4 ways to align the walls under the interior trim

Contents

1. Evaluation of the roughness of the wall surface
2. №1.Align the walls with
3. # 2 plaster. Align the walls with putty
4. №3.Frame method of leveling walls with drywall
5. №4.Frameless alignment of walls with drywall
6. In conclusion,

Very few apartments can boast perfectly flat walls - in most cases they have cavities and other defects, or even significant vertical deviations. It is difficult to stick wallpaper on such walls, it is almost impossible to decorate them with a decorative stone or tile, and even ordinary painting will not look very aesthetic. On uneven walls, the finish will quickly lose its original appearance, and you will have to start repairing again. To save time and money, it is better to immediately align the walls with high quality. What is the best way to align the walls and how to do all the work?

Assessment of wall surface roughness

All methods of wall leveling are divided into two fundamentally different groups of :

• using mixtures( plaster and putty);
• dry leveling( drywall is more commonly used).

One way or another is chosen, taking into account the degree of roughness of the walls of , therefore this stage is especially important. As far as the walls are uneven, you can measure the with a laser level or a normal building level.

The easiest and very popular way is using the plummet. First of all, a nail is driven into one of the upper corners of the wall, so that 2-3 cm is left on its surface. You can make a plumb line from a long string and a nut or other load. The finished plumb is tied to a hammered nail; the weight should almost reach the floor. When the thread with the load stops staggering( that is, the plumb line forms a strictly vertical line), a second nail can be driven in at the bottom of the wall so that the thread and nail head are flush. The same procedure is done on the opposite side of the wall. Four nails are connected by a cord and form a strictly vertical plane, which allows you to understand the degree of deviation of the wall level from it.

We estimate the irregularities and choose the alignment method: the

• cavities and irregularities up to 0.5-1 cm can be leveled using putty;
• drops up to 3-5 cm are better leveled with plaster mixtures;
• drops more than 5 cm are easier to align with gypsum cardboard sheets mounted on a specially constructed frame.

# 1.Alignment of the walls with

plaster To level the walls, plaster and cement plasters are used. Gypsum compositions allow you to achieve an optimal microclimate in the room, but they are afraid of water, so they are suitable for bedrooms, living rooms and children’s. Cement plasters can be safely used to level the walls in rooms where humidity will be constantly increased.

The sequence of work looks like this:

1. wall surface preparation. In order for the leveling compound to hold, the wall must be properly treated. First, all the remnants of the old coating are removed, then priming is carried out for better adhesion with a layer of plaster. Under the cement formulations use a primer from a solution of sand, cement and water, the so-called cement milk, it is better to use a special primer under the gypsum plaster;
2. If the layer of plaster is more than 2 cm, then at this stage it is better to use reinforcing plaster mesh , which will not allow the composition to crumble. It should be noted that if you use ready-made factory plaster mixture, you should pay attention to the composition: some manufacturers use polymer additives that increase the strength and adhesion of the mortar so much that the grid may not be needed;
3. installation of beacons .As lighthouses, which become a guideline for creating a flat surface, wooden slats or a perforated metal profile are used. The latter will be more convenient for beginners, since such beacons do not have to be removed after the plaster layer is lightly hardened and then mask the recesses. First, two lighthouses are mounted at opposite ends of the wall, a level is used, and the lighthouses are fixed with a plaster solution of the required height until the ideal verticality is achieved. Between the two received lighthouses stretch three cords: at the top, in the middle of the wall and at the bottom, and already on the basis of them they place intermediate beacons so that they lightly touch the cord. The pitch between beacons depends on the size of the tool with which the plaster mix will be leveled( usually a rule is used for this).In any case, the distance between the beacons should be 20 cm less than the length of the instrument;
4. plaster mixes in a wide range can be found in hardware stores. On the construction site, it remains only to correctly prepare the solution, following the instructions. Cement plaster mortar can be prepared independently: cement and sand are mixed in a ratio of 1: 6, then add water to a creamy consistency. Some experts recommend sticking to the ratio of 1: 2 or 1: 3, the ready mix turns out to be more plastic and, therefore, easier to handle. The finished solution is used within 1-2 hours, until it starts to harden;
5. applying plaster .To do this, you can use the "falcon" and trowel. At the first type a mixture of capacity, the second throw it on the wall in excess. Using a "falcon", a tool similar to a trowel, but surpassing it in size, allows you to increase the speed of work. Now you need a rule to evenly distribute the solution from the bottom up, relying on the beacons. If the leveling layer is thick, then it is possible to first apply a rough gauge of plaster, and after drying it, apply the main one with alignment on the beacons. If wooden slats were used as the last, then when the solution dries out a little, they must be carefully removed, the cavities filled with plaster and leveled with a spatula;
6. after drying the plaster we get a flat, but rough surface. In order to make it smooth, it is necessary to apply a thin layer of putty, and then to sand the surface with fine emery paper.

The main advantage of this leveling method is to preserve the useful area of ​​the room. The disadvantages are the laboriousness of the process, the need to prepare the base and the presence of large amounts of dust.

