DIY wall alignment: step by step instructions, video

Recently, people have become much more careful approach to the issue of repair. Smooth walls - an indispensable condition, without which repairs can not be carried out efficiently. Even in aerated concrete new buildings, the walls are not quite even, not to mention the old Khrushchevs, so repairs before finishing the walls are necessary. In order not to overpay the masters, many people decide to do the alignment of the walls with their own hands.

What you need to align the walls and how to do this is described in this article.

Wall alignment methods

Ways to align the walls in an apartment or house:

• wet, involves the use of several mixtures;
• dry, arrangement with drywall constructions.

Wet leveling with plaster. This method is used when there are small defects (differences of not more than 50 mm) of walls of small area. If you wish, you can adjust the wall in a room of a large area, with strong differences. However, this will entail large financial and time costs. The big plus of wet alignment is that the area of ​​the room does not decrease at all. The disadvantage is the formation of a large amount of dirt and dust during work. Although this may not interfere, if you are already doing a major overhaul - lay tiles, install partitions, dismantle doorways, etc.

Dry leveling with drywall. Unlike the previous method, this allows you to eliminate large surface irregularities. The main advantage is the ability to not prepare the wall before installing the drywall frame and cladding sheets. It is desirable that there are no crumbling areas. The compartments of the supporting structure can be filled with soundproofing or heat-insulating materials. It is also easy to hide various kinds of communications. Together with smooth walls, we get a slightly reduced space. On sale you can find 2 types of drywall: plain gray and moisture-proof green.

Next, the article will provide step-by-step instructions on how to align the walls with your own hands.

Wall plastering

The first step is to prepare the surface. Here is the sequence of actions:

1. We remove the old finish, in particular that which is already holding poorly.
2. All cracks in the wall expand, after which the degree of unevenness is assessed. Further, large and prominent indents are removed with a hammer and other suitable tools.
3. If the wall has old plaster, you need to evaluate its condition. To do this, tap on it, if a dull sound is heard, then there are voids there, which inevitably leads to a collapse when leveling.
4. All large troughs are adjusted separately. An excessively thick layer is capable of breaking off, so small defects are sealed with a solution, and large protrusions simply get off.
5. If you are going to decorate the walls with paint, then without a special coating it will go off in pieces. To avoid this, apply a primer - concrete contact. It will roughen the surface. In this case, the putty will "hold" the paint well and nothing will fall off.
6. For even more tenacious fastening of materials, notches are used (100 pieces per 1m²). Previously, an ax was used for this, now a grinder.

The primer can be either finished or requiring dilution. In any case, it is necessary.

Installation of guide lighthouses

To get a flat surface from a curved wall, beacons specially designed for this are used. This is a profile that is installed parallel to the wall, and the beacon will perform the function of directing the plaster to unfilled places, removing voids. Basically, the profile is chosen T-shaped from zinc-coated steel, but some use bars as guides.

Mounting a beacon made of metal is easier and more convenient than a bar. The layer of plaster will be approximately 7 mm. The disadvantage of this method is the additional financial costs. Although the amount is small. The plaster is terribly bonded to the metal, so when drying is complete, the beacon slats are pulled out and the holes are closed.

Wooden slats, although they have a lower cost, but it is more difficult to pick up a bar. The moisture warps the wood, and the layer is not even. Some people use a special mixture to replace standard beacons. First, plaster strips are applied to the wall, and level. When they dry, they are already used as beacons. The most economical method, but also the most laborious.

Installation is carried out in this way: several lumps of plaster are thrown onto the wall. A bar or profile is applied to them. Equals the level, you can use the plumb line. After the cakes have solidified, work continues. Orient m / d beacons according to the rule (should be available).

Start to plaster

The solution is prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions, after which it pours onto the wall. Of the tools you need a spatula or a molar bucket. After the composition is applied to the wall, your next steps are:

1. Begin the attack from the lowest point between the beacons, covering part of the wall.
2. The rule is set to the lowest point of the beacons. The plaster moves upward, leaning on them. The mixture is superimposed with light swaying movements of the rule to the sides.
3. It is necessary to plaster to the most smooth state of the solution.
4. With a spatula we remove the adherent mixture and throw it on the wall.
5. We carry out this work to the very ceiling. Having finished laying out one strip of lighthouses, we proceed to laying the next. Do this with every square meter until the surface of the entire wall is level.

The primary part of the work is over, but still have to align. Because visually, defects are still noticeable. The final composition of the putty will help finally, but we'll talk about this later.

Drywall the walls

This option is a good alternative to working with plaster, because it is faster and more practical. The result also wins - the walls are as even as possible. With this technology, repairs can be completed earlier than messing with the plaster. At the exit we get a rough finish of the room. In the process, you can decorate it with any decorative elements, leave a wall for painting or wallpaper. We will analyze all the stages of how to align a concrete wall, a brick with the help of drywall.

