Preparing walls for painting is a long and laborious process. It requires great skill and deep knowledge. The paint is not able to hide visible flaws and is only a finishing decorative coating. Therefore, it is important that the base is even and smooth. However, recently, designers have recommended not to attach much importance to the quality of surfaces. But this is a matter of taste and it is quite possible that in a couple of years the mood will change. If you want smooth and neat walls that will serve faithfully for more than a dozen years, pay special attention to their preparation.
Painted walls avoid many problems. They are easy to care for - wash, repair, decorate. Defects that have appeared are easy to fix with your own hands, unlike wallpapers that cannot be made whole again.
What is the superiority of painting over other technologies?
In the process of preparation, the walls will change qualitatively, become solid, smooth, there will be no cracks on them.
If necessary, you can repaint the room in any color, and it will cost much cheaper than sticking new wallpapers.
The restoration of chips or scratches requires minimal investment.
Soiled areas are easy to wash, and even easier - wipe with a melamine sponge, which removes traces of ink, coffee, tea.
Painted walls are the best choice for cat lovers. Clawed pets are not interested in such a surface.
Among the disadvantages of this technology can be identified:
the need for preliminary preparation of the walls - and it is expensive, complicated and long;
high-quality initial painting is also not easy. To do this, you need to own special equipment;
paint - real "dust collector". Its pores become clogged with tiny particles over time, so the walls must be regularly washed;
the plain color may seem boring, and the room may resemble an office. But this effect is successfully leveled by decorative and textile home decoration.
How to properly prepare the walls for painting
Preliminary preparation of the walls implies an impressive range of works. The result of their consistent and thorough implementation will be perfectly smooth surfaces. The list includes cleaning the wall from the old coating, removing crumbling plaster and applying a new one, leveling the base, repairing potholes, cracks, priming, processing with an antiseptic solution. Owners of new buildings with the so-called "gray" repair are more fortunate - they at least do not have to remove the old finish and organize garbage collection.
The first house can settle for the first few years and as a result, cracks will appear on the painting. The position will be saved by fiberglass or facade mesh for outdoor use, glued to the wall at the time of plastering.
First of all, you need to free the room from furniture, curtains, suspended structures. After that, you need to carefully inspect the surface and choose the right algorithm of actions.
Removing old coating
Before you start preparing the wall for painting, you need to get rid of the old finish, and this is not easy. Our tips will help you do this quickly and without unnecessary labor.
Wallpaper
At first glance, it’s not difficult to remove the wallpaper, but sometimes you have to work hard to get rid of all the remains of the coating. The base must be cleaned completely, and only after this can we move on to the next step.
Paper canvases are fairly easy to remove. Pry them from the bottom with a spatula, and they easily move away from the surface. If the material is firmly rooted in the base, arm yourself with a spray gun. Pour warm water into it and treat the old finish. Do not spare the water - the stronger the wallpaper is saturated, the better. When the paper dries, it can easily be removed with a trowel.
Modern options - non-woven, vinyl so easy to remove will not work. Such wallpapers, especially the latest ones, are almost impossible to get wet through. Therefore, it remains to literally “punch” the road with water using a gear roller or knife. Through the damaged surface, moisture will penetrate and soak the dried glue. If the toothed roller does not cope, a steamer will come to the rescue, of course, if it is at hand.
Try replacing the steamer with a powerful hairdryer. Warm the moistened problem areas with it and remove the canvases with a knife.
If the farm does not have such units, you will have to tune in to the long and painstaking process of scraping wallpaper and glue.If you need to clean the wall to a concrete or brick foundation, you have every right to skip this unpleasant process and remove the wallpaper along with the old plaster.
Whitewash
Cleaning the walls from whitewashing is an incredibly difficult and tedious event. It is even necessary to get rid of the reminder that this material was present on the walls. Remains of lime or chalk will not allow to apply a new finishing layer evenly and efficiently. A lot of spools form on the walls that need to be cleaned off.
Completely remove the remains of whitewash will help:
warm water - spray the wall with a spray gun and remove the composition with a spatula. Water is quickly absorbed, so you need to repeat wetting from time to time. Compounds that do not contain special hardeners and other additives can simply be washed off with plenty of water;
tools with which you can scrape off the whitewash - a grinder, sandpaper, an iron brush and a spatula. During grinding indoors, a large amount of building dust is generated. From time to time, you should take breaks and leave the room until the suspension settles;
folk remedy consisting of soda, chopped laundry soap and water. A thoroughly mixed solution is applied to the surface, after which the finish layer is removed with a spatula or sponge.
