Puttying the walls under the wallpaper with your own hands

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Putty concrete walls for wallpaper

Puttying the walls with your own hands under the wallpaper is the final operation of surface finishing before the trellis sticker. This is a simple process, after which the walls acquire evenness and sufficient smoothness, which allows wallpapering with good quality. What putty to choose for the walls under the wallpaper, the technology for gluing them, this article will tell.

Features of putty walls

Putty for walls under the wallpaper is carried out only after priming the surfaces (see Primer before puttying walls - is it needed).

Otherwise, it may result in:

• To peel putty when removing old wallpaper.
• To the appearance of bumps after the sticker of new ones.

When applying a primer mixture to walls:

• There are no dust or dirt on the surface.
• The ability of the base to connect with putty is improved - the adhesion of the material is increased.

Tip: The primer of the walls must be done always and everywhere, when applying wet or adhesive compositions.

The most important principle of putty for any surface is gradual: with a single layer of material it is impossible to eliminate all defects existing on the walls or ceiling.

Putty leveling is carried out in several stages:

• First, large pits on the surface are gradually filled. For this, a starting filler mixture with a large grit is used, which is superimposed on the surface with a layer of up to one centimeter. Its cracking after application to the wall is practically absent.
• Small defects are removed with a special gypsum mortar - finishing putty. Application is carried out after the preliminary applied layer has completely dried to smooth the surface - there are no wet spots on the wall.

What types of putty for wallpaper

In appearance, putty can be:

• Pasty.
• Powder.

The table shows the types of material for decoration, their advantages and disadvantages:

By appointment, putty is:

• Starting or leveling. It is characterized by:

1. high degree of strength;
2. excellent adhesion;
3. coarse grain.

This coating is used to smooth surfaces after plastering. The layer is applied with a thickness of 4 to 18 millimeters.

• Finishing or decorative. It makes it possible to get a very smooth, fairly even surface that hides small flaws. The coating layer has less strength than the starting one. Easy to apply in a small layer, up to 3 millimeters thick.
• Universal. Combines the characteristics of starting and finishing mixtures.Its cost is greater than the previous ones, but the material is slightly inferior to the previous coatings in terms of properties. It is recommended for use when processing walls where there are no large flaws.

Plastering the walls of drywall for wallpaper

Putty Tools

Wall putty technology for wallpaper suggests preparing the minimum set of tools shown in the photo.

Putty Tools

These include:

• Drill with nozzle - mixer, which is used to mix the dry mixture.
• Spatula of different widths. In the work it is more convenient to use tools whose width ranges from 5 to 50 centimeters, and it is better to use a standard spatula having the shape of an angle to cover the outer and inner corners.
• Primer roller or brush.

Tip: For hard to reach places, when applying a primer, use a brush.

• The rule. It is used in case of priming walls with large defects, when it is necessary to putty on a thick layer. At the same time, it is more convenient to level the thick layers of the mixture with a long rule made of metal.
• Level. To control the alignment of a vertical surface.
• Sandpaper. Two types are used:

1. coarse sandpaper - to grout the wall after starting putty;
2. fine-grained - after coating the finishing putty.

• Capacity for stirring the solution.
• Water tank - for soaking tools.

How to putty walls

Wall mortar

Tip: When using a dry mixture, it is necessary to correctly prepare the solution.

The sequence of preparation of the solution:

• The tank is filled with a small amount of water.
• Putty is added. At the same time, it is necessary to pour it in a small stream.
• The mixture is mixed with a simple spatula.
• It is better to obtain a homogeneous composition using an electric drill with a mixer (see How to breed putty with self-repair).

Tip: Material availability is determined by the consistency obtained. The mixture should acquire elasticity and at the same time adhere to the tool a little. If the solution turned out to be liquid, a little more dry mixture is added a little. The presence of lumps in the putty indicates that it is very dry, water is required, and everything is well mixed to obtain a homogeneous mass.

Instructions for applying the solution to the wall:

• Starting putty it is convenient to apply on the wall with a large spatula, medium portions, distributing them evenly over the surface. The spatula should be at an angle of approximately 40 degrees. The solution is applied diagonally in one motion, each subsequent layer on the previous one is overlapped. Appeared shallow stripes from the spatula, it will be possible to hide the finish putty.

Tip: Performing the starting layer, knead the putty in small portions. This will prevent the appearance of dried up dry elements, which will make the quality of work worse.

• When processing internal or external right angles, it is convenient to use a spatula of angular type. For this:

1. a smaller spatula puts a small layer of material at the entire angle or slope;
2. the cover is very neatly aligned. Putty should dry well within about 24 hours.

Hard putty of external and internal corners of walls

• After the material has dried, a finishing putty is applied. Two spatulas are used for this:

1. on a larger tool with a small spatula in small portions the mixture is applied;
2. evenly apply the solution to the surface of the wall, a layer about two millimeters thick.

• The surface remains to dry for about 12 hours.
• The final stage of the puttying of surfaces is sanding them with sandpaper.

How is putty made and primer walls for wallpaperThe advantages and disadvantages of all type of material are shown in detail in the video in this article. Neatly and correctly completed the process of puttying the walls, will provide a high-quality sticker on the wallpaper for a long period.