How to align the walls with your own hands

Even in modern buildings, the walls are sometimes uneven - certain small differences are normal, both for factory-made materials and for monolithic reinforced concrete. In old houses, the curvature of the walls can reach several centimeters both horizontally and vertically.

Small differences are invisible to the eye and are not critical, however, significant irregularities look unpresentable and may interfere with the installation of wall coverings - wallpaper, tiles, etc.

Large irregularities in the wall will be visible to the naked eye, however, a long level or rule will help to more accurately determine their degree. They are applied to the wall initially vertically, starting from the corner of the room, and with a step of 30-50 cm from the point of contact of the instrument are marked with the wall.

Further, the same is repeated horizontally from floor to ceiling. Thus, the most convex points of the wall become known.

The depth of the notches is determined using the bubble level. With gaps within one and a half centimeters, you can level the walls with stucco, or plasterboard, at large differences, sheathing is performed with plasterboard sheets.

Wall alignment methods

Slight fluctuations in the thickness and slope of the walls can be ignored, they will not cause significant inconvenience. Single large bulges can be knocked down with a hammer or chisel. To achieve a smooth surface will help her sanding.

In the case of large differences, one cannot do without more radical methods, among which the main ones:

1. Plaster.
2. Gypsum plasterboard.
3. Drywall pasting.

Plaster

Walls are leveled by applying a layer of plaster mixture on them.

Pros:

1. Cheap material.
2. Plaster versatility (it can be applied to any materials that are previously primed for its better adhesion)
3. You can use decorative plastercreating an interesting volumetric surface texture. In this case, there is also no need to achieve perfect alignment.

Minuses:

1. This is a very dusty process.
2. Labor input.
3. The plaster dries for a long time.
4. With large elevations, the material consumption is huge, which increases the load on the floor and is economically disadvantageous.

Drywall pasting

With this method of alignment, the vertical surface of the room is glued with sheets of drywall.

Pros:

1. High speed works.
2. Lack of dust.
3. Getting a smooth and smooth surface right away (no need to sand and putty).

Minuses:

1. Applicability only for small irregularities.
2. Plasterboard sheets are large, therefore inconvenient to transport.
3. Inability of the material to withstand heavy hanged structures.
4. Sheets may peel off.

Drywall

This differs from the previous method by the method of attaching drywall. In this case, a skeleton is made of a metal profile, onto which sheathing sheets are fastened with screws.

Pros:

1. Rapidity.
2. Cleanliness in the process.
3. Alignment of even very curved walls.
4. Additional heat and sound insulation (due to the air between the wall and the sheets, but you can also add insulation).
5. Creation of multilevel constructions, niches, arches, etc.
6. You can hide the wiring behind sheets of drywall all communications.

Minuses:

1. The inconvenience of transportation and installation of material (sheets are large, it is difficult to arrange them evenly alone. It is also inconvenient to work with them in a cramped room like a bathroom).
2. A significant reduction in the useful area of ​​the room (from each wall can be "eaten" up to 10 cm).
3. In the interval between the drywall and the wall, dust accumulates, rodents and insects can start.
4. The hidden wiring is very inconvenient to change or repair, you will have to dismantle a significant piece of the wall, confine yourself to ditching a narrow channel, as in the case of a plastered wall it will not work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch? v = K4oFZf2_xas

Necessary materials and tools

For plastering:

• plaster;
• water;
• container for stirring;
• mixer nozzle for a drill;
• dust protection products (mask, goggles);
• skin;
• putty knife;
• rule
• level;
• metal beacons;

For the installation of drywall:

• metal profile and various mounts for it in case of mounting the frame;
• glue in case of sticking sheets of material;
• drywall sheets;
• scissors for metal;
• screwdriver;
• drill;

DIY alignment technology

Before leveling the walls, it is necessary to clean them from the old coating - scrape off the paint, knock down the old tile. Even very old wallpapers can easily and without dust be separated from the walls in whole pieces or scraped off with a spatula if they are first sprayed from the spray bottle with plain water or wiped with a wet rag.

For better adhesion (adhesion), the surface can be primed and the wooden walls impregnated with an antiseptic to protect against rot and insects.

After the preparation has dried, according to the previously made markings on the wall with a step of 30-50 cm, metal beacons are attached to the solution. Their smooth installation is checked by the level, and the relative position using the rule. If necessary, part of the beacon is drowned deeper, or lifted by adding a solution.

The mortar for plaster is thoroughly mixed with a mixer nozzle on a drill. Do not immediately dilute a large amount of the mixture, because she quickly begins to harden.

Further, in the direction from floor to ceiling, a mixture is applied with a wide spatula. Surplus is removed.

On average, the plaster dries for 1-3 days, the exact time depends on the microclimate of the room and the thickness of the layer. In order for the material to dry uniformly, it is advisable to carry out the work in the absence of heating in the room, and not try to dry the plaster yourself with heating devices. Upon drying, the walls are sanded, if necessary, small irregularities that have arisen are putty, and when the putty hardens, you can proceed to the finish of the walls.

Guide metal profiles are screwed to the floor and ceiling. A support profile is vertically inserted into them, which is connected to the walls with U-shaped mounts.

Several strips of the supporting profile are also mounted in a horizontal position. Between themselves perpendicular fragments are connected by cruciform overlays.

Further, sheets of drywall are attached to the profile with a screwdriver on self-tapping screws. It is impossible to achieve an ideal joint, the cracks will subsequently be puttied, you should only try to make them not too large.

For damp climates or rooms with high humidity (kitchen, bathroom), it is recommended to use moisture-proof drywall.

Further, all joints, screwing in screws, minor chips and other surface defects are putty. The dried putty is sanded with a finely abrasive sandpaper, and then you can arrange the final coating - glue wallpaper, tile, paint the walls, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch? v = QfbXtqt4u4E

Tips

1. Dampened wallpapers easily move away from the wall.
2. To protect unrepairable rooms from dust, the passage to the room can be covered with a damp sheet.
3. Glasses and a mask will help protect your face from plaster dust. (you can use a medical one).
4. The layout of all communications can be hidden behind sheets of drywall, mount the lighting there.
5. Drywall is easy to cut ordinary clerical knife.
6. In case of large wall irregularities, their alignment with drywall will cost much cheaper.
7. What is plastering, what is the installation of drywall sheets performed from bottom to top.
8. Plastering can be done not only manuallybut also by machine. The mixture is poured into the device and sprayed through the nozzles onto the walls under pressure; manually, you only need to level the surface, removing excess plaster. This option will make it possible to level the walls faster and easier, but requires special rather expensive equipment.
9. Manual sanding is a long and dusty process. No matter how you defend yourself, but the particles of plaster are so small that they can get everywhere. You can use a grinder, which will make the process faster and less dusty, because has a container for collecting dust.