The main requirement is a thorough cleansing of the base. If you take this stage without proper attention, you will have to say goodbye to the dream of beautiful walls.
Stucco and ceramic tiles
Old plaster can sometimes be left. If there are small defects, it is more profitable to simply repair them and thereby save a lot of money. Filling sometimes leaves, voids between it and plaster are formed. Then you can only remove this thin layer, after wetting it with water.If, upon careful study of the formation, you find places of shedding, this is a sure sign of the presence of voids. It is better to get rid of the fragile foundation. Often the problem arises with the removal of tightly held areas, but do not be fooled by this. It is subsequently impossible to guarantee their reliability.
Tiles must be removed with tile adhesive. The walls are cleaned of ceramic cladding using a hammer drill equipped with a nozzle in the form of a chisel. First, the tile is knocked down, then the fixing material is removed. If there are defects in the opened layer of plaster, you need to clean it to a concrete base. Do not give up a durable coating.
Old paint
The paint is cleaned with special solvents. The composition must be applied to the wall, and then scraped off with a spatula. Overlapping old paint with a new one is not recommended, since it is impossible to guarantee an ideal result.
An excellent assistant will be a building hair dryer. During heating of the painted area with hot air, the paint swells with bubbles and is easily removed.
Troubleshooting Serious Defects
A solid base does not have to be removed. Sometimes, to save the situation, it is enough to carry out a number of simple manipulations, after which you can be sure of the reliability of the intermediate layer. Most often, the integrity of the coating is broken by cracks. How to get rid of them?
We "embroider" a crack - we increase its dimensions - width and depth. You will need a chisel, hammer and putty knife.
We clean the formed cavity from dust and pieces of plaster with a brush.
We ground the improvised "gorge" with the help of compounds with maximum penetration ability.
We fill the hole with putty using a spatula.
We glue the reinforcing material - we press it into the putty layer, coat it and leave it to dry completely.
We grind the restored site.
It makes sense to carry out spot restoration only if the amount of damage does not exceed 25% of the wall area.
Wall alignment methods
Under the old finishing layer, you may expect a surprise in the form of uneven walls. For high-quality painting of the walls you need an even base. It is impractical to proceed to the next steps if this condition is not fulfilled. There are various ways to align the walls, each of which will be optimal in each case. You can correct the surface with plaster, putty or drywall.
Drywall
A great way to quickly align. Smooth material does not require plastering. Paint can be applied directly to the gypsum board, or on a thin layer of putty. For large rooms, this method is ideal. But it is worth mentioning that for wall cladding with drywall it is required to erect a frame of metal profiles. The design will serve as the basis for sheets of material, but at the same time “eat” a lot of space. It is better not to resort to this technology if everyone is dear to you. The material is not strong enough, it is impossible to place heavy suspended structures on it.
Stucco
Stucco - the most successful option for intermediate finishing, if the walls are supposed to be painted. It is applied directly to the wall and allows you to form a perfectly smooth surface. For the formation of a thick leveling layer, work is carried out in several stages using beacons.
Step-by-step instruction:
Mark the walls by setting and fixing landmarks at intervals of 60 cm using plaster mix.
Apply a primer to increase the adhesive properties of the surface.
Prepare the solution by combining the contents of the bag with water according to the instructions.
Apply the mass to the surface, spraying it with sharp movements with a trowel.
Distribute the plaster using the rule.Your movements should be short and zigzag.
Glue strips of facade mesh or fiberglass, and leave the wall to dry completely. This must be done to prevent cracking of the finish.
Do not try to achieve a perfect surface with plaster. This is the function of the next layer - putty.
Putty
Sometimes you can do without plaster. Replace it with putty, which is available as a dry mixture. On relatively flat walls, it is enough to apply two layers of this material.
Before proceeding with puttying, it is necessary to prime the wall. This can be done with the help of a roller, but a sprayer can handle this task faster and better. Next, apply putty with movements from top to bottom. After drying, grind each layer with a spatula. It is necessary to eliminate the transitions and tubercles formed during the distribution of the composition. The second layer is cleaned with sandpaper 150, mounted on a special platform. The next step is re-priming the wall and gluing the fiberglass.
