The procedure for applying putty to the walls. How to putty walls with your own hands using finishing putty. What tools are needed when puttingtying wall surfaces?

Today we will look in detail at how to apply putty to the wall. After all, finishing material will be applied to this layer, and the surface must be prepared efficiently.
For example, after applying paint, all errors will be visible. Therefore, the plane must be flat and smooth. When working, you must immediately determine how many layers of putty need to be applied.
After all, a very large layer cannot be applied at once; this work will have to be done in several stages. Also in the video in this article you can watch the whole process and then do everything yourself.

Now let’s look at how to properly apply finishing putty on a wall in more detail. Let's go through all the points.
Not only the quality of the coating, but also its appearance and durability. Before starting work, you should also look at photos of materials; you must initially choose the final type of finish according to the interior of the room.

Material used for finishing putty

To putty the walls yourself, you will need the following set of tools.

Drill with mixer attachment	In most cases, homeowners purchase dry putty and prepare it immediately before work. To stir the mixture with water, you will need to use a special mixer, which will allow you to get rid of lumps in the mixture. When using such a mixer, you can get a homogeneous mixture that will be of high quality.
Spatulas of various sizes	For this work you will have to use at least two spatulas - one small and the second large with a size of 50 centimeters. A small spatula is necessary for working in hard to reach places, which improves the quality of application of the mixture.
Brushes and rollers for priming	Many homeowners, in order to save money, skip the stage of priming the walls. However, this is not recommended, as the primer improves the strength of finishing materials and improves the adhesion of the putty to the wall. For working with uneven walls When it is necessary to apply putty in a thick layer, use a rule that will allow you to easily level the putty over a large surface of the walls.
Laser or water level	During the work, it is necessary to level the walls, and a level is used to control this work. As a rule, before starting work directly, special beacons are installed, along which the finishing putty is subsequently leveled using a rule.
Sandpaper	To obtain a perfectly smooth surface of a putty wall, you must use sandpaper, which is applied after the putty has dried (see How to sand walls after putty and how to do it correctly). For getting perfect results We recommend using sandpaper with an index of 240. The finest sandpaper is recommended to be used when applying finishing putty. Whereas when laying the starting putty, coarse sandpaper is used. To simplify sanding the walls, you can use a manual sandpaper, which can significantly simplify and improve the quality of this stage of work.
Empty container	Also, for work you will need a container of 10 - 20 liters, in which we will stir the putty.

Choosing putty for working on walls

How to properly apply putty on walls is decided after choosing the material. Depending on its composition, putty is usually divided into cement, polymer and gypsum.
Let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of each type of putty:

One of the advantages of using gypsum putties is affordable cost and ease of alignment. Among the shortcomings, we can only note mediocre resistance to moisture, which somewhat limits the scope of use of gypsum putty.
Cement putty, on the contrary, perfectly withstands prolonged exposure to moisture, but is subject to shrinkage.
Polymer putty does not shrink and has excellent moisture resistance. Using this finishing material, you can easily process walls of different structures. The disadvantage of polymer putty is its fairly high cost.

All putties, depending on the scope of their application, can be divided into decorative, starting and leveling. also in last years Universal putties have become popular.

Leveling starting putties are characterized by high grain size, moisture resistance and excellent strength indicators. It is recommended to use this putty immediately after applying the plaster. The thickness of the layer can vary from 3 to 20 millimeters. The thickness depends on the general condition of the surface being treated.
To ensure maximum durability of the treated surface, it is recommended to apply finishing putty to the leveling mixture. This will give the surface a perfectly smooth appearance.
Finishing with putty is not difficult and is done using sandpaper. The application layer is usually from 3 to 5 millimeters.
Universal putties have the characteristics of a leveling mixture and decorative putties. They have a fairly high cost, but at the same time they can significantly simplify the work performed. It is recommended to use universal putties when working with walls that do not have significant flaws.
In specialized stores you can easily purchase both ready-to-use mixtures and dry putties, which are affordable, easy to use and have a long shelf life.
Ready-made putties are easy to use, since you do not need to use a mixer, and the mixture already has a homogeneous structure. Savings work time, and when performing repair work there is practically no dust.
At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that prepared finishing putties have a slightly higher cost than dry ones. You should also take into account the fact that ready-made putties shrink slightly, so they must be applied in a large layer.
The shelf life of ready-made putties is several months, so they must be quickly used in repair work.

Attention: When choosing a material, you first need to think about the coating's environment. If there is high humidity in the room. Then, when purchasing, you should study the instructions for the material. It must be moisture resistant.

Preparing walls for work

When applying putty, you need to monitor the condition of the walls:

Preparing the walls for puttying

The surface must be absolutely clean, so any stains of soot, paint or grease must be removed. If there are traces of peeling plaster, it is necessary to carry out deep surface preparation.
It is also not recommended to start work if there are frozen sections of the walls, which impairs the quality of the putty applied.
Before starting repair work, it is necessary to coat the wall with a primer. This will ensure maximum adhesion between the wall and the putty solution. The walls are primed using a small roller, which allows you to evenly apply the primer solution. One coat of primer is sufficient.