Make markup

Like the wet leveling method, dry also starts with the markup, but now under the frame. It consists of several horizontal profiles in different places. The markup is very important, as it determines the position of the future drywall. The following is the sequence of its implementation.

Firstly, on the ceiling we draw a line of the wall (which will be in the future) using a masking cord or a long level. We note exactly the same on the floor directly under it. A plumb line (any weighty object on a thread) will help to do this: mark 2 points on the floor, connect, mark a line.

Secondly, we make markings on the walls with the help of a paint cord.

That's all, it will not be difficult to do this. The main thing to consider is 2 important parameters:

• the gap between the wall and the frame should be sufficient for communications or laying, but should not be very large so as not to significantly narrow the room;
• it is necessary to achieve visual alignment of the walls. What it is? The angle between the walls and the floor, the ceiling is 90 degrees, that is, all adjacencies should be almost perfect.

To check how perfect the corners of the room are, measure the diagonals. If they are equal, then all is well.

We mount a profile

The frame for Mr. is made of metal profiles. Most often, they prefer a ceiling profile and a guide profile. They are also used to make the ceiling frame. The advantage of these types of profiles is a slight loss of floor space due to their geometric parameters.

Installation begins with the assembly of PN. For convenience, it is installed first on the ceiling, and then on the walls, adhering to the markings. Attached with dowel nails in increments of 50 to 60 cm.

Next, we mark up for vertical racks. They are installed in steps of ~ 60 cm. To make the wall more rigid, this value can be reduced to 40 cm. M / d racks distance should be a multiple of the width of the drywall sheet.

The next step is to fix our suspensions in increments of about 55 cm. This will add rigidity.

We pass to the PP. We cut it to the desired length and insert it into the cavity of the NP. After that, we install a vertical rack according to our marking and fix it to direct suspensions using self-tapping screws.

In places where it is planned to mount weighty objects into the wall (TV, etc.), install termination or additional racks.

Laying drywall on the frame

In most cases, Mr. 11 mm thick is used. For dry places, such as a living room, bedroom or hallway, you can safely use the usual Mr. Gray. If you repair the walls in a room with high humidity (for example, in the kitchen), then the moisture-proof Mr. Green is simply irreplaceable.

For high ceilings (more than 2.5 m) GKL acquires ~ 3 m.

Sheets are cut to the desired size, applied to the finished frame and fixed with screws. The fixing step in this case is 15-20 cm. To make it more convenient to work, you can draw profile lines on the GCR. This will help to fix Mr. exactly on the desired profile.

When working with a sheet, watch for the screw head. She must be completely “trampled” into him. However, the release of cardboard to the surface is undesirable.

Finishing - wall putty

Now you know everything about how to straighten the walls in an apartment. It remains to learn about the final stage of this process. Puttying the walls will help make the surface as smooth as possible. It is advisable to do it immediately after leveling with plaster or drywall. There are 3 main types of mix for finishing putty. Before you buy, select the appropriate one based on the above characteristics:

1. Cement. It has good moisture resistance and reasonable price. Cracks appear over time.
2. Gypsum Smooth surface, no shrinkage. You can apply a thick layer, dries quickly. Water resistant.
3. Polymer. It sets well, the solution is "long-playing." Smoothness after the first application. High price. It is comfortable to work with normal humidity.

Putty tools and some features of this work

Below is a complete list of tools and supplies you might need.

• spatula up to 50 cm wide;
• spatula up to 17 cm wide;
• putty;
• a vessel in the shape of a rectangle for the mixture;
• rag, sponge;
• spray with water;
• respirator;
• source of good lighting;
• pumice, sandpaper;
• drill;
• wide brush.

Finishing putty differs from the starting one in that the consistency of the solution of the first should be more viscous and dense.

If you need a thick layer of putty, apply it in several stages to avoid swelling and peeling.

After laying, you can anoint the walls with varnish or oil paint.

In the final stages, use a respirator so as not to damage the mucous membranes of the eye or respiratory tract with dust.

Putty application technology

1. We fill in 5-7 kg of dry matter and gradually add water, constantly mixing the solution. The consistency should come out creamy.
2. With a small spatula, we select a little composition and transfer it to a wide spatula. We apply it with smooth movements on the diagonal (it will turn out more evenly). The second time we are trying to distribute evenly.
3. We approach from the other side and do the same work.
4. Typically, 2 layers of putty are required on the wall. Between the first and second application should take about 12 hours. During this time, the mixture will dry out. But do not let it dry completely, because it will be much more difficult to apply.
5. The maximum layer in the corners is 5 mm, in the middle - 1-2 mm.

Now you have knowledge on how to properly align the walls in the apartment. To have a better understanding of this process, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the photos and videos on this topic.