Preparing walls for plastering is an intermediate procedure between leveling the walls and applying a decorative layer. This stage is considered one of the most important, since the future appearance of surfaces, their service life, as well as strength and resistance to moisture, temperature extremes, and so on, depend on the quality of the work. Most decorative plasters do not require perfectly flat walls, but the surface must be clean.
It should be noted right away that preparing walls for decorative plastering is practically no different from preparing for painting or wallpapering. With the clarification that such a plastic material as decorative plaster can smooth out some irregularities and close cracks or small potholes. Before you start preparing the surface for plastering, you need to stock up on the necessary tools and materials.
Preparing walls for decorative plaster requires the following tools and consumables:
Tools required to prepare walls for decorative plaster - spatulas;
- building level and plumb line;
- sandpaper, sander with polishing and cutting wheels;
- paint brush;
- drill with impact function (the hammer drill is too heavy and powerful for this work);
- plastic wrap, masking tape or tape;
- sponges and rags;
- screwdrivers;
- mixer nozzle;
- mixing container;
- putty;
- solvent;
- primer.
A spray bottle may also be required. If the walls were previously covered with wallpaper, then they may have to be soaked with this product.
How preparatory work is carried out
It should be said right away that these works should be carried out one of the last. That is, at the time of their beginning, double-glazed windows and door frames must be installed in the apartment, the floor covering is laid and ready for use. In general, all work has been completed that can be directly or indirectly displayed on wall surfaces.
The room must be completely ready for decorative finishing Preparation of walls for decorative plaster includes the following steps:
- The first step is to remove the remnants of the old coating, such as wallpaper, paint or putty. The wallpaper is removed with a spatula after preliminary soaking, the paint is washed off with a solvent, and the putty is beaten off with an impact drill. Then remove all fasteners from the wall. Self-tapping screws and dowels are removed with a screwdriver, nails - with a nail puller. Also, after removing the old coating, reinforcement elements may appear, they must be cut off with a grinder.
Removing old coating from the wall - After that, you should tap the wall with a hammer to identify weak points. If potholes and cracks appear, then they are sealed with putty. If they are deep and wide, then their embedding is carried out in several stages.
- The next step is to apply a primer with strengthening properties, after which you need to wait about 4 hours for it to dry. If we are talking about bathrooms, kitchens or other rooms with high humidity, you need to treat them with a special antifungal agent and wait again for about 4 hours.
Applying a primer to the wall with a roller - After the primer has dried, they begin to putty the surface. This procedure is carried out using wide and narrow spatulas. After applying the putty, it is necessary to check the evenness of the surface with a building level and a plumb line. A layer of putty is the basis for decorative plaster, so it should be carefully leveled. At the end, it is necessary to sand the surface with sandpaper or a grinder, while its surface should be fine-grained.
A layer of putty - the basis for applying decorative plaster - The next step is to apply a layer of deep penetrating primer. For this, a paint brush is used. Most decorative plasters do not have a high level of adhesion, so over time, the material may simply fall off. To ensure tight contact, a primer is needed. It is required to apply 2 coats at intervals of 3-4 hours to allow them to dry.
This completes the preparation of the surface for plastering, you can start decorating the walls.
On a note! If you plan to apply a thick layer of textured or textured plaster, then finishing the surfaces with putty is optional. But for thin layers of the above types of finishing materials or for "Venetian", filling is mandatory. The fact is that a small layer will not be able to fill cracks and potholes, which, after the decorative material dries, will appear, which will affect the appearance of the walls and their service life.
Some types of decorative plaster require mandatory filling of the walls.
Preparation of walls for plastering should be carried out taking into account the following nuances.
Before starting work, it is recommended to cover the floor surface, windows and furniture with plastic wrap. The ceiling area near the wall and baseboards must be sealed with masking tape. For each of the layers of putty, it is necessary to allow at least 48 hours for complete drying, while it is forbidden to use heaters or hair dryers to speed up the process. Otherwise, the surface may crack.