In specialized stores you can purchase starting, lighthouse or finishing putty. Let's consider the scope of use of each material.

Starting putty

Coarse material with a large grain size is used as a starting putty. As a rule, there are no difficulties in finding and purchasing such material.

Apply starting putty

Starter putty is designed to work with walls that have significant differences and numerous defects. Depending on the specific conditions, the thickness of the starting putty layer can be 1.5 centimeters.
The material can be applied in several layers; you just need to wait until the previous layer has completely dried.
To maximize the quality of the work carried out, special painting nets are used, which allow the putty to be firmly fixed on the surface of the walls and do not allow the material to subsequently crumble and delaminate. When using a painting mesh, the walls are completely plastered. The surface becomes smooth, which reduces the complexity of subsequent surface treatment.

Lighthouse wall putty

The difference in the use of this type of putty is the need to use beacons, which can be a metal, plaster or wooden lath.

We use lighthouse putty

All beacons are leveled and attached to the walls using a gypsum mixture. Surface treatment with finishing putty can be started only after the gypsum fixation of the beacons has completely hardened.
Spatulas and long rule, which makes it easier to work with large walls.
To control the quality of work performed, it is necessary to use a level

Final wall putty

After applying the starting or beacon mixture, they begin to perform the finishing putty.

Apply the finish in a thin layer

Attention: This work is carried out using special compounds that have minimal grain size, which after appropriate processing allows you to obtain a perfectly smooth wall surface.

It is necessary to apply the finishing putty in a minimal layer, which will ensure an effective appearance of the coating and save costs on repair work.
To reduce material consumption, it is necessary to level the surface even when applying the starting putty, which will reduce the labor intensity of the work performed. In this case, you will be spared the need for a lengthy and labor-intensive sanding procedure.

Puttying cracks in walls

To eliminate existing cracks in the walls, it is recommended to use special gypsum putties.

This material is flexible and easy to work with:

One of the features of gypsum plasters is their hardening time and the need pre-treatment surfaces before applying plaster.
To improve adhesion, it is recommended to scratch existing cracks with some sharp object, which will subsequently improve adhesion to gypsum plaster.
You can also use a primer and then fill the cracks.

Attention: Priming the walls must be done. Then the adhesion of surfaces will significantly increase and this will increase the service life of the finish.

Putty application technology

If you use dry putty, you must prepare it in full accordance with the instructions.
Sequence of preparation of putty:

Pour a small amount of water into the container you are using.
Using a spatula, mix the mixture.
Next, you will need a drill with a mixer attachment, with which we will mix the mixture and gradually add water.

Attention: The consistency of the prepared solution should be elastic and stick to the spatula.

Apply the prepared starting putty to the walls. The easiest way to do this is with a large spatula.
It is necessary to apply the mixture in medium portions, distributing it evenly over the surface.
It is necessary to hold the spatula at an angle of 30 degrees to the surface.
To avoid the appearance of bumps and transitions, subsequent layers must be applied overlapping.
If there are certain defects when applying the starting putty, they can be eliminated by using the finishing material.
For the highest quality application of putty in the corners, it is recommended to use a small corner spatula. With the help of such an angled spatula, you can carefully level the applied mixture in hard-to-reach places.

Attention: Remember that the putty dries after a day, so you can start working 24 hours after applying the previous layer. The thickness of the starting putty layer should be about 2 centimeters.

Before proceeding with further finishing of the walls, you must wait until the material has completely dried. It takes about 12 hours for the finishing putty to dry.
Only after this can you start sanding the surface with sandpaper. Sanding can also be done using a special sanding machine, which simplifies this work.

Attention: If you plan to apply several layers of putty, you must treat the surface with a primer before applying each new layer.

How to putty walls for wallpapering or painting

Now we’ll talk about how to apply finishing putty before wallpapering. The walls must be leveled using two layers of putty.
If the walls have significant differences, it is recommended to use three or more layers of material:

If you plan to paint the walls, they must be leveled not only with starting plaster, but also with finishing.
Sand the surface as carefully and carefully as possible, which will allow you to get rid of existing surface imperfections.

Putty procedure:

Apply a thin first layer of leveling putty.
Next, two or three more layers of putty are applied.
Wait about a day for the material to dry.
Finishing putty is applied, which allows you to eliminate minor defects.
After the putty has dried, rub the wall with sandpaper.

You now know how to apply finishing putty to walls. The price of the material is not so high, but everything must be done with high quality. Then the coating will please you and not change for a long time.

Preparing walls for wallpapering can be done without finishing putty (putty); it is enough to level the walls using Rotband gypsum plaster, the surface layer of which must be smoothed using grout and a spatula. But the recommended minimum application thickness of Rotband of 5 mm does not allow puttying walls with small irregularities and defects. Therefore, it is necessary to putty certain areas of the wall surface for wallpapering with finishing putty.

Types of putties

It should be noted that finishing putty (putty) is a conventional name, and it is classified as finishing if the filler fraction size does not exceed 0.5 mm.

