How to properly putty the walls: the subtleties of the process

Plastering walls is a difficult and time-consuming process, but very important. Is it possible to putty with your own hands? How to properly putty and how to level the walls with putty, you will learn from this article.

Before starting any construction work in an apartment, house, in the country with your own hands, you should think over everything well and find out in detail about all the intricacies and features of the process. After all, each incorrectly performed construction manipulation can ruin the entire repair, as well as entail additional financial costs.

Comfort and beauty in an apartment begins with renovation. Wall putty is a small part of a big deal. Before redecorating, the rooms of the apartment need to be properly prepared. The main preparation is to level the surfaces with further application of paints and wallpaper. Sometimes it is necessary to putty the walls in order to level the base, to increase its strength and reliability. Proper surface preparation means removing all contaminants and performing a thorough cleaning.

The process of plastering walls has a lot of features. This is the type of material that will be used in the process of work, and the type of putty, and the surface that will be subjected to the putty process, and much, much more.

Putty is a building material in the form of a paste or powder. Its composition can be quite varied. It contains laundry soap, flour, carpentry, animal glue, sifted gypsum, various varnishes, drying oils, talc, chalk, barite, zinc white, ocher, soot, kaolin, asbestos and red lead.

Depending on the type of putty and its main filler, the composition may also include auxiliary components in the form of driers, natural drying oil, esters, acrylic acid, salt, plasticizers, calcium carbonate.

By the presence of film-forming components in it, it is divided into three groups:

1. Plaster;
2. Cement;
3. Polymeric.

Gypsum putty consists of gypsum. It is flexible and resistant to high humidity. If we talk about the physical properties of the material, then it looks like a white powder with a density of 2.4. The tensile strength ranges from 3 to 15. When it hardens, the gypsum begins to expand and its volume increases by 1%. The strength of the material is ensured through the use of low pressure and saturated steam.

Scope of gypsum putty:

• large cracks;
• seams on the concrete surface;
• gypsum boards;
• bricks.

Cement putty, unlike gypsum, hardens more slowly. Therefore, it is done in large volumes and surface treatment is proceeding at an accelerated pace. But it is worth remembering that it shrinks, so the application layer should be thick.

The polymer mixture does not shrink and does not allow moisture to pass through. This type is the most expensive of the three listed. Its basis is an adhesive polymer binder.

The putty can be made at home.

Below are several recipes for making a solution yourself:

• Oil putty. To make it, you need to take one kilogram of drying oil, one hundred grams of desiccant (NF-1) and two kilograms of chalk.
• Glue putty. To make it, you need to mix 1 kg of a 10% glue solution with 25 g of drying oil and add 2 kg of sifted chalk to this. Linseed oil is added to the heated glue and mixed thoroughly, then chalk is added.

Also, the putty is divided into water-soluble and water-insoluble.

The result of such a big mistake will be wasted time, since the putty will not stick to it and will fall off. The possibility of applying it to fiberglass also depends on the constituent components of the putty.

When the time comes to choose a putty, the consumer is lost and does not understand what exactly needs to be bought and what should be paid attention to. After all, filling the walls during repair work is a very important stage, therefore, before purchasing anything, you should study in detail all types of putties.

Wall putty is divided into two categories:

• dry;
• ready to use.

Dry mixes for leveling walls are preferred. They are sold in bags and packages.

The advantages of this type include:

• Ease of preparation.
• Possibility of making a solution of the required viscosity.
• Easy storage, easy transportation.
• Affordable price.
• Long shelf life is long.
• Not afraid of temperature changes.

Each building material has its own pros and cons.

The disadvantages of dry mixes include:

• Waste of time preparing a mortar for puttying.
• During the cooking process, you must strictly follow the instructions.
• The timing of the ready-made working mixture is very limited, so you often have to prepare a fresh portion of the solution.

Ready-to-use putties are sold in plastic buckets or cans.

This building material has its positive aspects:

• No time frame for using the solution.
• Time is not wasted on preparing the working mixture.

Among the ready-made putties for walls, the following varieties can be found on the shelves of building stores:

• Cement.
• Plaster.
• Polymeric.

The basic base of the cement putty is cement. This type of mixture has been familiar to builders since the days of the USSR. It is gray in color and several brands. For facades, more reliable brands are used that have increased strength.

The scope of their application is the walls of building facades and internal walls of premises with high humidity. Microcracks are allowed. They are frost-resistant, since they contain antifreezes. The only, but significant disadvantage of cement putty is a strong degree of shrinkage.

