How to plaster walls yourself?

Which mixture is better to choose and in what situations?

Plastering work is a preparatory stage that creates a flat and smooth surface. And then you can apply decorative layers, wallpaper, molding.

Beginners should know about the stages:

1. cleaning and priming;
2. applying to the prepared wall and distributing the solution;
3. cleaning, covering and stripping the walls as a final treatment;

To check for unevenness, beacons are installed on the work surface, which help with finishing work, both external and internal. Beacons of various materials are fixed on the unprepared surface, and they will also be an accurate guide when leveling walls of any type. For people who do plastering of walls with their own hands, it is recommended to install beacons even for warehouses.

If you choose a leveling building mixture without using beacons, rely on the following features of the solutions to properly plaster the walls:

1. Gypsum plaster is preferable for a dry room, and it has advantages: it is environmentally friendly and easy to use. Keep in mind that gypsum mixtures quickly become strong. And their light weight is suitable for leveling ceiling walls. The advantages are that they are flexible and are also suitable for decorative molding. But there are also disadvantages: susceptibility to moisture, so it is not used for finishing the bathroom.
2. The second option is cement-sand. The most common, but a little more expensive. Provides reliability and durability. Such a surface is not affected by temperature changes and humidity. Therefore, it is suitable for arranging the facade and rooms with a high percentage of moisture.
3. Lime-based mixtures are also actively used by specialists and beginners. Although lime solutions are very capricious, they have high plasticity.

In the process of repair work with mineral-based compositions, their disadvantage is taken into account – soil shrinkage and vibrations will ruin them. If the room is built in a seismically dangerous place, a polymer mixture is used.

What tools and materials will you need?

Before plastering the walls, you need to prepare the following items:

• ready-made mixture or raw materials for its preparation;
• primer to treat the surface;
• beacons – if the walls are not smooth enough;
• aluminum rule;
• half-trowel and float;
• bubble level;
• roller;
• spatulas: narrow, medium width and wide;
• plastic bucket or other container;
• paint brush and roller for primer;
• smoothing trowel;
• special gloves.

For independent work with walls, you may need additional items and tools that can be used to reinforce the surface being treated: a hammer drill, a square, additives, etc. The choice is based on the material of the walls and their evenness.

How much material will you need?

If you use beacons, you can calculate the volume of the solution. You will need information on the average thickness multiplied by the surface area. If you bypass the beacon profiles, the calculations become more complicated.

There is also an effective way to determine the amount of plaster, invented by professionals:

• using a rule (working tool) and a level, determine the point where the greatest deviation relative to the vertical with the measured value is determined;
• the resulting value is divided in half and 4 mm is added;
• then the result is multiplied by the surface area;
• the resulting number is multiplied by 1.15 (reserve coefficient).

Ready-made plaster is more convenient to use, since all information on the quantity and instructions are described on the box or can by the manufacturer.

Preparing the walls

This is the first and main stage after choosing the mixture, based on the materials. After this, the surfaces will be prepared for working with the plaster mass.

• If there are any coatings or irregularities, they must be carefully removed.
• Clean the wall from dust, dirt, and remaining decorative elements.
• If any cracks are found, they must be sealed.

If you skip this step, the coating will soon crack. Next, you need to rely on the wall material, depending on which the work will continue.

Concrete has a fairly smooth structure, so that adhesion to the mixture is improved, you will need notches made at a small distance from each other with a depth of no more than 15 mm. After this, everything is covered with a primer. Due to the hardness of the material, the work is quite labor-intensive. You can make things easier for yourself by priming with a primer prepared in advance. An adhesion primer with deep penetration is suitable for this.

The primer contains sand particles that remain on the surface after it dries. This method may not work well, so before plastering, a test smear of primer is carried out. A small area is treated and complete drying is expected. Continue processing the surface if a slight roughness is felt and sand particles crumble. If the method does not work, then artificial notches are made.

In a wall made of foam blocks, empty spaces must be sealed so that the solution is evenly distributed. To do this, a cement composition of increased density is mixed and special plasticizers are added.

If the walls are monolithic, they are first covered with a primer in two approaches. And each of them should dry well. Then a rule is applied that would reveal blockages. The detected defects are removed with a solution, then comes grinding and then the main stage in the form of a plaster layer.

The gypsum wall must be covered with a prepared primer composition with a deep penetration percentage. Thanks to this, the base will be strengthened, and adhesion with plaster will also increase.

The brickwork has a fairly rough surface, but you still need to use a grinding brush on the cleaned material. The seams are expanded so that the masonry material gets into them and the level of adhesion improves. Next, you need to clean the material from dust and dirt with a brush and a damp cloth. As a final step – a two-layer primer.

For a strong fastening on natural wood, you need a lathing. This is the most capricious material, requiring additional actions. The lattice is made of slats (shingles). They are nailed with nails or self-tapping screws. It is important to use high-quality slats, additionally treated with an antiseptic. If you skip this step, the structure will rot and the coating will collapse.