Depending on the material on which the putty is made, there are three types: cement, gypsum and polymer. Each type of putty has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Table of classification of putties depending on the binder component
Type of putty	Purpose	Advantages	Flaws
Cement	For finishing rooms with high humidity, bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, building facades	High water resistance, low price	Slight shrinkage, possibility of cracks appearing over time
Plaster	For rooms with low humidity, rooms, hallways, corridors	When dry, the result is a smooth surface without shrinkage, sets in no more than 2 hours, allows for application of a layer more than 2 mm thick	Not waterproof, short solution life
Polymer	For rooms with normal humidity	It has a long solution life, sets quickly, adheres well, forms an ideal surface, ready for wallpapering and painting, and allows the application of a layer with a thickness of 0.2 mm.	High price

Choice of putty

When renovating the hallway, due to the large area of the walls (more than 60 m2) and their complex configuration (8 external, 7 internal corners plus two cross beams near the ceiling), in the best possible way receiving high-quality coating the walls were their color. Preparing the walls for painting was not an easy task, since some of the walls were plastered with lime plaster, others were made from antique sheets of plasterboard glued with alabaster directly onto brick wall, And small area The walls were brick (we had to remove cracked drywall).

Deviations of the walls from flatness and verticality by 0.5-5 cm were eliminated using Rotband gypsum plaster, and to prepare the surface of relatively flat sections of the walls for painting, it was necessary to use two types of polymer finishing putty: Vetonit LR+ and BOLARS Finishing Super "

Why polymer, the most expensive? Because thanks to the good viscosity and adhesion of the polymer putty, any home craftsman can prepare walls for painting, even without more experience.

Although both types of putties selected are intended for finishing putty, but on technical parameters they differ significantly in terms of minimum thickness applied layer.

Table of the main technical characteristics of Vetonit LR+ and BOLARS Finish Super plaster
Technical specifications	Unit	Vetonit LR+	BOLARS Finishing Super
Material color	-	white
Binder	-	polymer glue
Water resistance	-	not waterproof
Filler material	-	limestone	marble flour
Maximum filler fraction	mm	0,3	0,2
Consumption of dry mixture at a layer thickness of 1 mm	kg/m2	1,2	1
Amount of water per 1 kg of dry mixture	l	0,32-0,36	0,36-0,38
Thickness of applied layer	mm	1-5	0,2-2
Adhesion, no less	kg/cm 2		2
Time of use after mixing when stored in a closed container	hour	48	24
Drying time at 20°C	hour	24	2
Work temperature	WITH	5 – 30
Operating temperature	WITH	5 – 40
Shelf life in unopened packaging	month	12
Packing, weight bags	kg	5 and 25	20

Thus, the selected three types of leveling dry mixture made it possible to apply a layer from 0.2 mm to 5 cm on the walls.

Preparing the finishing putty for work

Can be purchased finishing putty in cans, ready-made for application to walls. But it costs 20% more, so it is more economically feasible to purchase a dry mixture and dilute it in water yourself as needed.

To prepare the putty yourself, you need to put it in a plastic container. round shape suitable size pour cold tap water, pour into water, observing the proportion, required amount dry mixture. Metal containers are undesirable, since when mixing with a mixer, its blades will noisily hit the walls, the metal may rust, and rust may get into the putty.

Using a mixer or manually stir the solution until the lumps disappear and a homogeneous paste-like mass is obtained. Since the putty contains many components, and they dissolve in water at different rates, it is recommended to mix the solution again five minutes after the first mixing. The putty is ready and you can start working.

The consistency of the putty should be like thick sour cream. When removing the mixer from the solution, a permanent mark should remain on its surface. Depending on the thickness of the putty layer applied, its consistency should also change. When applying a thin layer, the putty should be thinner, and when applying a thick layer, thicker.

After mixing, it is better to wash the mixer immediately. It is convenient to do this by lowering it into water and letting it work for a while.

Wall putty tool

You don't need a lot of tools to make walls. All you need is a few painting spatulas of different widths (18, 30 and 50 cm), a small container of water, a brush and a wet rag.

It is inconvenient to take the solution from a round bucket with a spatula, so I use a small tray rectangular shape, slightly wider than the width of the spatula blade. To ensure that the right tool is always at hand, all the tools needed to perform putty work and the tray with putty are placed in a larger tray (the plastic cover from the record player).

For the convenience of working at heights, I use a homemade repair table with a stand. When I work at height, I place the tray on a stand and stand on the table. When I’m standing on the floor, I put the tool tray on the table. This way, you don’t have to be distracted, the quality of your work is higher, and you get less tired.

Puttying right internal corners is best done using a corner spatula with a rigid blade bent at a right angle. Without such a spatula it is difficult to obtain internal corners High Quality.

Wall putty technology

Before applying putty to the wall, regardless of its surface, I always wipe its surface with a rag moistened with plenty of water. This is especially important when applying a very thin layer of putty.

Wiping allows you to solve several problems at once. Remove dust and dirt from the surface of the wall, moisten its surface to slow down the setting of the putty and improve adhesion due to better penetration of the binder of the putty into the pores of the wall. If you do not moisten the wall when applying a thin layer of putty, the moisture from the solution will be instantly absorbed by the wall, the putty will set, and it will be difficult to level it.