Puttying with finishing putty
Finishing putty has a finely divided structure and forms a perfectly smooth base. Hide serious defects with its help will not work. Therefore, it is good only in combination with the starting mixture, provided that the base is properly prepared. If the finished material is too thick, dilute it with water. It is very convenient to work with white putty on a gray base, since areas where there is not enough material immediately become visible. It is necessary to form an opaque and dense coating. Two layers will be quite enough.
Grinding and priming
The final stage of work is stripping the last layer with emery paper with a fraction of 240. A portable light source will help control the quality of grinding. During operation, a lot of dust is generated, so you should put on a respirator and special glasses. So you protect your lungs and eyes.After grinding, carefully inspect the wall and mark with the pieces of masking tape the discovered defects. Do not use a pencil for this purpose, as it will be difficult to paint over.
Before applying the paint, it is necessary to prime the surface again with a special composition. If this is not done, you can get poor adhesion of the paint to the wall.
How to treat the walls when a fungus appears
Black spots on or under the wallpaper indicate the presence of such a nuisance as a fungus. It cannot be removed with detergents. Even if you have washed the stains, the fungus will appear again. If the walls are infected, it is necessary to get rid of the finish and treat the entire surface with a special antibacterial composition. To do this, you can use a regular brush or roller. On sale there are products equipped with a spray for ease of application. During treatment, protect the airways with a respirator. After cleaning the walls, you need to thoroughly dry them, and only after that you can start repairing.
So that the fungus does not return, take care of high-quality ventilation of the room and refuse to install furniture close to the freezing walls.
Types of paints for walls
The arsenal of colors, which offers a modern construction market, will make any layperson confused. Consider the proposed options and find out which of them will be optimal for use in a residential building.
Varieties of colors:
Oil - made on the basis of mineral and vegetable oils. Form an airtight film, quickly crack.
Alkyd - the basis is similar to the previous version, but here acid and organic components are added to the composition, due to which the enamels become elastic, resistant to wear, UV, moisture and temperature jumps. Cons - fire hazard, have a strong smell and low vapor permeability. Alkyd varnishes are used when painting wood.
Silicate - based on liquid glass, which ensures strength, resistance to moisture, fungus. The main drawback is the aggressive effect on human health during application. When staining, it is necessary to protect the mucous membranes and skin. The coating cannot be repainted, it must be removed completely.
Water soluble - the most suitable material for painting walls. Mixtures are diluted with water and contain components that form a dense layer. The desired color is obtained by adding pigments.
Acrylic - the composition contains acrylic resins. The material has high elasticity, strength, resistance to moisture and sunlight, anti-corrosion. Easily washable acrylic paints are relatively expensive, but are ideal for decorating children's rooms. Such materials should have zero emissions.
Latex - washable, quick-drying material. Great choice for kitchen, hallway and bathroom. Latex gives the paint a water-repellent effect. It is optimal for application on wallpaper for painting. It easily conceals small surface flaws.
Aqueous emulsion paints are quick-drying, easily applied, but not sufficiently resistant paints. Presented in a wide range of colors, they can hide minor defects. Suitable for painting the ceiling in the living room or bedroom.
Water-dispersed - form a matte surface that can be washed. The proposed base is white or black. Using the color scheme you can get any shades. It has excellent vapor permeability, resistance to damage. Safe for humans and the environment. Weakness - instability to frost.
Silicone - combine the advantages of all available types of water-dispersed paints. They have high hiding power, well hide defects. Upon drying, a film forms, which makes it possible to carry out wet processing. Perfect for decorating a balcony.
Polyurethane - polyurethane resins and hardening components are present in the composition. The composition is prepared immediately before painting the wall. The material is far from budgetary, but it can save on the cost of paint in the next 20 years. Resistant to any vibration, mechanical stress, directional rays and temperature changes.
Wall painting methods
In addition to the usual method of coloring, which everyone understands, there are non-standard techniques that make it possible to turn a room into a work of art. Interesting textures and patterns can be created using affordable budget materials.
Staining options:
stippling - the effect of fraud. First of all, you need to paint the base. After we apply contrasting acrylic paint. Next comes the turn of colored glaze shades of the wall. It needs to be smoothed with a brush over the entire surface. Then we give the effect of aged, touching the wall with a brush and a small round brush;
skin - paint the wall with latex paint. After that, we prepare a mixture of the same paint of a darker shade and glaze. We apply the composition to a small surface area and perform stains with a suede brush, partially removing the top layer;
Venetian plaster - add dark and light pigment on both sides to the container with latex paint. A mixture of light shade is applied to the wall with a plastic spatula, like plaster. We pick up a dark shade and cover part of the wall. Smear the colors evenly to get a harmonious finish. After drying, grind with a fine sandpaper and rub with wax;
wrinkled skin - you need to prepare a piece of paper. We paint a section of the wall that is not larger than a leaf. Crumple a scrap and apply it to the wall. Smooth the paper by printing folds on the ink;
painting with a fabric roller - we paint the wall and leave it to dry completely. We make a tourniquet from the fabric and wrap it on a roller.Wet the home-made “tool” in a darker shade of paint and apply a texture pattern to the first layer with it.