There is an easier way – using a reinforcing mesh. It is nailed to the base. During alignment, this serves as a beacon and the elements must be set strictly according to the levels. Each fragment is treated with an antiseptic and dried, and only then can the lathing be plastered.

Step-by-step instructions

Let’s try to plaster the walls ourselves without installing beacons. To do this, you will need a rule rail as a guide for alignment. But if you wish, you can purchase beacons: aluminum, plastic or made of another durable material. In the case of slats, several tactics work.

The first case can be used to level small areas and more or less flat surfaces. First, the area to be treated is filled with a building mixture, running a spatula.

At the next stage, the slats are installed vertically along the entire length of the wall, alignment is carried out by tearing. Uneven parts of the walls after the solution with a ledge should differ from those in the recesses. After the composition dries, using a spatula, the material is finally leveled with a thin layer of plaster.

Important point. If the wall needs to be processed along its entire height, a suitable rule is selected taking into account the height of the room.

In the second case, a double pass is used. To do this, the plaster mixture is applied with a spatula in a thin layer and evenly, and then it still needs to be leveled with a rule. The first pass involves a horizontal position of the tool relative to the wall, and is carried out from the bottom up. The next pass is carried out on a dried layer. Take the rule and move it horizontally, while applying the tool vertically.

Another tactic is applicable for internal corners and adjacent surfaces that require plastering. In this case, you will need not only a rule, but also wide and medium-sized spatulas. The solution should not be very viscous.

1. At the first stage, the mixture is applied to the spatula (trowel) and spread along the edge of the wall, but does not go all the way to the corner.
2. After this, the solution forms a strip with a triangular cross-section – it thickens towards the corner and becomes thinner towards the center.

The construction rule is applied to the corner and drawn in zigzags towards the center of the wall. This will help get rid of excess solution and obtain a kind of beacon at the extreme part of the material. Using a wide spatula, smooth out the far edge from the corner, the movements should be horizontal.

When the entire wall is filled with such auxiliary beacons and the plaster has set, a leveling layer is formed. At this stage, a wide spatula is used and a strip is drawn along the direction of the leveling elements. One end of the rule rests on the “beacon”, and the other – on the wall (horizontal use of the tool) and thus cut off excess mortar. The corners themselves should be filled with the mixture using a spatula with a short handle, and then leveled with a rule on the surface (leveled).

If the unevenness on the surface does not exceed 2-4 mm in size, then in addition to beacons, you can also not use rules. Plastering should be done only with a spatula. The solution is applied in a thin layer, so not only a small amount of material will be spent, but also time. To work with walls without using beacons, you may only need a couple of spatulas: a large one and a small one with a shovel (6-9 cm).

The walls are leveled with plaster as follows:

1. Take a short spatula and apply the mixture evenly on the wide part or directly on the wall in small pieces.
2. Level the mixture with a large spatula and thus remove the excess.

If the wall area is large, then you cannot do without a rule that corrects the defects that have appeared. On small surfaces, this is not necessary.

What technology is used to apply the solution?

After cleaning the surfaces from dirt and dust, as well as covering them with a primer, you need to proceed to the main finishing, having previously mixed the solution. The technology has several successive interconnected stages:

1. Splash is the main layer on which further adhesion will depend. Therefore, watch the consistency, it should resemble liquid sour cream.
2. Base for the proposed coating. At this stage, a protective layer of the required thickness is formed. The consistency is a little thicker compared to the splash.
3. The layers are finished with a wash. And this is the finish. The solution looks the same as with the splash, but not too watery.

Each of the above stages plays a role in the strength of the coating. To begin with, a rough version can be made from a piece of the wall. If all technologies and the preliminary work front are followed, the plaster layer will last for a long time without requiring repair.

Water is added slowly and not all at once, so that the resulting solution is not too liquid, otherwise it will flow down the wall. But an excessively thick mixture will also fall off. During the mixing process, in addition to water, PVA glue is added in the amount of a construction ladle, taking into account the total volume in the bucket.

The mixed solution is tested for strength on the wall, and then more water or dry material is added. If you need to plaster the ceiling, then the solution is made thicker.

First layer

Now about each stage in more detail. To ensure stronger adhesion of the wall and the mixture, the material is moistened with water without any fillers. Take a construction bucket or trowel and apply the mixture to a surface of one square meter. Then, using a special construction float, the solution is leveled over the surface (thickness < 10 mm).

For a more uniform application of layers, the float should be long enough. And the construction float is moved in the following directions: from bottom to top, in an arc, from left to right, but slowly and carefully.

After this, the solution is applied to the next square meter, and in a similar way, step by step, the entire surface is plastered. Work is carried out from the bottom upwards of the wall, regardless of its material.

There is no need to achieve perfect leveling, since rough grains will be useful for adhesion to the following layers.

Second layer of mortar

After three hours, which are required for the first layer to dry, go over it with a rule, which will help remove excess drips and defects from the plaster.

Recommendation for working with a rule – apply it tightly to the wall and move in directions so that excess parts fall off. If the mixture dries well, there will be no problems.