Almost all putty manufacturers strongly recommend covering the surface of the walls with a primer made by them before applying putty. This, in my opinion, is rather a commercial recommendation, and, as practice has shown, you can do without it. If the walls are moistened or coated with a 10% aqueous solution of PVA glue, the finishing putty will adhere tightly.

If there are doubts about the reliability of the putty adhering to the wall surface, then moistening the wall with a brush with water in which PVA glue is dissolved at the rate of 1 part glue to 9 parts water helps a lot. After moistening the wall, you can begin to apply a layer of putty.

Using an 18 cm wide spatula, scoop out a small amount of putty from the tray. As you can see, the putty does not flow off the canvas and is held in place by a roller. It should be held in any position of the spatula.

Next, the putty is evenly applied to the wall by moving the spatula in a vertical direction and crosswise. After applying the solution to a given area of the wall with a narrow spatula, they begin to work with a wide spatula (width 50-60 cm). The spatula blade must be perfectly clean; putty residues, even the size of a dot, are not allowed. Otherwise, streaks will form.

The spatula is wiped with a damp cloth and applied without pressing to the beginning of the area with the putty applied underneath. minimum angle to the surface of the wall and with minimal pressure is pulled along the surface. You should get a flat surface.

If you need to go over it again with a wide spatula, then you need to remove the remaining putty from its canvas with a narrow spatula and wipe it with a damp cloth. The canvas should be clean again. The remaining putty must be removed, as it may harden slightly and leave grooves on the surface.

Small strips often remain where the corners of the spatula blade pass. It is rarely possible to remove them, so you should not pay special attention to these marks; they are easily removed after the putty has hardened with a few strokes of sandpaper. To obtain an ideal surface, after puttying, the walls must be sanded with sandpaper or mesh.

Priming walls, plastering, puttying are basic operations in the process of bringing surfaces to the stage of readiness for further painting or wallpapering. A simplified scheme of work is as follows: plaster, primer after plaster, putty, sanding, coating paint and varnish material or wallpapering. Puttying the walls after plastering is considered the final preparatory operation.

Even due to the fact that today plastering is provided wide choice materials for interior work and exterior finishing, and having completed the work, you can achieve an ideal plane (there is no question whether it is possible to putty the walls, for example, after finishing with gypsum plaster - the procedure is not necessarily included in the procedure for carrying out repair work) - the financial costs of such plastering work are extremely high.

The classification of putty materials is carried out according to several criteria. The grouping sequence is determined by the key factors and properties of the putty, combining the mixtures into the following classes:

Oil-glue. If you need the cheapest mixture, this group is suitable. It is unknown whether oil solutions will continue to have a future, since they are already considered a thing of the last century. The main disadvantage is the appearance of yellow spots through the paint layer and wallpaper.

Gypsum cement. The materials are much more expensive. Designed for a full range of general finishing operations. Domestic products most often contain more cement than gypsum. By cement and gypsum base For craftsmen, the main purpose of the powder was determined - having covered a layer of plaster with soil, you most likely putty the walls with the composition for further wallpapering.

Water-dispersed. Also from the category of gypsum cement, however, they are necessarily produced in a batch with an aqueous polymer emulsion, respectively, containers - buckets. The advantage is that you don’t need to study on the packaging what to do and in what proportion to dilute the putty - the product is already ready for use.

Acrylic. After puttying with a similar composition, all the advantages of the above groups (except oil) will appear.

Workflow Stages

Surface cleaning

When to putty the walls after old plaster, worn-out wallpaper and layers of paint must be removed. A special remover helps remove the remains of unnecessary material. After the manipulations, the walls must dry - they are left for about a day.

Drying is followed by a thorough visual inspection: missing small parts clean with a mounting knife or a thin spatula.

Relief inspection

The relief plane is inspected with a flashlight, using the construction rule: it is applied to the surface, and the flashlight is shined along the wall. The smallest recesses and protrusions are obvious. Rough bumps should be beaten off on the spot with a plane or a sharp spatula, and the grooves should be marked along the contour with a simple pencil.

Related article: Peculiarities fiberglass wallpaper for painting

Preparing tools

Before starting the repair process, the entire set of tools is carefully wiped from dust with a rag, washed with dishwashing detergent and dried with a thick cloth that does not leave fibers on the items being wiped. It is worth carefully making sure that there are no residues of solutions from previous batches on the mixer from the drill and mixing container - lumps of old solutions need to be picked out.

Preparation of putty mixture

The process of preparing the solution is not complicated:

They collect in the container running water(a construction bucket is filled a quarter full, a regular bucket is filled a third).
Dry powder is added little by little until the tip of the “iceberg” is above the water.
Wait up to 30 seconds until the powder absorbs water and sag: no dry formations should remain.
With a quick, precise movement using a drill attachment, knead for 2 minutes. (drill is preferable, but manual work is also acceptable).
Wait 30-60 seconds..
Repeat kneading. The consistency has been brought to perfection – the solution is ready.