If we are talking about work on the facade or plinth, then it is necessary to first strengthen the wall with a reinforcing mesh, inside the room - with a serpyanka. Ideally, the primer should be reinforced with a special liquid impregnation. If it was decided to use this composition, care must be taken to ensure that the surface to be treated is capable of absorbing liquid. Therefore, you should not use materials based on alabaster or glue.
The primer layer, which is applied to the walls under the decorative plaster, must be at least two centimeters thick. Otherwise, you will have to apply a larger layer of decorative coating to achieve an even and uniform surface, which leads to additional costs. After applying the primer, it is necessary to wait about 7 days, during which the layer is regularly moistened with water (for this purpose, an ordinary kitchen sponge is used).
Test application of plaster
Many years of experience can skip this step, but inexperienced people are strongly advised to do a trial application. To do this, you need to select a small section of the wall closer to the corners or use a sheet of drywall that has been pre-finished in the same way as the surface of the walls. After the test layer has dried, you need to evaluate the quality of the resulting surface, its texture and color. If everything suits you, you can safely start plastering.
Test application of decorative plaster allows you to evaluate its texture and color Material preparation and consumption
The modern construction market offers customers ready-made mixtures in plastic containers and dry powdery substances that must be diluted with water. In the first case, it is enough to simply open the container and mix the composition with improvised means (a long screwdriver, a wooden plank, and so on). In the second, you must first study the instructions that are indicated by the manufacturer, and then prepare the solution in the required proportions. This will require a mixing container and an electric drill with a mixer attachment.
Preparation of a solution of decorative plaster with a mixer
Consumption of the main types of decorative plaster:
- Structural compositions - approximately 3 kg of material per square meter of surface.
- - an average of 1.5 kg per square meter.
- Venetian plaster - about 150 g per sq. meter for one layer, the total consumption must be calculated based on the number of layers.
The above data are approximate. Actual consumption depends on the application method and the desired result.
Preparatory work is both a simple and important part of finishing. In order for the stage of surface preparation for plastering to be successful, and the coating to serve for many years, it is necessary to follow the above instructions and manufacturer's recommendations.
The finishing plaster is started at the end of all construction work; when choosing compositions for these purposes, preference is given to decorative stamps containing marble chips, colored or textured fillers. Almost all modern ready-made mixtures have high adhesion, stability and have a long service life, their only drawback is the price. The important nuances of the plastering technology with decorative marks include the need for preliminary surface preparation, the degree of its complexity depends on the material of the walls or ceilings and the type of future finishing. This process takes a long time, in order to save money, it is recommended to carry out it yourself.
The main stages of preparation
There is no universal instruction, the nature and sequence of actions depends on the base material. At the initial stage:
- For prefabricated smooth reinforced concrete slabs, surface preparation consists of scoring or sandblasting to increase adhesion to the finishing decor.
- Brick walls and masonry from blocks are cleaned of excess mortar in the seams, if necessary, notches are also made on them.
- Wooden surfaces are trimmed with shingles - narrow strips with a thickness of 2 to 5 mm. For fastening, use ordinary nails directed towards the floor at an angle of 35-40 °. The material is nailed with an overlap, subsequently this mesh holds the leveling layer of the mortar.
The plaster is applied to even, dry and clean surfaces. Ideal smoothness is necessary in exceptional cases (when working with thin-layer grades), when using composite (Bark beetle and its analogues), acrylic or silicone compositions, a deviation in level within 5-10 mm per 1 m of length is allowed, the manufacturer usually indicates the exact value. But there should be no obvious chips, defects and cracks. Almost all types of decorative plasters are not suitable for installation over oil paints, the same applies to walls with grease or oil stains. An obvious requirement is the stability of the base - regardless of the brand, the finishing compounds are used on surfaces cleaned of old building materials and any flaking particles.
1. Cleaning surfaces from dust, dirt, waste layers of old building materials, removing large debris. Dedusting and, if necessary, degreasing.
2. Assessment of the condition, checking the horizontal and vertical walls, curvature of corners. When working with smooth brick or concrete - notch with a grinder. Particular attention is paid to cracks, if any, they need to be cleaned to a non-sprinkling state and filled with special putties.
