Subtleties of sealing drywall seams

When making indoor renovations, it is important to choose a suitable inexpensive material and use it correctly. For wall decoration, craftsmen often use drywall. Unlike other materials, its installation does not take much time, while it itself can be of any shape.

People who have never been involved in repair work will be pleased with the fact that the installation of drywall is not as difficult as it seems at first glance: you can cope with it without even having experience. We understand the intricacies of sealing drywall seams.

When performing installation work on installing drywall, the seams will be in any case. Their width depends on many factors. It is even necessary to take into account how the drywall sheets will change under the influence of the temperature regime. So that the seams are not noticeable, they must be sealed with putty..

If the work is done incorrectly, after a certain period of time, small cracks may appear on the seams between the drywall. If you skip this step, the surface will turn out to be uneven, and the sheets will deteriorate in the future. They will be exposed to high humidity and will stand the test of time. After the drywall sheets are covered with paint or other materials, stains or swelling of the wallpaper may appear near the seams.

To seal the holes between drywall sheets, you need to choose a high-quality putty and the tools with which it will be applied. First you need to choose a spatula. It is worth picking up the one with which it is easiest to work. The choice depends on the master.

For working with putty, both a narrow and a wide spatula are suitable (the main thing is that its blade is flexible enough)... You can check this by simultaneously bending the blade and handle. They should not break or crack.

In addition to a spatula, you may need to work:

• paint brush;
• sandpaper;
• Sander;
• drill with a special mixer attachment for mixing.

The choice of filler plays an important role. It depends on what the further wall decoration will be. In the modern construction market, there are many varieties of this material, among which you can buy cheap and expensive raw materials that differ in purpose and quality.

If the walls are simply being painted, a simple joint filler should be used. It will be enough for the walls to be of high quality and visually attractive. If the walls are being prepared for wallpapering, any starting or finishing mixture will do. It doesn't have to be expensive.

The only drawback of gypsum putty is the fact that it sets quickly. Because of this, you have to work quickly, having time to apply a new layer.

To work with seams, you may need paper tapes, serpyanka tapes or reinforced mesh, with which it is easier to glue transverse as well as longitudinal seams. Paper tape with a groove in the middle will make it easier to work with the inner corners of the seams.

It stretches well, but its strength cannot be compared with scotch tape.Although it also has an advantage: it is easy to stick. If the master made a mistake, then it is easy to peel it off without leaving visible traces on the surface.

The process of sealing drywall joints can be divided into several stages, which even a novice master can handle. For inexperienced repairmen, it is important not to forget about the need to adhere to the rules. This is especially important because even minor violations can lead to poor results. Do not rush, it is important to do everything in stages.

No process can be completed without careful preparation. This also applies to sealing joints. Initially, you need to know what should be the joints between drywall sheets. The gap can be left small (approx. 1 - 2 mm)... This is enough so that the surface does not deform in the future when the structure shrinks. With this opportunity, only the seam will crack, and the sheets themselves will remain intact. On the end gypsum board, the gap must be made larger by expanding the distance between the sheets to 2 mm.

Next, you need to clean the surface of the drywall from dust, cut off all the irregularities with a special knife. You can wipe the surface with a sponge or cleaning cloth. It won't take much time. Then you will need to check the screw heads... This must be done in order not to get dirty when working with the putty when the spatula bounces on the screw. To do this, you need to run your hand over the attachment points. The protruding hats must be tightened with a screwdriver or screwdriver.

Then a layer of reinforcing primer must be applied. If it is a concentrate, it is worth diluting it with water in accordance with the proportions indicated on the package. It is enough to mix the finished primer, after which you can immediately cover the seams with it. Apply it at a distance of no more than 15 cm from the joint.

Having prepared all the surfaces, as well as purchasing the necessary materials and tools, you can begin to seal the cracks. Previously, this process was very laborious, it was necessary to apply a solution, to sink a serpentine tape in it. With the development of technologies and the emergence of new building materials, the situation has changed for the better. Now the serpyanka has a self-adhesive layer: this is already enough to significantly simplify the work.

The edge of the tape is easy to pick up and peel off. At this stage, one should not rush so as not to ruin the whole work. It is necessary to slowly unscrew the layer of tape, pressing it to the joints of the drywall or the opening between the sheet and the floor... When finished, it is enough to cut off the tape with a special knife.

At the end of work with the tape, it is necessary to prepare the putty using a drill with a special attachment. The consistency of the solution should resemble thick sour cream. Next, using a spatula, fill the entire space of the seams between the sheets of gypsum board. Moving the spatula across the joint, you need to cover the seam, while pressing the solution into it... All this is repeated until all the suture grooves are filled. To level the plane of the joints with a chamfer, putty is applied in a strip of 150 mm on each side.

To strengthen the corners, you need to use a serpyanka mesh, the width of which is 100 mm. This will avoid cracking in the most difficult areas. So that working with corners does not take much time, and the result is perfect, it is necessary to work with an angled spatula.... Having cut off a piece of mesh to the desired length, you need to fold it in half and attach it to the corner, then apply the solution on both sides and stretch it with a spatula. In this way, the inner corners of the ceiling are also closed.For sealing the external, metal corners are used, fixed with self-tapping screws.

When the surface is completely dry, it must be smoothed with sandpaper or a special grinder. If, after sanding, unevenness is noticeable, a more thorough surface treatment, including leveling, is necessary. This process is repeated until all problem areas are out of sight. Then the drywall is primed using a special deep penetration compound.

Having studied all the stages of sealing seams, you can do them yourself. Do not rely solely on your own strength and do everything at random. When closing seams, you need to heed the advice of experts. No matter how well all the work is done, problems can arise due to the high load on the walls or a sharp change in the weather. Don't worry about this.

However, to prevent this from happening, it must be remembered that any material can deform at a temperature drop... In the case of drywall, this leads to cracks. Therefore, you need to fill the seams as carefully as possible. The end joints must be chamfered: this will better strengthen the drywall structure.

Priming must be carried out using an acrylic mixture (mandatory for interior work), since the facade primer contains many harmful substances. Its layer contains antifungal components. They save the walls from the appearance of fungus or mold in the room. It is recommended to use a composition with a higher penetrating ability.... This agent, when dried, forms a crystal lattice on the surface, due to which the subsequent layer of material applied to the drywall will adhere well to the base.

The choice of materials for work should be treated responsibly. It depends on their quality how long the treated wall will stand. You can not buy material with an expired date... In addition, it is important that the structure is of high quality and without lumps. A bad foundation will not last long; repair work will have to be carried out again.

It is better to process the joints with perforated paper tape. It must also be of high quality. Barely noticeable on the basis of micro-holes - this is exactly what prevents the ribbon from swelling. Good tape prevents cracking.

Do not forget about a doorway or niche. To close them up, you must first measure, and then cut drywall. So the material will be enough for the entire amount of work, and the opening will turn out to be neat. It must be fixed with self-tapping screws and filled with soundproofing material. After installation, it is necessary to put perforated corners under the plaster and apply a serpyanka mesh. In this case, the putty is applied in two layers (each after the previous one has dried).

Such drywall will withstand temperature changes, as well as excessive humidity. The surface of the drywall must be additionally treated with a high-quality primer (this will protect the material, it will last much longer). In addition, it is important to consider: it is impossible to close up the seams with high quality if bad drywall was initially selected... Its purchase should be carried out in a trusted store with a good reputation.

How to properly seal drywall seams, see below.