How to level the walls with your own hands

The durability and appearance of the finishing of the walls largely depends on the quality and correctness of the preliminary leveling of the base. Before embarking on finishing the walls with tiles, wallpaper, paint and other materials, it is necessary to eliminate irregularities and any kind of surface defects. Even the slightest flaws will eventually lead to a noticeable deterioration in the appearance of the finish, and you will have to carry out repairs anew.

methods of leveling walls

Curvature of the walls can be leveled in two main ways, namely:

• wet, providing for the use of various kinds of mixtures;
• dry, performed by the arrangement of plasterboard structures.

Both methods have many advantages and some disadvantages.

Plaster leveling

Plaster is usually used to eliminate minor differences( up to 30-50 mm) in walls of a small area. If desired, of course, with the help of a plaster mixture, it is possible to eliminate even more significant defects in huge rooms, but this will lead to inefficient financial and labor costs.

Building mixtures do not reduce free space, and this is their main advantage. However, wet leveling is inevitably accompanied by the formation of dust and contaminants.

Plasterboard leveling

Drywall allows to eliminate large differences and surface irregularities.

The main advantage of gypsum boards is that there is no need to pre-level the base before installing the carcass and the sheeting itself. It is important only that there are no crumbling sections of the finish.

In addition, the cells of the supporting structure can be filled with noise and heat insulating materials. If necessary, various kinds of communications are easily hidden in the gypsum board structure.

Simultaneously, the installation of the frame and sheets leads to some reduction in the useful space of the room.

For sale are simple and moisture-resistant modifications of drywall. The material with moisture-resistant properties usually has a green color, a simple plasterboard is gray.

Thickness	Size	Area	Weight
12.5 mm	1200x2500 mm	3 m²	28,9 kg
12,5 mm	1200х2700 mm	3,24 m²	31,2 kg
12,5mm	1200х3000 mm	3,6 sq.m	34,7 kg

Moisture-resistant plasterboard sheets are recommended for use in kitchens, bathrooms and other rooms with high humidity levels.

Wall Preparation for Leveling

Before proceeding to leveling the walls, the surface must be properly prepared. In particular, it is important to prepare the substrate before plastering. In the case of arranging the gypsum board structure from preliminary preparation in most situations it is possible to refuse.

Preparation is reduced to the elimination of existing finishes and old plasters. Then the surface is primed. To apply a primer coat, you can use brushes and rollers, but the best result is achieved when using a spray gun. Thanks to the primer, the quality of the plaster adhesion to the surface of the substrate will be improved.

Primer dries for about 12 hours. At the end of this time, you can start applying the plaster.

Aligning walls with plaster

Work begins with the installation of special beacon lines. They will allow to apply plaster as much as possible qualitatively.

First step

Secure the beacons on the different sides of the wall being treated. Verify the vertical installation of the profiles with a plumb line.

Second step

Prepare an order of 10 liters of cement mortar( more you simply do not have time to use until the mixture is unusable).Instead of cement plaster, you can use other existing mixtures.

Third step

Apply the stucco solution with large strokes on the surface between the beacon profiles.

Fourth step

Carefully level the applied mixture along the beacon profiles. For alignment, use a rule or a simple flat rack of suitable length.

Add the mixture and distribute it over the surface until the ground is leveled by the beacons.

Carefully level the corners with a spatula.

If you decide to use a factory dry mix, prepare and apply it according to the manufacturer's instructions. When selecting such a mixture, be sure to pay attention to the form of the "binding" component.

Thus, gypsum-based mixtures are intended for use in living rooms, becausegypsum does not disturb the normal microclimate in the room. Cement plasters are better suited for bathrooms, kitchens and other rooms with a high level of humidity.

Aligning the substrate with gypsum board

If the size of the ground irregularities exceeds 50 mm, it will be more rational to use the wall leveling method, which involves the arrangement of a gypsum board structure.

No special preparation is required - the main thing is that there are no fragments on the walls. Clear such areas in case of their detection.

Construction of a frame

A frame for fixing plasterboard sheets is assembled from a galvanized profile specially designed for this purpose. Profiles of several types are used.

The main UD profile is attached to the ceiling, the floor and the adjacent walls. The jumper function performs a CD profile.

The first step. Attach the vertical profile to the previously listed surfaces. For fixing, use dowels. As a result, you should get a reliable support frame.

The first profile should be installed directly near the side wall. The following profiles should be fastened in increments of 60 cm. The second end profile must also be fastened against the wall, even if the distance between it and the nearest profile is less than 60 cm.

The standard width of the sheathing sheet is 120 cm. With the said profile placement step, the gypsum board will be fixed at the edges and in the center. In this case, measure the distance from the center of the profiles.

The second step. Begin installing jumpers from CD guides. Sheeting sheets will be attached to these profiles.

Profiles fix edges to the surface of the base, unfolding them with a wide face into the room.

Use self-tapping screws to connect profiles.

To strengthen the structure, it is necessary to include special suspensions in its structure. In the center of the suspension there are stiffeners, the ends of the products are perforated.

The suspension must be bent in the form of a letter P and attached to the wall under each vertical profile. Place the fasteners in the center of the suspension."Ears" of suspenders attach to the profiles.

Monitor the alignment of profiles.

Assembly of

sheets Begin the installation of the skin sheets. Use self-tapping screws for fastening. At this stage, you will need an electric screwdriver - with it, the work will go easier and faster.

Wrap the screws of self-tapping screws into the material. Self-tapping screws should be placed in steps of 100-150 mm. Fastening is carried out on the center of the sheet and along its perimeter. Typically, the front of the gypsum board has central lines to facilitate fixation.

If the length of the sheet is not enough to cover the entire height of the surface, add pieces of plasterboard in the missing places. The technology of cutting sheets is as follows: you cut the top paper layer, gently break the sheet in the required place and cut the second paper layer.

Attach additional pieces to the jumpers from the CD profile, fixed between the vertical posts.

sheets After the entire frame is clad, you will only have to patch the joints of the sheets, finish the surface with a primer and finish with the selected material.

Good work!

Video - How to align the walls with your own hands