3. Alignment is the main stage of preparation. For its successful implementation, marking is carried out - installing beacons or pulling threads along the level with the help of nails starting from the upper corner with a step of 30-50 cm. Exactly the same marks are placed from below, a cord is pulled between them. The resulting space under the thread shows the minimum leveling layer thickness. With significant differences (over 40-50 mm), an armo net will be required to fix the solution - wire or fiberglass.
4. Treatment with primer - when working with leveling compounds and decorative plasters with low permeability, preference is given to antiseptics with deep penetration, when finishing smooth factory slabs - Betonkontakt and its analogs, which increase roughness.
5. Wetting the surface with water using a construction vacuum cleaner, broom or brush. It is carried out in the case of a large gap between the preliminary stage and the plaster itself.
6. Kneading and applying leveling mortar. When doing work with your own hands and lack of experience, it is easier to mix small portions, but in general this stage requires a fast pace, especially when using gypsum-based mixtures. Plastering itself includes three steps: preliminary spraying of a more liquid composition with a trowel or a plastic scoop and spreading it evenly along the walls, applying 1-2 layers with a pasty consistency and finishing with a solution resembling sour cream. There is a gap between these steps, sufficient for setting, but not allowing complete drying.
7. Leveling and troweling: with a wide trowel immediately after application, with a wet sponge after 1-2 hours and a wooden float after complete drying. Sanding with fine-grained emery paper is required only when working with Venetian decorative plasters, in all other cases the surface remains rough.
8. Removal of debris and dust, preferably with construction vacuum cleaners.
9. Treatment with a primer to improve adhesion.
The main questions arise when choosing a leveling compound. At the stage of surface preparation, both DSP and gypsum are used. Significant defects and gaps are filled with ordinary mortar (cement and sand in a ratio of 1: 3), it is also used with a large level difference. But with small deviations, it is more convenient to work with gypsum mixtures, they are elastic, dry faster and rub out without problems.
Tips for applying plaster
The given scheme of actions is relevant when the walls fall within 5 cm. If it is necessary to apply 2 or more thick leveling layers, a reinforcement mesh should be laid. Before throwing in the next layer, the previous one should set well (in the case of cement compositions, this period is measured in weeks). With a large thickness, not only the base is primed, but also each leveling layer.
The decorative finishing is started no earlier than 2 days after applying the finishing putty. In the preparation process, all the manufacturer's recommendations are taken into account: the conditions of installation and drying, the thickness of the applied at a time and the maximum permissible layer, the proportions of the batch, the pot life, they are always indicated in the instructions. The latter indicator is extremely important when performing work on your own: the finished solution can be consumed only within the specified time frame.
To simplify the preparation process when doing it yourself, it is recommended:
- Use beacons at the leveling stage (they must be removed).
- Place a thin interior mesh under a layer of finishing putty.
- When working with crumbling or old surfaces, harden with deep penetration compounds.
- To increase the adhesion of each applied layer of primers.
- Remove debris and dust with a vacuum cleaner.
The thickness of the applied layer depends on the size of the filler grains: from 0.5 mm - in Venetian, to 3.5 - in Bark beetle and other structural-composite species. Thin-layer marks can shine through, when using white or light gray leveling compounds, problems do not arise, in other cases the walls are covered with paint-primer. At the same time, their compatibility with the finishing material is monitored: the use of oil or alabaster varieties is referred to as technology violations and errors. The more expensive the plaster, the higher the requirements for the soil. To eliminate errors, the bark beetle or other species are first applied in a small, well-lit area, after which it is easier to choose the thickness of the layer, the spatula and the direction of the patterns.
Preparation of walls for decorative plaster is required. Plaster is durable only if it is properly prepared for the plastering process.
There are different types of plaster, and each requires its own preparation. Therefore, first you need to choose what you will apply to the walls. Here you need to take into account not only the expected result, but also the possible costs - there are both budget options for decorative plasters and more expensive ones.