Gypsum mortar is white, in any case, mixtures of foreign manufacturers are snow-white. Domestic mixtures may have a yellowish tint, since gypsum from local deposits is used in the production, and it is not a pure white tone. The place of use is the walls on which the wallpaper will be glued or to be painted. Not applicable in bathrooms, toilets and swimming pools. It does not tolerate cold temperature conditions, therefore, it is appropriate to use it only indoors. An exemplary example of gypsum putty is considered to be ASB made in Turkey and the products of the world famous concern Knauf.

The polymer type of putty belongs to innovative materials that have recently appeared on the building materials market.

Polymer putty has two types:

• acrylic;
• latex.

The acrylic blend is easy to use. It is used for both facade work and interior.It is called a multipurpose mixture and is used as a roughing, leveling and finishing finish. Its basis is acrylic, and it, as you know, belongs to the class of synthetic substances, which means that acrylic putty has a number of advantages over gypsum and cement mixture. For example, acrylic reacts well with the components that make up the cement mortar, and this gives the finished material strength and smoothness. This mixture is absolutely frost resistant.

Latex putty is used exclusively for interior work. It does not shrink and is very elastic, so it can be applied in a very thin layer. It is used on any surfaces, including metal, which cannot be said about other types of similar materials. Polymer putty is an expensive item of expenses for materials, but the result meets expectations. When purchasing it, you need to be careful, since there are many fakes of this type of mixture on the market.

By purpose, the putty material is divided into the following types:

1. Leveling;
2. Finishing;
3. Specialized;
4. Universal.

The leveling compound serves to level surfaces. It has excellent adhesion to the substrate, so it lays down evenly and smoothly. Has increased durability.

The finishing mixture serves as a preparatory base for decorative wall decoration.

Specialized mixtures perform specifically assigned tasks - the elimination of panel joints, urgent repair work.

Universal mixtures perform all the functions of the previous types of putty and are used at all stages of work and on almost any wall surface.

But buyers choose a mixture, as a rule, based on the cost of the material.

The most familiar classification of putties for buyers is their division into:

• starting;
• finishing.

Their main distinguishing feature from a technical point of view is the size of the filling fraction. In other words, the starting composition contains grains of quartz sand that fill irregularities and cracks. They are much larger than those found in the finishing putty. Accordingly, the starting mixture is applied in a thicker layer. The only problem with which is the grouting of the applied starting mixture. This is usually done with grinders. It is not worth waiting for a perfectly flat and smooth surface from the starting putty, but the finishing mixture gives this effect.

In addition to all of the above types of putty, there are some more:

• Sticky.
• Oil.
• Oil and glue.
• Shakril.

These types are highly specialized and are used mainly by professionals only.

For each surface, it is necessary to select a certain type of putty.

OSB board is a wood, chipboard, multilayer surface that has noticeable roughness. To level them, it is necessary to putty the surface.

The ideal option for this would be a leveling putty designed for working on wooden surfaces. It is forbidden to use material intended for leveling brick or concrete surfaces. It will be wasted work - the putty will simply disappear.

For this, the following are suitable:

• Mixtures with oil and glue components. They contain oil varnishes, natural drying oil and auxiliary fillers, which are similar to a woody structure.Such mixtures include LSH-1 and LSH-2. If wallpaper will be glued to the putty in the future, then the putty mixture can be replaced with glyphtal varnish (M-175) or paints with fillers.
• Adhesive mixtures. Such mixtures are based on oil, adhesive solution and plasticizer. These mixes are similar to homemade putties.
• Nitro putty. This is a mixture that dries very quickly. They include cellulose ether, resin, plasticizer and solvent. The most popular types of nitro putty are ASh-32 and MBSh.

But besides the special modification, putty for OSB boards should be endowed with a number of special characteristics:

• Excellent adhesion, this has already been mentioned.
• Homogeneous consistency. The composition should not contain large particles.
• Low shrinkage. This significantly reduces the repair time.
• Increased hardness and sanding ability.
• The ability to apply dyes to it and wallpaper.

In order for the slopes to turn out to be of high quality and look aesthetically pleasing, they must be properly putty, and this requires a suitable putty mixture.

So, if the slopes are inside the room, where the temperature regime is normal and there are no significant differences, then you need to choose a putty with a fine fraction, which will make the coating perfectly smooth and even.

For slopes on the outside, where there are temperature drops, you need to use a coarse filler. It must be resistant to high humidity and frost-resistant. The ideal choice is a cement mix.

Puttying a foam block surface is a responsible and difficult job, since this surface has significant irregularities.

In order for the putty to be of high quality, you need to buy a mixture with the following characteristics:

• cement base;
• mineral aggregates;
• functional auxiliary components;
• increased plasticity;
• frost resistance;
• resistance to moisture.