Under no circumstances should the prepared solution be diluted. extra water or dry powder. We'll have to work with what we got. In case of defects, the putty composition will tolerate excess liquid; after hardening, there is always the opportunity to go over the area with abrasive and reapply where necessary.

Don't forget about the expiration date ready solution after kneading: it is better to knead several portions at a time. Each portion is placed on a wide spatula with smaller ones, calculating the amount needed for one stroke.

Leveling the terrain

Small recesses and cracks are covered with a medium or wide spatula, depending on the size of the defect. Grouting is done with wide crosswise movements with the same force until a smooth surface without sagging or scuffing.

A common mistake among inexperienced craftsmen is to slowly, applying pressure, pull out the spatula. Putty of any brand is endowed with a thixotropic characteristic, which leads to rapid, correct dispersion with periodic equal force exposure from several sides.

In the video: the process of puttingtying a wall with your own hands.

Hardening of the putty layer

When hardening the putty, it is necessary to use all precautions as for hardening plaster: through air flows, direct sunlight, heat waves from a fan heater or hair dryer are absolutely contraindicated. Cracks in the wall as a result of drying are already unpleasant, but a putty layer damaged by improper drying can warp, which will only appear at the stage of wallpapering or painting.

Indoor air circulation should be adjusted to avoid drafts and temperature fluctuations. More specifically, you can open room door, however, leave the balcony closed. For the corridor - allow air to circulate from the living rooms by tightly closing the doors to the street, kitchen and bathroom.

Instructions for use most often indicate a drying period of up to 16 hours for the coating, but in reality it is 10-12 hours. However, it is advisable to sand the layer no earlier than a day has passed: the putty will dry out reliably, harden, and subsequent operations will be easier.

Puttying under wallpaper

For the purpose of further wallpapering, the putty is initially carried out with a wide spatula, covering each next layer up to ¼ of the previous one. The resulting “sausages” are not ground. Holding the spatula at an angle of 21-30 o, maintain constant pressure, which will help distribute the material in an even layer of 2 to 4 mm. The smaller the angle of inclination, the more it leads to the formation of a thick layer, the more it leads to the formation of a thin layer. However, the dependence is typical for variations in the specified degree interval; when going beyond its limits, bumps and breaks form on the surface.

The next step is drying the layer, removing beads with a jointer and abrasive and checking the smoothness using building regulations and a lantern. The resulting defects are eliminated: protrusions - with abrasive, recesses - with additional lubrication. It is possible that an inexperienced master can approach the wall up to 5 times until the surface becomes perfect.

At the end of the manipulations and long hardening, they go over the wall with a jointer with a mesh size range of 80-120 (with an increase in the number, the abrasive grain decreases). Initially, the entire surface is worked with circular movements, after which, loosening the grip, movements are criss-cross in order to remove the contours of circular manipulations.

Then the wall is again checked according to the building rules with the lantern. If there are no lingering reflections from the rule, the surface is ready, after a day the walls are primed and you can start gluing.

Puttying followed by painting

The technological process is different from puttying followed by wallpapering in one operation: after final leveling and rubbing with an abrasive material, the wall is covered finishing plaster. Special attention is given to the wall if it is painted with enamel, in particular acrylic, then finishing mixture must be white, durable and specially designed for this purpose.

Grouting is done with an abrasive with a fine grain of at least 150.

For mirror painting, the wall is also polished with a polishing trowel with suede material (felt and felt pieces are not suitable). A used suede cover will not cope with the task - it will have to be replaced with a new one. Also, for painting, the wall must be primed in accordance with the instructions indicated on the packaging of the material.

Related article: Technology of puttying concrete and plasterboard ceilings

The nuances of puttying corners and slopes

Inexperienced craftsmen are often recommended to apply more than the required amount of material to the corners, followed by rubbing with an abrasive product. But when it is planned to apply silicone to any area with a gun before puttying, physical costs can be reduced, while at the same time increasing the efficiency of the result.

Work plan:

When the silicone is used up, you need to unscrew the tube, remove the residue and wipe it with a rag soaked in vinegar solution.
During puttying, the corner is bypassed, leaving unfilled.
When the wall is dry, you need to fill the tube with putty and slowly squeeze it into the corner crack. It is recommended, if possible, to do the procedure from bottom to top in one approach.
Next, they work with an angled spatula, resting on the surface, similar to plastering on beacons.
After drying, the protrusions will need to be removed with an abrasive mesh.

Instead of a silicone tube, you can use a syringe used when baking cakes. With rubber or foam pads and fixation with electrical tape, the pastry syringe is fixed in the gun like a glove.

At the corners of the slopes, the master works with an angular trowel of his choice using any of the methods known to him, knocks down the protrusions with an abrasive mesh, and checks the smoothness using the construction rules. There is no significant difference in the process of laying the putty layer on the walls and in the corners, but the corners are difficult to bring to the ideal - a professional will need to step up to two times.