Conclusion
It is quite difficult to independently prepare the walls of your own apartment for painting. But for those who approach the business thoroughly, they study the technology of the process, take into account various subtleties and nuances, and most importantly - are not afraid of work, nothing is impossible.
Preparing walls for painting is a long and laborious process. It requires great skill and deep knowledge. The paint is not able to hide visible flaws and is only a finishing decorative coating. Therefore, it is important that the base is even and smooth. However, recently, designers have recommended not to attach much importance to the quality of surfaces. But this is a matter of taste and it is quite possible that in a couple of years the mood will change. If you want smooth and neat walls that will serve faithfully for more than a dozen years, pay special attention to their preparation.
Content
Advantages and disadvantages of painting
Painted walls avoid many problems. They are easy to care for - wash, repair, decorate. Defects that have appeared are easy to fix with your own hands, unlike wallpapers that cannot be made whole again.
What is the superiority of painting over other technologies?
Among the disadvantages of this technology can be identified:
How to properly prepare the walls for painting
Preliminary preparation of the walls implies an impressive range of works. The result of their consistent and thorough implementation will be perfectly smooth surfaces. The list includes cleaning the wall from the old coating, removing crumbling plaster and applying a new one, leveling the base, repairing potholes, cracks, priming, processing with an antiseptic solution. Owners of new buildings with the so-called "gray" repair are more fortunate - they at least do not have to remove the old finish and organize garbage collection.
First of all, you need to free the room from furniture, curtains, suspended structures. After that, you need to carefully inspect the surface and choose the right algorithm of actions.
Removing old coating
Before you start preparing the wall for painting, you need to get rid of the old finish, and this is not easy. Our tips will help you do this quickly and without unnecessary labor.
Wallpaper
At first glance, it’s not difficult to remove the wallpaper, but sometimes you have to work hard to get rid of all the remains of the coating. The base must be cleaned completely, and only after this can we move on to the next step.
Paper canvases are fairly easy to remove. Pry them from the bottom with a spatula, and they easily move away from the surface. If the material is firmly rooted in the base, arm yourself with a spray gun. Pour warm water into it and treat the old finish. Do not spare the water - the stronger the wallpaper is saturated, the better. When the paper dries, it can easily be removed with a trowel.
Modern options - non-woven, vinyl so easy to remove will not work. Such wallpapers, especially the latest ones, are almost impossible to get wet through. Therefore, it remains to literally “punch” the road with water using a gear roller or knife. Through the damaged surface, moisture will penetrate and soak the dried glue. If the toothed roller does not cope, a steamer will come to the rescue, of course, if it is at hand.
If the farm does not have such units, you will have to tune in to the long and painstaking process of scraping wallpaper and glue.If you need to clean the wall to a concrete or brick foundation, you have every right to skip this unpleasant process and remove the wallpaper along with the old plaster.
Whitewash
Cleaning the walls from whitewashing is an incredibly difficult and tedious event. It is even necessary to get rid of the reminder that this material was present on the walls. Remains of lime or chalk will not allow to apply a new finishing layer evenly and efficiently. A lot of spools form on the walls that need to be cleaned off.
Completely remove the remains of whitewash will help:
The main requirement is a thorough cleansing of the base. If you take this stage without proper attention, you will have to say goodbye to the dream of beautiful walls.
Stucco and ceramic tiles
Old plaster can sometimes be left. If there are small defects, it is more profitable to simply repair them and thereby save a lot of money. Filling sometimes leaves, voids between it and plaster are formed. Then you can only remove this thin layer, after wetting it with water.If, upon careful study of the formation, you find places of shedding, this is a sure sign of the presence of voids. It is better to get rid of the fragile foundation. Often the problem arises with the removal of tightly held areas, but do not be fooled by this. It is subsequently impossible to guarantee their reliability.