You can start applying the intermediate layer. The second time, you will need a denser application with strong pressure. And the layer is not thrown on, but carefully applied to the spatula and spread over the surface in different directions.

It will take time to set. As soon as you see a crust on the surface, you can proceed to checking for evenness. To do this, apply the rule to the wall and inspect for bumps, bubbles, and pits.

The rule is applied from time to time for leveling. At the second stage, there should be practically no visible defects. The plaster will need a little more than 3 hours to dry.

Third layer of solution

The final layer – smooths out completely and therefore it is the thinnest of all. At the third stage, the solution is made very liquid with the addition of plenty of water.

Take a construction ladle and pour it over the wall in an area of a square meter from above. And immediately level the plaster, making circular movements. The thinnest layer should dry for at least 6 hours.

Final grouting of plaster

In total, three layers will take a week (including the last stage) so that everything finally sets well and dries. And then you can do the grouting, which gives the material a velvety texture. The actions are similar to the final stage of applying the mixture: the wall is poured with water and rubbed with a grater over the entire area of the wall.

Plastering is only preparation, and if the wall was prepared for stone or tiles on top, then grouting may not be needed. The listed types of finishing require roughness on the wall so that the finishing adheres better. If the walls are to be painted or wallpapered, then grouting is a must to reduce the cost of putty later.

After completing all the stages, together with grouting, you need to leave the room in a cool place for a few days. If the work was carried out in the hot season, then it is recommended to wet the plaster with water from time to time, otherwise the wall will crack due to the dry mixture.

Popular mistakes and misconceptions

Many mistakes can occur during plastering of walls: cracks, bumps, unevenness, drips, film coating, etc. Let’s look at possible mistakes in more detail.

Error 1 – the proportions in the preparation of the solution are not observed

The material for plastering walls of the correct consistency is the basis for a high-quality result. With an unsuitable structure, the layer slides off or is laid out in uneven layers. If there was not enough water in volume, then cracks will appear.

Problems with the composition also occur at the mixing stage, so many use a mixer to prevent lumps from forming.

The solution should be prepared exclusively with uniform stirring and with the addition of clean water to the mixture. Control the density at each stage.

Error 2 – no primer

Probably the fatal error that leads to failures in further repairs. Before plastering the walls, you need to select a primer according to the material of the plane and the type of mixture. The primer is a barrier that holds moisture. It is the correct execution of this stage that will affect the peeling of the leveling cement or gypsum layer.

And you need to correctly select the barrier, since “betonokontakt” is intended more for concrete bases and gypsum, but not for cement-sand plaster.

Error 3 – replacing priming with water

The consequences of neglecting the priming layer were explained above. Due to the presence of moisture, the base will not be strengthened, and the plaster on the wall will crumble.

Error 4 – untreated joints

More clearly, imagine a multi-story building where aerated concrete blocks are attached to concrete load-bearing walls. As a result, a joint appears that cannot be left without reinforcement. Depending on what kind of material it is, it reacts to the plaster solution to varying degrees and dries longer or faster. If the joints are not treated and the material properties are not taken into account, this will lead to cracks.

Error 5 – the reinforcing mesh is not covered with plaster

If the mesh is installed in this position, then the reinforcement will be of no use. The wall is plastered on its base, then the mesh is laid and covered with plaster. This ensures good reinforcement at the joints, regardless of the material.

Error 6 – the plaster is applied incorrectly

Many people mistakenly apply the plaster solution from the bottom up. If you do this, the plaster will start to drip onto the already set lower part at the top. The coating can be damaged if the mixture is too liquid. To avoid unevenness, plaster the other way around – from top to bottom.

Error 7 – beacons remain on the walls

Most beacons are steel, and the material is subject to rust due to damage to the zinc layer. They are used exclusively for leveling, and are removed after the walls are plastered with your own hands. After leveling the plaster layer, the zinc layer is damaged, and the beacons are covered with rust from the inside.

And corrosion is very difficult to eliminate. You will have to first get rid of the finishing, plaster, and then go through all the stages again and apply the plaster mixture in three layers.

Error 8 – it dries incorrectly

Each stage of repair and construction has its own technological period in the form of time during which the material will adapt to the temperature and climate. Gypsum plaster or cement plaster are also subject to this period. The solution dries for at least 6 days. And at the same time, all conditions for the fastest adaptation of the material must be provided. If you move on to the next stage of leveling the walls without waiting for the completion of the previous one, problems will begin.

And do not think about using cheap brands of mortar or drying the walls with a hair dryer. The cheaper the material, the worse it will take. And artificial drying contributes to uneven drying, and moisture will begin to evaporate quickly. As a result – cracks all over the surface.

Error 9 – the wrong rule

Plastering of walls is done only with the help of an H-shaped tool. The trapezoidal rule is not suitable, as it is used if it is necessary to remove irregularities.

Plastering of walls is a labor-intensive process that must be performed according to clear rules, calculations and with the use of professional materials. Tips and instructions on errors will help to carry out repairs competently and within a reasonable time frame. Take into account each described situation with typical errors, so as not to make them yourself in the future. And then the do-it-yourself repair will be much better.