Drywall Serpyanka: price, specifications, comparison

In the construction of any structures made of drywall, an important role is played by the preparation for finishing. Its main part is the sealing of joints between GKL fragments, which will require putty and reinforcing tape. Let's find out how good a gypsum plasterboard is for these purposes and in what cases it is better to refuse it.

What is a sickle and why is it needed

Serpyanka is a thin ribbon made of fiberglass in the form of a grid with rectangular cells. Standard widths are 45, 50 and 100 mm, footage is 20, 45, 90, 150 m. Usually on one of its sides the manufacturer applies the adhesive, so that it is attached to the surface in the same way as the paint Scotch.

Serpyanka is needed to reinforce drywall seams on walls, ceilings and any structures. Without gluing the joints, cracks will inevitably appear on them, which means that the finish will be spoiled. Replace such a mesh for seams can a special paper tape or fiberglass cut into strips.

Advantages of reinforcing mesh for drywall:

• Easy to use: glues without problems, cut with ordinary scissors.
• It does not give in to influence of hostile environment.
• Improves the strength characteristics of the surface. Fiberglass tape is not subject to shrinkage, tolerates vibration and displacement of individual elements.
• It interacts well with putty, in combination with it provides a reliable connection.
• Cheap and affordable stuff.

In addition to reinforcing joints in drywall, a self-adhesive reinforcing mesh is used:

• When sealing cracks in walls or ceilings.
• When decorating door or window slopes.
• When processing places of contact with the wall of the door frame.

Which is better: sickle, paper tape or fiberglass?

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of these materials.

Serpyanka

Pros:

• Beginners are advised to use a fiberglass mesh for sealing joints: it is easier and faster to glue it on the surface of drywall.
• The mesh structure allows you to effortlessly remove excess putty that protrudes through the holes.
• Serpyanka does not bubble and does not exfoliate.

Minuses:

• Glass mesh strength is not always enough. This means that it cannot guarantee the absence of cracks.
• It is not recommended to use it for reinforcing transverse joints and angles: it tends to stretch.

Paper tape

Pros:

• Reduces the risk of cracking even at the most complex joints and internal corners.
• It forms a very strong, monolithic seam using any type of putty.
• Thin, so you can apply the solution in a small layer.

Minuses:

• With a lack of experience working with the tape, there is a risk of bubble formation due to the small amount of putty under it. This is easy to avoid if you buy a tape with microperforation.
• More time-consuming installation.

Fiberglass

Pros: superior in strength to tape and sickle.

Minuses:

• Inconvenient in work, pricks.
• Bubbles may form.
• Not suitable for corners, as it cannot be bent.

Mr. Build recommends: if for you the quality and durability of the result is more important than the simplicity of work, choose a paper tape from a well-known manufacturer (Knauf, Gyprok, Sheetrock) or cut glass fiber. Experienced finishers do not use a sickle! The likelihood of cracks with it is much higher: look at the video.

Read more about the difference between a streamer and a paper tape, features of the choice and application is written here.

Price, expense

Serpyanka is an inexpensive material.

• The cost of a roll of 50 mm × 90 m - 125-265 rubles .;
• 100 mm × 45 m - 120–270 rubles.

In the famous Leroy Merlin hypermarket you can buy a grid for GKL joints at such prices:

• 45 mm × 20 m - for 36 rubles;
• a larger roll - 45 mm × 45 m - for 67 rubles;
• 45 mm × 90 m - for 130 rubles.

The standard consumption of a sickle per 1 sq. m. - 1.2 m.

How to close up the seams of drywall serpyanka

Any novice can handle this simple procedure. In order to learn how to properly reinforce and putty seams, it is enough to carefully read the instructions.

Make bevels

At the joints of the drywall elements, you need to make bevels in advance. Most standard sheets already have a special, thinned edge. But during the installation process, you often have to cut them into parts, which results in unprocessed ends. You can also make a chamfer after fixing the drywall with a paint knife, but it is much more convenient to form them with a plane before fixing.

This photo shows a chamfer cut with a knife after fixing the gypsum board. It turns out not so neat.

This V-shaped recess is necessary so that a sufficient amount of putty gets into the seam. Without a bevel, even the reinforcing tape will not protect against cracks.

We prepare seams

Before gluing the reinforcing tape, the seam must be processed:

• Using sanding paper, clean the seams and remove dust from them. It is most convenient to use a directed air stream for this purpose.
• Recess formed by chamfers and primed with an acrylic-based compound.

We close the seam with a speck and putty

Method number 1, simpler and less reliable:

• Glue the self-adhesive sickle onto the seam. Do this from top to bottom, carefully unwinding the roll. smooth the mesh thoroughly.
• If the joint is long, it is more convenient to reinforce it with several pieces so that the tape does not warp. Lap them, leading to each other by 1-2 cm. Cut the excess with scissors.

Be sure to ensure that the tape is located symmetrically relative to the seam. With uneven stacking, its ability to withstand vibrations of drywall fragments decreases sharply.

• Carefully apply putty on the glued joint, pressing it into the mesh.
• Wait for the mixture to dry (8-12 hours). Then apply a topcoat that removes the blemishes remaining when the joint was sealed.
• Sand the joint with fine-grained sandpaper.
• Double-coat the entire surface of drywall with a universal composition. Apply the second layer only to the completely dried out first.

If the sickle sticks poorly or lags behind, clings to a spatula or simply does not have an adhesive layer, you need to use the second, more reliable way - mounting on putty.

Mr. Build recommends: do not try to glue a sickle with PVA glue. Hard putty adheres to it, and the screws with which the sheet is screwed can rust, because of which spots will appear on the finish.

Method number 2:

• Put the joint on the joint. The putty layer should protrude slightly beyond the boundaries of the recess, and its width should exceed the size of the tape.
• Unwind the grid and smooth it with a spatula, gently pushing it into the putty. This should be done carefully so as not to tear the sickle and do not make folds. Excess composition will protrude through the net, after which they need to be leveled or removed.
• Wait for the solution to dry, plaster again, as in the previous method. Then grind and prime the seam.

Advice from Mr. Build. When installing a serpyanka on putty, all the convenience and simplicity that self-gluing gives are lost. Therefore, we again recommend abandoning the sickle in favor of paper tape. Working with her is not much more difficult, and the result will be better.

After completing all work, the surface is ready for painting, wallpapering or other finishing.

Proper use of reinforcing tape will avoid the appearance of cracks on the surface of drywall caused by the displacement of individual elements. If you still decide to choose a sickle, a video lesson will help you understand the technology of working with it.