the walls is much more convenient to do with a grinder.
Be sure to sand the convex places.
For reliability, you can finally cover the wall with water-based paint. This oil mixture will fix the composition.
At the end of the filling of the wall surfaces, thoroughly wash construction tools and utensils with running water and wipe dry.