Whitewashing the walls: process features

Today there is a huge selection of finishing materials on the market. At the same time, the usual whitewash, used for many years, still does not lose its popularity. There are many good reasons for this. Our article will tell you about them, as well as how to properly whitewash the ceiling at home on your own.

Whitewashing has a number of undeniable advantages.

• Low cost - one of the most important advantages of this type of work. With a limited budget, whitewashing is simply irreplaceable. That is why lime and chalk whitewash are still used to decorate walls and ceilings in budgetary organizations (schools, hospitals, etc.).

• Simplicity. Absolutely everyone can cope with the work of applying whitewash. This process does not require special knowledge, skills or special physical strength. It is only important to observe the proportions, stages and technology of work.
• Accuracy. When the whitewash is applied correctly, you will get a beautiful, even surface in a fresh and solid color. Yes, whitewashing is inferior to expensive wallpaper or decorative plaster in terms of attractiveness, but when conciseness and neatness is required, it has no equal.

• Environmental friendliness. Whitewashing safety is achieved by the ability to pass moisture and air. It contains no harmful substances that are found in other modern materials.
• Bactericidal properties, which whitewash possesses, perfectly protect against mold and mildew, which also distinguishes it from other materials. This is another reason why this particular design option is preferred in preschool, educational and other institutions.

As already mentioned, special knowledge and skills are not required for the proper whitewashing of the walls. Even doing work with this material for the first time, it is possible to learn right in the process. You should study the whitewashing technology in advance, learn about the types of materials and tools, take into account other known nuances. Then even do-it-yourself repairs will be done quickly and efficiently.

If you do not have information on how to whitewash the walls before, you can check it quite easily. Just dampen a section of the wall with water. If it was a lime wash, the wet surface will darken. You can also rub the area with your finger. Lime will not stain your finger.

Proper preparation for whitewashing is an important step that affects the final result and the success of the work.

In preparing the walls, adhere to the already proven rules.

• First of all, empty the room of all furniture and equipment, if possible. If this is not possible, carefully cover everything with plastic wrap and secure with tape.
• To easily remove old whitewash, wet it beforehand. Moisten the walls in parts, then the moisture will not have time to dry. To wash off the whitewash itself, it is recommended to use a regular soap solution. It is also advised to add a little vinegar or a portion of citric acid to the water.
• When you wet the walls with a wet sponge or brush, it's time to move on to removing the old whitewash with a regular spatula. It is advisable that pieces of the old whitewash do not fall, for the safety and cleanliness of the floor and other surfaces. For this, the pieces are put in a separate container. After removing with a spatula, completely rinse off all residues with a damp sponge.

• In case there are visible spots, we bring the walls into the proper form:

1. Rust spots are washed off and treated with the following solution: copper sulfate is diluted in an amount of 50-100 g in a liter of hot water.
2. Grease stains are removed with soda ash. Moisten a rag in a 2% composition and apply it to the fat spot until it disappears completely. Then this place must be thoroughly rinsed with water.
3. For soot stains, a 2-3% composition of hydrochloric acid is used.

• Then an antifungal compound is applied.
• If there are cracks and dents, you must first get rid of them. For cracks up to 1 cm, it is enough to take a putty. If the depth of irregularities reaches 3-5 cm, plaster should be used.

The putty is diluted according to the instructions, then applied and leveled with a spatula. In case of serious irregularities, use the building rule.

• When the putty is completely dry, it is rubbed with sandpaper. We now have a smooth and even wall surface ready to be primed.
• The composition of the primer is made independently or a ready-made mixture is taken. After application, you should also wait until it is completely dry.
• Now you can proceed directly to whitewashing.

Speaking about the types of wall whitewashing, they mean a lime or chalk composition, as well as water-based paint.

The most popular type of whitewash. Lime, which is calcium oxide, must be extinguished with water, thereby obtaining a ready-made material for finishing work.

The main advantages of a lime-type whitewash:

• bactericidal and antiseptic properties, thanks to them, lime is readily used in public institutions or when whitewashing cellars, for example, trees are also treated with it;

• lime whitewash lasts from 3 years;
• high resistance to humidity and significant temperature changes allows the use of whitewash for renovation in bathrooms;
• adhesion to most materials: concrete, wood or brick;
• the ability to fill in small irregularities and cracks;
• very low cost.

Among the disadvantages are:

• a chance to get burned, so all work must be done in special protective clothing, a respirator and gloves;
• Lime can leave streaks and stains, however, they are easy to remove;
• not recommended for allergies.

Besides the fact that chalk is also environmentally friendly and inexpensive, it has other advantages:

• safe application;
• more saturated white color, in contrast to lime;
• hypoallergenic (safe for people with allergies).

However, chalk also has certain disadvantages.

• Interacting with water, chalk accumulates it. This contributes to the formation of cracks and quick exfoliation. In this regard, in rooms with high humidity (kitchen, bathroom, etc.), you should not use chalk whitewash.
• If used incorrectly, both streaks and bubbles are possible.
• In addition, chalk whitewashing strongly stains everything it comes into contact with.

You can often hear the phrase "whitewashing with water-based paint". In reality, this technology cannot be related to whitewashing, but is painting. Perhaps it was mistakenly equated with the types of whitewashing because of the lime and cement in the composition.

Painting with water-based paints is called a good alternative to whitewashing.