Tips from experts on puttying (2 videos)

What you might need (25 photos)

Putty is one of the most affordable and quick ways, allowing you to prepare the surface of the walls for wallpaper. Using putty, you can perfectly level a wall with potholes, cracks and other defects, so many people want to know how to properly putty walls under wallpaper in order to achieve maximum effect. Glue wallpaper on smooth walls much easier than on curves - the glue is absorbed evenly and the risk of wrinkling of the canvas is reduced. In addition, the putty eliminates minor irregularities that will be clearly visible under the wallpaper, especially when sunlight. In order to renovation work were carried out quickly and efficiently, it is necessary to observe certain important rules, including when choosing material for puttying.

To putty the walls before wallpapering, you will need the following set of tools:

Drill with mixer attachment. The putty mixture is most often sold in dry form, and to bring it to the required consistency it must be diluted with water. The mixture can be ideally mixed to a homogeneous mass without lumps only with the help of such an attachment. If you don’t have a mixer, you can purchase ready-made putty, which does not require pre-mixing.
Spatulas of different sizes. For corners and other hard-to-reach areas, use a small spatula, and for the rest of the surface, use a tool 40-50 cm wide.
Brushes and foam rollers. These devices allow you to perform high-quality priming of walls. It is not recommended to skip this step, since a thin layer of primer ensures good adhesion between the wall and the wallpaper.
Rule. This tool is necessary when working with uneven walls, when the putty is applied in a thick layer and the likelihood of uneven distribution of the material over the entire surface increases.
Sandpaper. Used to eliminate transitions between layers, small bumps and depressions. Fine-grained paper and a manual sanding machine are best suited for these purposes, which makes the sanding process easier.

VIDEO TUTORIAL: All about puttying walls

Selection of material for putty work

It depends on the quality of wallpapering general form interior design, so the questions of how to putty walls for wallpaper and what material to choose will always be relevant.

Most often, the following grades of materials are used for puttying surfaces under wallpaper:

For those who have decided to putty walls on their own for the first time, experts recommend using a ready-made water-polymer mixture, which is sold in plastic packaging, has an optimal consistency and is easy to apply.

Primer as an important stage of puttying

Primer is a special composition that forms a waterproof film, so the wallpaper adheres better to the surface.

The following types of primer solutions are distinguished:

Acrylic. Suitable for any surfaces, including concrete, cement, wood, brick, plywood and plastered. The material does not have a specific odor, dries within 5 hours and is most often used for wallpapering.
Alkyd. Used for finishing wooden walls in country houses. The drying time of this primer is no more than 15 hours.
Glypthal. Designed for finishing wood and metal surfaces in rooms with low level humidity, dry in about a day.
Perchlorovinyl. Suitable for concrete, metal, brick and plaster walls, drying time at room temperature is 1 hour.

Preparing the surface for putty

To successfully refresh the interior, you need to clearly understand how to putty walls under wallpaper, otherwise all efforts will be reduced to zero.

Before you start puttingtying with your own hands, you need to thoroughly clean the walls of grease, paint, dust, falling layers of plaster and wallpaper residues. When removing paper wallpaper There are no difficulties; all you need to do is moisten them well. But situations often arise when removing old wallpaper becomes a real problem, this applies to glass wallpaper or canvases glued to drywall. If the material fits tightly to the wall and does not form voids or bubbles, you can putty on old wallpaper, but the layer should not exceed 1 mm, otherwise the hardened putty may peel off along with the wallpaper.

Important! If fungal damage and mold are found on the walls, it is necessary to treat the surface with an antiseptic solution. Sharp protrusions and bumps should be cut off with a metal spatula, and large depressions should be pre-plastered.

The final stage of the preparatory work is to apply one thin layer of primer, after which it is necessary to wait until the solution has completely dried and begin puttying.

Starting putty

Even if at first glance the walls seem smooth and need only partial processing, at least two layers of putty should be applied. For plasterboard walls One layer will be enough, but first you should carefully seal the joints of the material.

Starting putty is intended to eliminate significant differences in walls, hide grooves and holes; the layer thickness in this case can reach 1.5 cm. For starting finishing, a special putty is used, which is intended for filling joints, sealing breathing cracks and joints of floor slabs.

VIDEO: Starting puttying of walls

Advice! To perform the starting putty as efficiently as possible, experts recommend installing a special painting mesh on the wall and evenly distributing the mixture over it.

Each subsequent layer is applied after thoroughly drying and sanding the previous one. If there are no significant defects on the walls, the starting putty stage can be skipped.

Applying the finishing layer

If the wall is relatively flat, then one finishing layer will be enough; if the surface was previously plastered, then 2-3 layers of putty will have to be applied. The drying period for each layer can be up to 10-12 hours, after which the surface is sanded to eliminate sagging and other irregularities. The final layer before wallpapering must be applied with a wide spatula, from 30 cm, in a crosswise motion with an overlap on the already treated area. So that the layer has optimal thickness 2-3 mm, and the putty did not leave any bumps or uneven edges, the spatula must be held at an angle of 25-30 degrees to the wall, and all movements must have the same pressure. After each layer, it is necessary to check the surface for evenness using a rule and a flashlight, and eliminate any identified defects with the next layer.