Tiles must be removed with tile adhesive. The walls are cleaned of ceramic cladding using a hammer drill equipped with a nozzle in the form of a chisel. First, the tile is knocked down, then the fixing material is removed. If there are defects in the opened layer of plaster, you need to clean it to a concrete base. Do not give up a durable coating.
Old paint
The paint is cleaned with special solvents. The composition must be applied to the wall, and then scraped off with a spatula. Overlapping old paint with a new one is not recommended, since it is impossible to guarantee an ideal result.
An excellent assistant will be a building hair dryer. During heating of the painted area with hot air, the paint swells with bubbles and is easily removed.
Troubleshooting Serious Defects
A solid base does not have to be removed. Sometimes, to save the situation, it is enough to carry out a number of simple manipulations, after which you can be sure of the reliability of the intermediate layer. Most often, the integrity of the coating is broken by cracks. How to get rid of them?
Wall alignment methods
Under the old finishing layer, you may expect a surprise in the form of uneven walls. For high-quality painting of the walls you need an even base. It is impractical to proceed to the next steps if this condition is not fulfilled. There are various ways to align the walls, each of which will be optimal in each case. You can correct the surface with plaster, putty or drywall.
Drywall
A great way to quickly align. Smooth material does not require plastering. Paint can be applied directly to the gypsum board, or on a thin layer of putty. For large rooms, this method is ideal. But it is worth mentioning that for wall cladding with drywall it is required to erect a frame of metal profiles. The design will serve as the basis for sheets of material, but at the same time “eat” a lot of space. It is better not to resort to this technology if everyone is dear to you. The material is not strong enough, it is impossible to place heavy suspended structures on it.
Stucco
Stucco - the most successful option for intermediate finishing, if the walls are supposed to be painted. It is applied directly to the wall and allows you to form a perfectly smooth surface. For the formation of a thick leveling layer, work is carried out in several stages using beacons.
Step-by-step instruction:
Putty
Sometimes you can do without plaster. Replace it with putty, which is available as a dry mixture. On relatively flat walls, it is enough to apply two layers of this material.
Before proceeding with puttying, it is necessary to prime the wall. This can be done with the help of a roller, but a sprayer can handle this task faster and better. Next, apply putty with movements from top to bottom. After drying, grind each layer with a spatula. It is necessary to eliminate the transitions and tubercles formed during the distribution of the composition. The second layer is cleaned with sandpaper 150, mounted on a special platform. The next step is re-priming the wall and gluing the fiberglass.
Puttying with finishing putty
Finishing putty has a finely divided structure and forms a perfectly smooth base. Hide serious defects with its help will not work. Therefore, it is good only in combination with the starting mixture, provided that the base is properly prepared. If the finished material is too thick, dilute it with water. It is very convenient to work with white putty on a gray base, since areas where there is not enough material immediately become visible. It is necessary to form an opaque and dense coating. Two layers will be quite enough.
Grinding and priming
The final stage of work is stripping the last layer with emery paper with a fraction of 240. A portable light source will help control the quality of grinding. During operation, a lot of dust is generated, so you should put on a respirator and special glasses. So you protect your lungs and eyes.After grinding, carefully inspect the wall and mark with the pieces of masking tape the discovered defects. Do not use a pencil for this purpose, as it will be difficult to paint over.
Before applying the paint, it is necessary to prime the surface again with a special composition. If this is not done, you can get poor adhesion of the paint to the wall.
How to treat the walls when a fungus appears
Black spots on or under the wallpaper indicate the presence of such a nuisance as a fungus. It cannot be removed with detergents. Even if you have washed the stains, the fungus will appear again. If the walls are infected, it is necessary to get rid of the finish and treat the entire surface with a special antibacterial composition. To do this, you can use a regular brush or roller. On sale there are products equipped with a spray for ease of application. During treatment, protect the airways with a respirator. After cleaning the walls, you need to thoroughly dry them, and only after that you can start repairing.
Types of paints for walls
The arsenal of colors, which offers a modern construction market, will make any layperson confused. Consider the proposed options and find out which of them will be optimal for use in a residential building.
Varieties of colors:
Wall painting methods
In addition to the usual method of coloring, which everyone understands, there are non-standard techniques that make it possible to turn a room into a work of art. Interesting textures and patterns can be created using affordable budget materials.
Staining options:
Conclusion
It is quite difficult to independently prepare the walls of your own apartment for painting. But for those who approach the business thoroughly, they study the technology of the process, take into account various subtleties and nuances, and most importantly - are not afraid of work, nothing is impossible.