Advantages of water-based paint:

• moisture resistance;
• wear resistance;

• high bactericidal properties;
• environmental friendliness, the ability of the paint to "breathe";
• easy application;
• high drying speed;
• security.

The main disadvantage is that the suspension has a high cost when compared with conventional whitewashing. Also, the durability of this coating is poor.

Whitewashing is considered one of the most inexpensive repairs. You can cheaply whitewash the walls not only with your own hands. Construction crews also ask for low fees.The cost of whitewashing in one layer for an area of ​​1 m2 can even start from 50 rubles.

Of course, the price varies greatly, depending on a number of factors: pollution and the need to clean the walls, the required number of layers of lime, etc. To correctly calculate the approximate cost of work, you need to know the quadrature and the necessary types of repair work to prepare the surface.

The process of preparing lime whitewash requires careful attention and accuracy. It can be easily done with your own hands, following certain recommendations.

First, prepare the ingredients for the solution in the correct amount:

• slaked lime - 2-3 kg;
• water - 10 l;
• pre-soaked coarse salt - 50-100 g;
• 1 tsp blue (to obtain white) or from 400 to 500 g of dye;
• aluminum alum - 150-200 g.

Mix the ingredients and dissolve them in a liter of warm water. After that, the volume of the mixture must be brought to 10 liters and the resulting composition must be mixed properly.

A characteristic feature of slaked lime is its excellent compatibility with any dyes. That is, in the process of mixing raw materials and dye in the correct proportions, you can create any desired shade.

If you are creating a colored whitewash, it is better to immediately prepare the full amount of solution required for the entire surface of the walls. This is due to the fact that it is almost impossible to repeat the shade, even if all the ingredients used are used exactly.

Quicklime is easy to extinguish on your own right at home. Stir it with water one to one and stir for 15-25 minutes. Then you need to remove the lime for 15 days in a hermetically sealed container. Then the lime will lay on the applied surface smoothly and evenly, without any streaks or stains.

The consumption of lime whitewash largely depends on the tool that is used to apply it, as well as the characteristics of the material. On average, consumption is 0.5 liters per square meter of surface.

Pros use simple yet effective ingredients to enhance the composition and create a high quality, durable blend. For example, laundry soap or various glue is added to the composition. To make the whitewash better protected from washing off and temperature extremes, use drying oil, which repels moisture well and helps to increase the durability of the whitewash. Also, additives can minimize the shedding of whitewash from the walls.

To prevent the whitewashed walls from staining everything that comes into contact with them, table salt is added. You can use all of the above additives at once.

To obtain the desired effect, it is important to correctly observe the necessary proportions:

• 10 liters of whitewash mixture add a kilogram of salt and lime (salt helps to make the walls snow-white);
• for 1 bucket use drying oil in the amount of 100 ml;
• grated laundry soap is diluted with warm water, and during the preparation process the water is replaced with soapy water;
• use wallpaper or PVA glue.

Whitewashing is applied with the following tools:

• rollers;
• brushes;
• air blowing vacuum cleaner;
• spray gun.

The first 2 options are more popular and versatile, namely rollers and brushes.

• It is easiest to work with a roller. It turns out to be quite simple to achieve a white, even wall covering. Before starting work, mix the mixture thoroughly, and then start whitewashing with a roller. It is necessary to apply at least two coats. First, let the first dry completely, and then you can apply the second.
• When whitewashing with a brush, you should take a special model with natural bristles (width from 15 to 20 cm). Upon completion of the repair work, the brushes are washed so that they can be reused.For brick walls, you should take a broom brush. For some time before applying whitewash, the brush is soaked in water. This will make the wood handle swell and hold the bristles better, preventing them from getting into the composition.

Immediately before covering the wall, it is necessary to mix the whitewash solution well in order to achieve an even shade. According to the technology, the first layer should be perpendicular to the window, the next one should be parallel to the frames. Then the stripes and direction of the brush will be almost invisible.

It is also very important to wet the wall surface with water as best as possible.

• A vacuum cleaner or spray gun is used on large surfaces. Using them, it is advisable to have experience. When working with these tools, the consumption of the composition increases, since it is applied with a thicker layer. But this allows you to mask minor defects.
• Whitewashing is applied with a vacuum cleaner if there is a possibility of air blowing out. A specialized nozzle with a spray (in the form of a polyethylene cap with tubes) is used, which is usually included with a vacuum cleaner.

The lid is put on the jar and a hose connected to the vacuum cleaner is attached. As the air is blown out, it will enter the sprayer and spray the composition. Usually the sprayer has a hole, covering which the desired whitewashing pressure is obtained. It is customary to apply the whitewash composition with neat circular movements, while maintaining the spraying distance from 70 to 100 cm.

Follow important safety rules when whitewashing walls.

• Always wear protective clothing that covers the entire body during repair work. You need to wear protective goggles on your eyes, and high-quality rubber gloves on your hands. To preserve the respiratory tract, use a moistened bandage or respirator. There must be a hat or kerchief on the head.

• If lime gets on the skin, immediately rinse the area with plenty of water (rinse for at least 15 minutes) and then consult a doctor. Lime can cause a burn that is quite severe and painful and slow to heal.
• To get rid of the stains that inevitably arise when whitewashing walls, you only need water and a sponge. But it's important to remove stains fresh. Processing is carried out several times. Never waste time and if you notice an unwanted stain, remove it immediately.

See the following video for the recipe for making lime whitewash.