Another way to treat corners is to apply a little more mixture to them, and after drying, remove the excess by sanding.

Afterwards, the wall dries for about a day until the material finally hardens, after which the entire surface must be treated with sandpaper or an abrasive plane.

VIDEO: Do-it-yourself finishing putty for wallpaper

It should be noted that finishing putty is advisable for leveling old walls with significant unevenness and cracks, as well as before applying single-color paint, which makes wall defects more noticeable. In new houses, as a rule, such a need does not arise, and minor unevenness is eliminated by re-plastering. Besides, modern wallpaper They are thick enough to independently hide existing imperfections and level the walls.

October 6, 2016
Specialization: facade finishing, interior decoration, construction of cottages, garages. Experience of an amateur gardener and gardener. We also have experience in repairing cars and motorcycles. Hobbies: playing the guitar and many other things that I don’t have time for :)

None rough finish walls, with rare exceptions, cannot be done without putty, but at the same time, many home craftsmen are “afraid” of this procedure and trust it to specialists. In fact, there is nothing super complicated in this work that you couldn’t handle on your own; the only thing is that you first need to familiarize yourself with all its nuances and technology. Therefore, below I will try to tell you in detail how to putty walls.

Why is puttying done?

First of all, let's consider why wall putty is needed, and whether this procedure can be avoided. After all, the alignment of the walls is carried out at the stage of plastering.

In fact, it all depends on the type of subsequent finishing and the characteristics of the plaster itself. If the task of rough finishing is to prepare surfaces for painting, then puttying is simply necessary. The fact is that plaster only levels the plane of the walls, but does not provide the necessary smoothness of the surface.

In some cases, you can actually do without putty. Below are the most common ones:

if the walls will subsequently be finished with tiles or other material that does not require careful surface preparation;
if the walls will be covered with wallpaper, and they have previously been properly leveled with gypsum plaster.

Putty technology

Stage 1: prepare inventory

For puttying you need to prepare the following tool:

spatula 400-600 mm wide;
narrow spatula 80 mm wide;
corner spatula;
fry;
a jointer for the abrasive mesh, as well as the abrasive mesh itself and sandpaper;
drill with mixer attachment;
rule;
plastic bucket.

Externally, a puttying tool is not much different from a similar plastering tool. However, there are still some nuances:

The blades of the spatulas should be thin so that when you press on the handle they bend slightly, however, ultra-flexible fabrics are also not suitable for our purposes;
the blade should be perfectly smooth, preferably the edges should be rounded.

The blades of expensive spatulas from well-known brands are cut with a laser, resulting in them being perfectly smooth. Cheaper stamped products may have a rough blade.

When purchasing materials for putty, keep in mind that all existing putty is divided into two types:

starting - applied as the first layer to level out unevenness.
finishing – more elastic, intended for application in a thin layer.

In addition, the composition of putties, on which their performance depends, also varies. Consider everything in detail existing species We will not use putties, since separate articles on our portal are devoted to this topic.

The only thing I note is that polymer putties are of the highest quality. They are the most elastic, making them easy to work with. In addition, these coatings are resistant to moisture.

It is thanks to them that painted walls can be perfectly smooth and without any flaws. If you need to prepare walls for wallpapering, you can use a cheaper starting putty, for example, gypsum-based.

In the bathroom or kitchen, where the humidity level will subsequently increase, you can apply a starting layer of white cement, i.e. cement-based putty.

Stage 2: preparing the walls

Wall putty implies that the main preparatory work, such as removing the old finish and leveling the walls, has already been completed. But, nevertheless, some procedures still need to be performed.

Therefore, first of all, let’s look at how to prepare walls for puttying:

Preparation should begin by cleaning the walls from dust. To do this, they need to be wiped with a damp cloth or sponge;
then the surface must be primed. The primer is applied to the surface in a thin layer using paint roller or a paint brush. During the priming process, avoid causing drips or accumulation on the separate areas walls

After the surface has dried, the procedure must be repeated.

This completes the preparation of the walls. Now you need to prepare the tools - clean them from dust, wash and dry them if necessary.

Stage 3: applying starting putty

So, we've sorted out the preparations. Now let's look at how to properly putty walls. The most important thing in this matter is gradualism.

A common mistake made by beginners is that they try to fix all the defects on the wall at once. But, if the flaws are serious, this cannot be done. We should start by eliminating the most serious irregularities, for which we will need starting putty.

You can putty walls at a temperature not lower than 10 degrees Celsius.

Thanks to the large filler grain finishing layer can be applied at a time up to 7-10 mm thick. The exact data is indicated on the packaging with the composition.

If you purchased the putty in dry form, before you putty the walls, you need to dilute it in water. This is done as follows:

prepare a clean bucket and pour the dry mixture into it;
then gradually pour into the bucket with the mixture clean water room temperature and gradually stir with a mixer until a creamy consistency is formed. The exact proportions are indicated on the packaging.

Now you can get to work. Keep in mind that you can work with putty for about 40 minutes from the moment it is prepared, until it begins to thicken and lose elasticity.