For example, mineral coating is the cheapest material, because it is based on cement. It is diluted with water using a mixer. But, firstly, the base must also be mineral (stone, brick, plaster, concrete, etc. walls), and secondly, in order for this simple coating to turn into an interior masterpiece, you need to be a real artist.
Acrylic plaster is a completely different matter. This is the best choice. It is based on acrylic resin. Such coverage is more expensive because It is sold ready-made and does not need to be diluted, and it is also easy to apply and easy to form a structure. But it will be necessary to prepare the base and primer very qualitatively, which, of course, will increase costs.
The most expensive, but also durable and versatile, is silicone plaster. It is sold ready-made, and you can choose any color. It is easy to work with it even for a layman. But you need to take into account that the primer for it must also be silicone, and this is an expensive product.
Plaster can be given a wide variety of textures. It can resemble any surface. This effect is helped in particular by the type of filler of the chosen decorative coating.
So, textured plaster can include very small stones, wood fibers, etc. materials that make the surface look three-dimensional. Structural also contains various inclusions, but even smaller - the size of a grain, which makes the surface more uniform.
One of the most popular is Venetian plaster. It is based on marble chips, so small that the wall after plastering looks smooth and shiny, resembling marble.
Preparing the walls
For decorative plaster, wall preparation is the main condition for quality. The process is similar to the preliminary work on the walls before painting or wallpapering. Moreover, for some types of decorative plaster, it is not necessary to achieve absolute smoothness. Possible flaws will be hidden by a layer of material.
The most capricious from this point of view is the Venetian plaster. It is applied in a fairly thin layer, so it needs a perfectly flat surface. That is, the preparation of walls for Venetian plaster requires the highest quality pretreatment. Otherwise, even very small defects will be visible.
To achieve this, you need to apply not only a primer to the wall, but also a putty. And not just one layer. But, for example, when applying textured plaster, you can do without putty at all, applying the composition directly to the primer. A thick layer of such a coating will easily hide small irregularities in the wall.
Consider how to prepare walls for Venetian plaster. It is ideal for the highest quality pretreatment. It provides for a thorough priming and filling of the base. Knowing this, you can prepare walls for other types of decorative plaster, excluding, for example, their putty.
First step
Preparing walls for decorative plastering involves removing old wallpaper or paint. After that, the surface must be thoroughly washed with detergents, and then allowed to dry well. To repair cracks in the wall (usually a repair compound is used for this purpose).
If the wall could not be completely cleaned of old wallpaper and paint, experts advise first applying a special reinforcing impregnation that fixes the base. A primer should be applied over the cleaned wall (or reinforcing impregnation). The primer will provide adhesion and prevent absorption, which will prevent the next layer - the putty - from peeling off.
But it is important to be proper. If the walls, for example, are made of concrete, brick or wood, i.e. have a porous surface, a deep penetration primer must be used. It will provide strong adhesion of the plaster to the base (wall). In addition, it contains components that prevent the formation of fungi or mold in case of high humidity in the room.
Priming technology
For a primer for decorative plaster, it is important to remember one rule: there must be at least two layers. Each layer must be at least 10 mm thick. This is necessary because plaster is a rather heavy material. Such a two-layer base will allow you to hold it.
Use a wide paint brush or roller for priming. It is not recommended to use spray guns, because this will impair the quality of the coating. Wipe the surface after a two-layer primer. This will make the layer more dense, which will increase its adhesion to the putty (or plaster if it goes directly over the primer).
Putty technology
It is important to choose the right filler materials. They should not be based on oil and glue, alabaster, etc., which block absorption. Also, you can not start the putty until the soil dries out. On average, this may take 3 to 6 hours.
You need to apply at least two layers of putty. If the wall has significant irregularities, then you will have to putty in 3 layers. Moreover, each layer before applying the next one must be allowed to dry for 6 to 10 hours, having previously primed (for this, a universal primer is used).
It is impossible to forcibly dry the surface. Drying should take place at room temperature. Then it is important to sand all surfaces thoroughly using fine-grained sandpaper. Finally, apply decorative plaster.
