How to grind putty on the walls?

It is almost impossible to putty the surface of walls perfectly. In any case, traces of a spatula, cavities, tubercles, uneven transitions of the solution may remain on the surface. To smooth out these defects there is a special procedure: grinding or sanding the walls after puttying. To find out what is used to grind the putty on the walls, you need to familiarize yourself with the list of tools necessary to carry out the work.

What may be needed for grinding?

• Abrasive mesh of several types and sandpaper.
• Bar for grinding.
• Grinding sponge.
• Lamp or spotlight.
• Stepladder or scaffold.
• A small spatula.
• Headgear, safety glasses, respirator.

Advice! To make the grinding process less time-consuming, use a spatula of maximum width when filling surfaces. He will reserve fewer lanes.

Abrasive mesh

The advantage of the abrasive mesh in its structure. When working, dust passes through the holes and does not clog on it, as happens with sandpaper. The mesh is changed as it wears, which is easy to determine by its external state: it can begin to tear or if the grinding process has become less effective. Most often, the dimensions of the mesh correspond to the size of the sanding bar, so you can simply install the mesh on it and get to work. The skin for the starting putty should be with a size of 80-100, and for the finish - 220-240. The cost of the mesh is slightly higher than the price of sandpaper.

Sandpaper

Emery paper is constantly clogged with dust and needs to be changed more often than the mesh. In building stores, sandpaper is sold in rolls, large pieces and small rollers. If you decide to choose it on it, you should immediately decide how to cut the sandpaper with a minimum of waste to attach it to a bar. You can buy ready-made cut pieces of sandpaper, but such a purchase will cost more. It is recommended to use sandpaper with a grain size of 60-100. Since the sandpaper, in which the grain size is less than 60, is coarse, and with a grain size above 100 it will quickly become clogged with construction waste.

Overalls and protective equipment

Since the grinding process of the putty surface is quite dusty, one must stock up on protective equipment. Must have:

• a respirator so that dust does not enter the lungs;
• protective glasses;
• headdress;
• it is best to wear clothes that can then be easily pulled out so that excess garbage does not subsequently fall into the washing machine;
• gloves must also be worn: rubber or cotton can be used. The advantage of rubber gloves is that they do not let dust through, which makes your hands coarser.

How to do the job right

Even if you make repairs yourself, sanding the walls will not take you much time. This procedure is much simpler than plastering or puttying surfaces, but no less laborious.

The use of grinders

Professionals involved in repairs use special grinders. They allow you to significantly speed up the process of grinding putty and grout more efficiently than a conventional abrasive mesh with a bar. The unit is a metal or wooden plate on which sandpaper is attached using clamps. According to the principle of the machine, there are:

• orbital eccentric;

• flat vibrating;

• tape.

The use of the first does not allow to process corners well enough. The use of the latter is universal. And the latter can be rationally exploited with a thick layer of putty.

Buying a grinder will cost a tidy amount, so it is not necessary to purchase it for home repairs.

Advice! Sanding the wall can begin no earlier than after a day, after applying putty on it.

Grinding process

After the putty is completely hardened and dried, you can proceed to grinding. It’s very easy to start stripping: install the abrasive mesh on the block and fix it. Your work tool is ready to use. It’s best to start grinding the walls from the corner and moving in the opposite direction. Most often, grinding from ceiling to floor, they try to make strips about one meter wide.

Advice! Be sure to use a powerful floodlight or pendant lamp. So you can immediately see all the flaws and fix them. The searchlight is installed on the side of the wall. So the light will fall on it at an acute angle, and all defects will give a shadow and will be immediately noticeable.

Wipe with smooth movements with a little pressure so as not to scratch the surface of the putty. In particular, this concerns sandpaper, since it is coarser than abrasive skin. Movements should not be chaotic, but sequential: up-down, right-left. In the process, be careful not to grind the same area several times. The main thing is not to overdo it. Finishing putty lends itself well to processing and with strong pressure you can erase it to concrete or drywall. This can lead to swings, and the wall will become uneven again. Therefore, if you see that no defects are observed, proceed to the next fragment of the surface.

Advice! When grinding the starting base, one should not achieve an absolutely smooth surface, since the application of finishing putty is still to be done. As for the finishing surface, you have to work hard here, especially if it is supposed to be painted. Acrylic paints emit even the smallest flaws, especially if it is supposed to decorate the walls with light shades.

Separate nuances

There are cases when, when the solution dries, too large pits come across. In this situation, it is not worth spending time and effort to clean the putty around them with an abrasive sandpaper. Visually, it may seem that the wall has become flat, but if you apply a level, it turns out that a large cavity has appeared on the surface. Therefore, it’s best not to touch this place yet, and after you have polished the rest of the wall, gently ground and putty it. To do this, it is best to use a rubber spatula. It is flexible enough and allows you to putty flush with the wall.

Upon completion of the work, you should use the level to find out if there are any problem areas left on the surface, which need to be puttied or sanded. The level should be pressed firmly against the wall.

Advice! Priming surfaces must be done strictly after grinding, and not before it. If you prime the wall before sanding, you can only fix defects if you completely repack it.

Before proceeding with the priming of the walls, it is necessary to brush away the building dust from them. To do this, take the fowl with a long and soft pile. The primer should dry for 2-3 hours and after that you can paint the surface or wallpaper them.