№2.Alignment of walls with putty

Filling is suitable for finishing the alignment of walls or for those surfaces where there are small elevation differences, dents and other irregularities. The process of puttying is simple and completely doable with your own hands. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. surface preparation : cleaning, processing with antifungal agents, if necessary, and priming;
2. putty can be either ready-made or as a dry mixture, which needs to be diluted with the specified amount of water and stirred into a creamy homogeneous state;
3. works easier to perform with using two spatulas. One is small and serves to collect the mixture, apply it to the second spatula and to clean the latter. The second spatula is larger, its size depends on the degree of unevenness of the walls. They put putty on the surface and level it. If there are not only irregularities, but also small vertical deviations, it is recommended to level the putty by using the building rule, in which the level is built in so that you can control the quality of the surface. If the starting putty is done in two layers, then between the layers it is better to use a reinforcing mesh, and the direction of the layers should be mutually perpendicular;
4. if the surface requires to apply two layers of putty, then the first one after setting will be additionally treated with a primer;
5. after setting of the final layer of putty, lightly with washed with primer to get rid of possible irregularities, then grind with sandpaper. If you do not panic paint the walls, then you can do without a thin finishing layer of putty.

№3.Frame method of leveling walls with drywall

When it comes to the largest irregularities and significant differences in the level of the walls, the best way to level the surface - is to use drywall, and mount it in a frame method. In this case, the is the easiest, cheapest and fastest way to get a perfectly smooth and smooth surface of the walls. In addition, you do not need to spend a lot of time and effort to prepare the wall surface - it with all its cracks, potholes and differences will be hidden behind the frame and drywall. Moreover, inside the frame, you can lay out some communications or equip additional heat and sound insulation.

However, one should not forget that this method of leveling the walls of the will take up much of the usable area of ​​the , and if it is already in short supply, the room risks turning into a hole. Walls lined with sheets of plasterboard will be able to withstand a smaller load than those that have been lined with plaster. If we are talking about a room with high humidity, you should use moisture-proof sheets of plasterboard.

Work sequence:

1. carcass construction. It can consist of a wooden bar or a metal profile. The bar does not allow to achieve the desired durability of the frame, is subject to the influence of moisture and microorganisms, so in most cases guide and rack metal profile is used today.
   The first two profiles are attached to the floor and ceiling.
   On the floor, using a level, draw a flat line at a distance of 5-6 cm from the wall( it is possible and more if the curvature is large or you need to hide the communication).
   Using a vertical plumb line is transferred to the ceiling.
   According to the obtained lines, guide profiles are fixed with self-tapping screws, constantly checking the level of their level using a plumb line. Between them, perpendicular to them, bearing profiles are fastened along the wall with screws. The distance between them is 40-60 cm for sheets of drywall 120 cm wide;
2. filling the frame with communications, heat or sound insulating material, if necessary;
3. installation of drywall sheets. Sheets with a thickness of 12.5 mm will do. Installation begins from any top corner, sheets are fastened with screws, fastening step is 30 cm, caps are recessed by 1 mm, so that you can eventually achieve a smooth surface;
4. when all sheets are attached, caps and joints are filled with plaster. After it dries, the surface is ready for further finishing. Experts do not recommend installing tiles on drywall, but painting, decorative plaster and wallpaper can be used. If you plan to glue wallpapers in your plans, then it will be difficult to remove them later from the drywall, so it is better to putty not only joints and caps in advance, but also the rest of the surface.

Using this technology, is used for leveling with plywood or plastic panels, erecting a frame of wooden bars. Often, in this way, the walls in the country houses are aligned.

№4.Frameless alignment of the walls with drywall

As you might guess, in this case there is no need to construct a frame from the profile, which greatly simplifies and speeds up the process. In this way, it is possible to level both minor irregularities and drops in the level up to 2-5 cm.

Work sequence:

1. preparation of the base, its dedusting and priming compositions. The next step begins when the primer is completely dried;
2. cutting sheets of drywall .At this stage, calculations are made and it is determined how many sheets will be needed and how they will be located. Does not interfere with cutting holes for sockets and switches;
3. wall level detection .For convenience, at this stage it is better to hold the lines of the future level of the wall on the floor and ceiling. This will simplify the process of mounting plates and help achieve better results;
4. installation of drywall .With minor irregularities, gypsum glue beds are applied to the gypsum board sheet around its perimeter and in the center in 30 cm steps, the sheet is pressed against the wall, the level is attached to it, and with the help of light strokes of the mallet the sheet is aligned vertically. Do not forget to focus on the lines, otherwise at this stage the sheet can be too drowned, and if there is a knob further on the wall, then you will not be able to achieve a flat surface. Installation begins at one of the corners, adjacent sheets are tightly adjacent to each other;
5. for greater reliability in several places sheets can be attached to the base with dowels;
6. final stage - puttying with gypsum mortar of joints and fixing points for dowels.

In conclusion,

Smooth walls - a guarantee that the finishing materials will look the right way and last for as long as possible. Let the process of leveling the walls is quite time-consuming, it should be treated with the utmost responsibility so that from now on you can only do cosmetic repairs, refreshing the situation in the apartment.