You can do the steps before applying decorative plaster with your own hands. It is important to remove large defects, clean old paint, wallpaper remnants, whitewash. The article describes the work plan, the secrets of preparing various surfaces.
How to do it yourself, the secrets of preparing different surfaces for plaster
Even high-quality finishing material will crumble if laid on unprepared walls.
The actions before plastering are not supernatural, they can be done by hand.
It is important to remove large defects, to clean old paint and wallpaper remnants, whitewash. The plaster itself will correctly and accurately hide the minor irregularities on the surface to be treated.
Do you need wall preparation
Preparation is necessary if this is not the first renovation, that is, the walls already have old wallpaper, paint, whitewash. You will also need to remove defects if the walls, even if the room is first commissioned, have irregularities.
Decorative plaster is applied both indoors and outdoors. Also on sale are various types: textured, structural, Venetian, latex and others.
Since the plaster is designed for different conditions of use, and also gives a different effect, its composition changes. Therefore, the preparation of concrete, plasterboard, brick, wooden walls will be different.
Features of work
You should not be zealous in preparation, because decorative plaster is applied in a thick layer and hides minor defects. A perfectly flat surface is not needed, it is important at the initial stage to remove all cracks, debris, serious convex or concave areas.
If you leave noticeable defects, they will show through the decor. In this case, you will need to apply a larger layer of decorative plaster, which is significantly more expensive than it would be to level the walls initially.
How to properly prepare an old uneven wall
Decorating with decorative plaster is the final chord of the renovation. The work is carried out after the installation of plumbing, doors, and removal of construction waste. Installation is carried out in a clean and tidy environment, debris and dust that may appear during unfinished repairs will settle on the decor and spoil its appearance.
Work on the preparation of the walls begins a month before the application of decorative plaster. The walls must stand for at least 4 weeks to be able to verify the quality of the work performed. Preparation plan for the old uneven wall:
- removal of layers of putty, paint and wallpaper (you can manually or use a construction fan);
- removal of oil stains (they are removed with soapy water or solvent);
- work with cracks (expansion with a grinding machine, filling with building materials);
- primer treatment (if the walls are normal, then you can take the usual one, if they are prone to cracking - with a regenerating effect);
- treatment with an antifungal composition (if the walls are outdoors, that is, exposed to climatic conditions, indoors with high humidity).
The principle of operation and the sequence of actions depend on the type of surface.
Preparation for decorative plaster of various surfaces
Different surfaces require different tools. So, for processing:
- cinder block chisels and brushes with steel bristles are suitable;
- concrete use sandblasting or the same as for cinder block;
- wooden shingles are suitable with a tape width of up to 30 mm and a thickness of up to 5 mm;
- brick use first the technology of creating sagging on the seams, and then - scraping with a brush with steel bristles.
The leveling of the surface occurs quickly, as the material sets. In this case, the surface is necessarily wetted.
When can you plaster
Most craftsmen advise to apply decorative plaster no earlier than a month after leveling. This is due to the fact that during this period it will be possible to consider defects, if they appear.
But, in fact, if the employee is confident in the quality of the task, the plaster can be used immediately. It is necessary to wait until the humidity is optimal - the walls damp from the work are carried out to spillage.
The application technology does not differ from the plasterboard surface. Venetian is applied in several layers, while it is important to wait for each to dry. Textured is heavier, therefore, when applied to drywall, it is taken into account whether the surface can withstand it. Structural and mineral are not so demanding on the surface, but the load must also be taken into account.
Recommendations will allow you to get an ideal and long-term result. Tips:
- if drywall is used, then it must be moisture resistant;
- the surface, if there is a risk of liquid ingress, is treated with a moisture-resistant primer;
- during repairs, cleanliness and temperature conditions must be observed, otherwise the appearance will deteriorate.
You can prepare walls for decorative plaster with your own hands. It does not take a lot of time. If you take a responsible approach to the question, then the decor on drywall or plastered wall will retain its appearance for decades.