Many people are interested in questions related to filling foam plastic, since insulating houses outside and inside with this material is a relatively inexpensive procedure. To protect the foam from external factors (sun, moisture, frost, mechanical stress), it must be putty.

For foam putty apply:

• universal mixtures;
• special mixtures with polystyrene components.

This type of putty must have the following characteristics:

• Increased adhesion. The presence of glue in the putty.
• Purpose for internal / external work.
• Resistance to changes in temperature conditions.
• High moisture resistance.

The repair in the apartment in general depends on the quality of the puttying of the walls, because wallpaper will be glued or paint will be applied to the putty walls in the future. There is no need to putty only if ceramic tiles are to be laid on concrete walls.

Putty on concrete walls is needed for two main reasons:

• For alignment.
• To reduce the absorption of concrete.

It is necessary to choose a dry mixture for filling, starting from how uneven the walls are. For the procedure, you need to buy both a starting mixture and a finishing mixture. The starting putty should be coarse-grained, and the finishing putty should be fine-grained. The most popular mixtures for concrete surfaces are Knauf, Ceresit, Caparol.

The main characteristics that a putty for concrete surfaces should have:

• instant grasping;
• high strength;
• the presence of a waterproofing function;
• frost resistance;
• high elasticity;
• no shrinkage;
• thixotropy - the ability to increase viscosity;
• waterproofness.

Fast setting is necessary, since the putty is applied in a thick layer (3-5 cm). Elasticity will help the solution to penetrate into all crevices.

The hardest thing is to putty plastic surfaces, as many people who are faced with this process believe. In this case, the putty performs repair functions, eliminating defects and irregularities before painting.

Putty for plastic surfaces must have:

• high elasticity;
• the highest degree of adhesion in relation to many polymers;
• increased impact strength;
• high hydrophobicity;
• give in to grinding.

So, this mixture is a fine-grained composition of several components, including resin and hardener. It is forbidden to use putty on thermoplastics, nitrocellulose, acrylic coatings.

Among the varieties of fillers for plastic are distinguished:

• liquid;
• carbon;
• with fiberglass.

For high-quality filling of walls in a room, you need not only a good putty mixture, but also correctly selected tools.

During the process, you will need:

• Drill or industrial mixer. If a dry putty is purchased, then you will have to prepare a solution from it yourself. To get a homogeneous consistency, you need a special mixer or drill with a nozzle.
• The mortar is applied to the walls with a spatula. Usually, a set is bought, which includes many different shapes of spatulas - one type is needed on a flat surface, and in hard-to-reach places, another form of a spatula is more convenient.
• Rollers and brushes required for priming. It is not recommended to exclude such a procedure, since it has a protective function.
• Level. It is needed to determine how smooth the walls are.
• Sandpaper. If any inaccuracies and irregularities are found on the treated surface, they are eliminated. This requires sandpaper. If the volume of work is large enough, it is recommended to use a manual skinner. When using a starting putty, coarse sandpaper will be more convenient, and if a finishing putty is used, then it is more convenient to use fine fine paper.
• Capacity for mixing the solution. Since the portion of the ready-made putty is kneaded by an insignificant due to its rapid drying, you can buy a small container.

Before choosing and buying a spatula, you need to try to apply it. It turns out it's not that easy, especially for beginners. Some people find it more convenient to use a regular roller. But according to builders with extensive experience, it is not very convenient for them to putty the walls, since it is difficult to achieve perfectly flat surfaces.

As for the choice of a spatula, here you should pay attention to the following details:

• the front roller has a considerable width and size of the blade, and the paint roller is smaller with a narrow blade;
• the handle of the spatula must be strong so that after the first use it does not remain in the hands of the master;
• the most comfortable are tools with rubberized handles;
• painting spatulas fail quickly;
• the ideal width of the spatula blade is 50 cm, for hard-to-reach places it is necessary to use blades up to 15 cm wide;
• a lamp or small lamp is needed, with the help of which all irregularities and imperfections after filling are determined. It is better to use a halogen lamp for this purpose;
• a construction knife and a stapler should be at hand.

It is known that you can buy a ready-made mixture or a ready-made solution for filling, or you can do it yourself.

To make gypsum putty at home, you will need 2-3 kg of chalk, a kilogram of gypsum, a 5% solution of wood glue. We mix the chalk with gypsum, then gradually pour this mixture into the glue previously poured into the bucket and stir thoroughly so that the result is a homogeneous mass. Such a solution becomes solid very quickly, so it is better to prepare it in small quantities. It is used on concrete surfaces to mask drywall joints, but only in rooms where humidity is not high.