The puttying technique looks like this:

Use a small spatula to scoop the putty onto a wide spatula so that it is located in a small lump in the center of the spatula. You should not add too much solution, as in this case it will be more difficult to work;
then take the spatula in your hand so that thumb lay on the front of the canvas (in the direction of movement), and the four remaining fingers on the back of the canvas. Little finger and ring finger you can bend it to hold the handle tighter, as shown in the photo above;
Next, place the spatula with the blade on the wall and tilt it down so that an acute angle is formed between the wall and the canvas. It should be noted that the angle of inclination is very important, since the thickness of the layer of putty that will lie on the wall depends on it. While working, you need to feel for yourself how the angle of inclination affects the thickness, and, accordingly, control it;

Now you need to make a smooth and fairly fast movement with the spatula from top to bottom. In this case, the pressure on the tool should be the same both at the beginning of the movement and at the end, but the angle of inclination can change as necessary.
The result should be a smooth, even surface on the wall.
After applying the putty to the walls, the corners should be leveled using an angle spatula. To do this, you need to apply putty along the entire length of the corner with a small spatula, and then run it over it with a corner spatula.

When applying the starting layer, all strokes should overlap. Thanks to this, you can avoid transitions and unevenness.

All walls are plastered using this principle. The first layer is usually applied with vertical movements, and you need to start with the most uneven areas.

After the first layer of putty has been applied, you need to wait until the wall surface dries. Novice home craftsmen are usually interested in how long it takes for putty to dry. Drying time depends on the type of putty.

For example, an acrylic-based composition with an initial thick layer dries in about a day. It takes about the same amount of time for a gypsum-based mixture to dry. A thin layer can dry in a few hours.

If a hole has formed in the drywall, it can also be filled with starting putty. The only thing you need to do first is back side Glue a plasterboard patch to the wall. The same starting putty is usually used as glue.

After the putty has hardened, the walls are cleaned after the putty. To do this, you need to fix the mesh on a jointer with abrasive number P80 - P120 and use it to rub in all significant unevenness in the starting layer.

It should be noted that sanding is a simple procedure, however, in order to achieve a high-quality result, you need to know how to remove sagging and other imperfections. Otherwise, you can only spoil the surface of the walls.

Sanding is done in a circular motion. At the same time, try to ensure uniform pressure on the jointer.

Many craftsmen, of course, are interested in how to check the quality of wall finishing with putty? This is done very simply - you need to attach the rule to the wall, and you can shine a flashlight on the wall. As a result, all irregularities will be clearly visible.

During the drying process of the putty, it is necessary to ensure favorable conditions– exclude drafts and direct sunlight on the walls. The use of a hair dryer is also unacceptable. Otherwise, cracks will appear on the surface of the putty.

Stage 4: applying the finishing coat

I should immediately note that wall putty can be done in several layers. However, then we will immediately move on to applying the finishing layer, since all subsequent layers of starting putty are applied according to the scheme described above.

Before you begin applying the starting putty or any subsequent layer, you need to prepare the walls with your own hands. This is done as follows:

first of all, you need to clean the walls from dust - wipe them with a damp cloth or sponge;
after this, the surface must be primed according to the scheme described above.

After the surface has dried, you can begin applying the starting layer. Let me remind you that the task of this procedure is to eliminate the smallest defects that remained on the walls after applying the starting layer.

This is done as follows:

Before applying putty, be sure to rinse and wipe the tool;
Next, put the finishing putty on a large spatula, then press it against the wall at an angle of about 20 degrees. This time the canvas should be positioned vertically;
now apply the mixture from left to right. In some areas it is more convenient to take a spatula in left hand and make movements from left to right. If necessary, you can apply putty from top to bottom.

The mixture should lie in an even layer about two millimeters thick;

Then, according to the scheme described above, the corners are aligned.

Novice craftsmen are often interested in how to remove the remaining putty from the spatulas after completing the work. To do this, you will need two spatulas - just run the blade of one tool along the blade of the second and shake off the composition. Carry out the same procedure with the second spatula, as a result of which both instruments will be almost perfectly clean.

Stage 5: Sanding

Even the most professional craftsmen cannot apply the finishing layer so that the surface of the walls is absolutely perfect. Therefore, after filling is completed, finishing sanding is performed, the task of which is to eliminate even the smallest flaws.

Of course, this procedure is required only if the surface will be painted. If finishing will be done with wallpaper, and there are no serious flaws on the surface, this operation can be omitted.

For finishing grinding, use a mesh with an abrasive number of at least 150. The jointer must first be made in a circular motion, and then crosswise to remove traces of the circular movements.

To check the quality of grinding, you need to hold a lamp or flashlight at an acute angle. When you achieve the desired result, you need to wipe the walls from dust and cover them with primer for subsequent painting.

Here, in fact, is all the information on how to putty walls with your own hands.

Conclusion

Puttying walls in general is a fairly simple operation, the only thing is that it requires strict adherence to technology. In addition, to achieve a high-quality result, you need to get good at it. Therefore, start working with the least critical areas - this will allow you to gain the necessary experience.

If you have any questions regarding sanding walls, ask them in the comments and I will definitely answer you.