Useful video
Decorative plaster is one of the easiest finishing materials to apply to walls. Although this material has many advantages. For example, high strength characteristics, the ability to withstand high humidity and temperature drops, dust does not settle on it, dirt does not linger, over time the color of the plaster does not fade. Moreover, on the surface of the wall, you can create a truly real masterpiece with your own hands. Let's add one more positive characteristic - decorative plaster is applied in a small layer, which can hide small defects and flaws on the base surface of the wall.
But whatever you say, but treat the preparation of the wall surface in the same way as in the case of finishing it with wallpaper or paint. Although it is not necessary to bring the surface to maximum evenness. Therefore, let's look at how the walls are prepared for decorative plaster.
Wall preparation steps
Let's talk about the walls to be repaired. But at the very beginning, we note that the application of decorative plaster is a finishing process, therefore it is recommended to start it only after all work on the repair of the ceiling and floor has been completed, the rubbish has been removed and the pieces of furniture and the floor itself are covered with film.
So what will you need to do to prepare the walls?
Now you need to pay attention to what is the difference in the plane of the wall. To determine it, you can use different methods, but the most effective and simplest one is to install a long rule with a level bubble on the wall and draw along the plane. Bubble deviation indicates that there is a difference. And the further the bubble is deflected in the flask, the greater the difference. We must get rid of it. With the help of decorative plaster, the drop can also be removed, but if it is not more than three millimeters. In other cases, you will have to putty and level the plane.
Attention! If the value of the difference is large enough, it is recommended that the leveling be carried out in several layers, and each layer must be primed after drying.
Preparing the plasterboard wall
Plasterboard partitions, various niches and cabinets made of this material are not uncommon in modern room design. Yes, and the walls are often aligned with them today, especially when there is a question of insulation. Can decorative plaster be applied to drywall? No problem. And how in this regard is the preparation of walls for decorative plaster solved, I mean plasterboard walls? Everything is the same as with conventional designs.
True, it should be noted that gypsum plasterboards are themselves a leveling material, so preparation is reduced with them. Still, what needs to be done?
- Primer the joints of the drywall sheets.
- Fill the joints with putty.
- Place the fastening tape along the joints.
- Apply another layer of putty.
- Smear the installation locations of the screws.
- Dry all this and prime the sheet itself.
- After that, a complete alignment of the plane of the plasterboard structure is carried out. By the way, different putties are used to fill the joints and level the plane. In the first case, it is recommended to use the Fugenfüller brand, in the second Uniflot, all materials from the Knauf company.
- The putty layer is dried and the primer is applied.
That's it, the plasterboard wall is ready for decorative plastering.
Preparing a wooden wall
Probably the question of whether it is worth covering wooden walls with decorative plaster sounds somehow strange. But different situations happen in life, so it is worth considering the option of preparing wooden walls for this decoration. What needs to be done first? As always, determine the degree of defects.
If there are more defects than the plaster can cover with itself, then the wooden wall will have to be revetted with either drywall, or plywood, or chipboard, or OSB. If there are not very many defects, then you need to cover the plane in three layers with a primer. In this case, each layer must be pre-dried. On this, the preparation can be considered complete.
Brick wall preparation
Finishing work in a brick house that has just been rebuilt is much more difficult than if the house was concrete. The thing is that the brickwork must be plastered. Not the easiest process, but without it, it will simply be impossible to apply decorative plaster, and other finishing materials.
How is the preparatory stage carried out in this case?
- A plaster mesh is installed on the brickwork, it can be metal, it can be plastic or fiberglass. Fastening is done with self-tapping screws with a wide head or with a wide washer.
- A putty solution is being prepared. It is a dry mix based on gypsum or cement. It is simply diluted in a certain ratio with water. In this case, it is necessary to pour the mixture into water and stir with a construction mixer, and not vice versa.
- Putty solution is applied. If necessary, application is made in several layers, it all depends on the difference in the plane of the brick wall.
- After drying, the plane is primed.
- Decorative plaster can be applied.
This is how different walls are prepared for decorative plaster.