You can also make oil putty yourself. To do this, you need a kilogram of drying oil, 100 g of desiccant (to speed up the solidification process) and two kilograms of chalk powder. We mix all the ingredients until a uniform consistency is obtained. This solution is not afraid of temperature extremes and high humidity. It is used on wood surfaces, as well as on walls that will be painted with oil paints.

Making a solution from a purchased putty mixture is not difficult at all.

Below is a step-by-step instruction, adhering to which you can get a high-quality solution for puttying walls:

1. Pour clean water at room temperature into a plastic bucket, about a quarter.
2. Slowly pour the dry mixture into the water. The quantity must correspond to that indicated in the instructions.
3. Using a mixer, beat everything until you get a homogeneous mass without visible lumps.
4. Let the solution stand for 5-10 minutes.
5. Then we mix well and we can use.

In appearance, such a solution should resemble thick sour cream - this is a very important detail, since neither excessive thickness nor excessive liquid will give a high-quality result when used. A layer of thick putty will fall off immediately, and the liquid one will simply spread.

It is important to remember that in one batch of the solution there should be as much as enough for 40 minutes of work.

Before you start puttingty the walls, you need to properly prepare them, since the result of the work depends on this.

To prepare the wall for putty means to remove all dirt, old paint, soot, grease stains, wax, old plaster. Mechanical cleaning is performed using a special hard brush, spatula and grinder. When all the debris has been removed, it is the turn of the chemical cleaning of the wall, which consists in degreasing the surfaces. It is carried out with the help of special detergents. The use of antifungal drugs will not be superfluous.

If there is rust on the walls, a regular burner will help remove it. The final stage of preparation is to check for large irregularities on the wall. Differences of five millimeters or more are considered large. The problem is that the average layer of putty is two millimeters, so large irregularities have to be leveled, and only then putty. To cover up large irregularities, it is cheaper to use plaster, and then putty.

If you have to putty the walls in the apartment with your own hands, then in order to get a positive result and calmly continue the repair, you need to study all the nuances of applying the putty solution. The process technology seems complicated only at first glance.

Puttying begins with a cosmetic leveling. For this, a starting mixture is always used. It is necessary to apply the solution in a thin layer of one centimeter. The treated surface must dry completely. This takes 10-12 hours.

The finishing mixture should now be applied. The technique of applying the finishing putty differs from the technique of applying the starting mortar. The mixture is applied in two different directions, so that all irregularities are immediately visible. They will not disappear the first time, especially for surfaces made of drywall and concrete, but in 2-3 times everything will be eliminated.

In hard-to-reach places, use a trowel of a suitable size. For many, difficulties arise at the moment when the process of aligning the corners occurs. In the process of work, there comes a moment when each corner needs, as they say, to press in a corner, and then putty it.

Another feature of puttying, people who do repair work on their own face the bark - painted walls. A logical question immediately arises - is it possible to putty on paint?

This is only possible if:

• The walls are painted with non-emulsion paint. It is very easy to check this. It is necessary to moisten the sponge with water and rub the painted surface, if the paint begins to foam and wash off, then it is emulsion and in no case should it be putty.
• If the paint on the walls does not peel or crack, otherwise the solution will reject.
• If the paint is not based on drying oil.

But it is worth remembering that puttingty painted walls is a risk.

If, having studied all the subtleties of the process or having tried to putty on his own, a person understands that this is a complete disappointment and it is better to resort to mechanized plastering of the walls.

Before starting any construction or repair work, you should always ask for advice from people who have already encountered this. Especially if a person faced plastering or puttying with his own hands and without the help of professional craftsmen for the first time.

When filling walls, you should know that:

• It is necessary to purchase materials and tools for putty of high quality.
• When buying dry mixes, dilute the solution only in accordance with the instructions.
• For each type of surface, a certain type of mixture is used.
• It is necessary to clearly understand what kind of wall decoration will follow after puttying. If wallpapering or painting the walls, then puttying is necessary, if there are decorative panels or ceramic tiles, then there is no need to putty.
• Particular attention should be paid to filling corners that require additional tools.
• It is not necessary to put putty on high-quality plaster, only if thin wallpaper or painting is expected. For this, the walls must be perfectly flat, which means that there must be putty.
• If the temperature is below five degrees inside the room where the puttying work will take place, then it is not recommended to carry out the work. The ideal temperature for puttying is + 15-25 degrees.
• It is possible to carry out any repair manipulations after filling only a day later. This is the maximum time for the complete drying of the putty.

How to putty the walls, see the video below.