Let's get to the finishing touches: how to putty the walls correctly. Secrets of the masters: how to putty walls correctly How to putty walls according to the rule

The technology of puttying walls for painting or wallpaper gives recommendations on the sequence of work in order to ultimately obtain a high-quality result when finishing the room. Putty can be used to perfectly level the surfaces of walls and prepare them for finishing coating. This article will tell you what wall putty offers.

The main purpose of putty is to level the surface after plastering. The process of puttingtying walls for painting is quite easy to do with your own hands, having first studied the recommendations and technology for carrying out the work.

There are quite a lot of options for preparing putty; the choice depends on the type of walls, the characteristics of the room, and the presence of high humidity.

Tip: When choosing any putty option, you should take into account the individual characteristics of the room during its operation.

In addition to finishing the room, there is material for external works. Its difference is its additional resistance to temperature changes, moisture and solar radiation.

Advantages of using putty:

• The finishing process can be completed easily and quickly.
• Affordable price of materials.
• Possibility of obtaining a flat and absolutely smooth surface.
• Variety of compositions according to their purpose.

What tools are needed when puttingtying wall surfaces?

The technology for puttying drywall (see Puttying drywall: practical tips and useful information) or other materials indicates right choice tool that is used in the process of work.

In this case you will need:

• An electric drill with a special mixer attachment, which will be needed to mix the solution to the desired consistency. A special nozzle allows you to obtain a high-quality mixture, without lumps and additional inclusions.
• Set of spatulas. Multiple spatulas are required to perform certain functions. For example, using a small spatula, work is carried out in hard-to-reach places, and the material is also applied to the spatula with it large sizes, the width of which is 35-50 centimeters.
• A set of brushes and rollers for applying primer. This mandatory process performed before and after puttying. The primer solution allows you to give the surface an antiseptic effect, which prevents the appearance of fungus and mold on the walls. In addition, the coating increases adhesion between the base of the wall and the putty.
• To level the walls, you will need a rule to identify and eliminate all existing irregularities.
• To control wall unevenness, if any, an alcohol or laser level is used.
• Sandpaper will be needed when sanding the surface to give it ideal smoothness (see How to sand walls after puttying). After application starting putty It is recommended to use medium-grained skins, and after finishing - very fine.
• To speed up the process of sanding the wall, you will need a manual sander.
• To stir the putty, you need a container with a volume of approximately 10 liters.

Tip: This list of tools should be purchased before you start puttingtying the walls.

How to choose materials for puttying walls

Putty is a paste-like material that allows you to prepare the base of the wall for its finishing.

According to the degree of readiness, the material can be:

• Dry composition requiring additional dilution with water(see How to dilute putty when doing your own repairs). The advantages of this mixture:

1. affordable price;
2. the ability to prepare a composition of any consistency;
3. ease of breeding;
4. easy to transport;
5. long shelf life.

Lack of material:

1. the presence of additional operations for preparing the solution before application, which increases the time of work;
2. The finished composition has a limited period of use; it must be diluted in small portions.

The difference between putty and putty is only in the spelling of the term

By carefully studying packaging with construction leveling mixtures in hypermarkets, you can find amazing thing. Same material from different manufacturers can be called differently: putty - putty.
Which is correct? Are there any differences between these mixtures?
Let's figure it out.

Anyone who has had any experience with repairs knows that a spatula for applying mortar to the surface and leveling it is called a spatula. We can conclude that it is correct to write and say “putty”, since in this case the root “spar” is preserved.
But it is not so. Let's explain why.

Origin of the word putty

In the Russian language, the term putty or putty, meaning the sealing of cracks and surface irregularities with a thick, viscous and quickly hardening substance, came after German word spatel, denoting a flat spatula with which the leveling mixture is applied. It in turn comes from the Latin spatha (spoon) or spathula (spoon).
Since Latin is the ancestor of many modern European languages, then similar words can be found in them too.
For example:

• In Italian – spatola;
• In Polish – szpadel.

This is interesting. In Dahl's dictionary, in addition to the terms putty or putty, there is another one that was used in those days: putty. Perhaps its use is related to the Polish sound of the original word.

A spatula is the main tool of a finisher

In each of these languages, a spatula was a tool that was used not only by builders, but also by pharmacists, doctors, and artists for their work. Depending on the scope of application, it had (and now has) different shapes and size, but the essence of its use is the same: the set is not large quantity mixture, its application to the surface followed by leveling.

Origin of the word putty

If we take the root “spar” as the basis for word formation, then according to the logic of the Russian language the correct terms should be considered putty (see Putty for parquet - types, properties, application), putty. But where did the putty come from then? Maybe this different materials? Then what is the difference between putty and putty?
Today - nothing. But earlier in Rus' it was customary to seal various cracks and holes with tow, that is, to peck. Often, tow was mixed with liquid resin, which, like putty, hardened after some time, reliably plugging the cracks.

The photo shows the process of piling a log house.

The packing process in its essence is very similar to the actions you do yourself when correcting surface defects with leveling mixtures. The words “paklevat” and “putty” are similar in sound. Apparently, the merger of these words led to the appearance of a new word in the Russian language.

How to write correctly

If you ask how to spell putty or putty, they can answer you differently. In fact, in modern dictionaries both of these terms are recognized as equal.
Perhaps with some caveats:

• Putty is a literary form, generally accepted, used in colloquial everyday speech;
• Puttying is the form adopted by specialists. This spelling is most often found in normative and technical documents(GOST, technical specifications, instructions for use, etc.).

This is about verbs.
Almost the same story with nouns, but there is also a difference between the words putty and putty:

• Putty is the name given to the leveling compound itself, which is applied to the plane to level it and fill potholes, cracks, and crevices;
• The term putty refers to the process of applying the mixture, that is, the action performed with it.

Note. It is unlikely that it occurs to producers to understand the linguistic features of the origin of terms. Therefore, putty and putty are equally often found in stores - we have already found out what the difference is. She simply doesn't exist.

Conclusion

Since our portal is still aimed not at learning the rules of the Russian language, but at helping novice builders in not an easy task renovating your home or other real estate, then the video in this article is devoted to the actual process of leveling walls with putty. Or putty - whichever you prefer. The price of the material and the cost of work do not depend on this.

When planning overhaul in an apartment or house, as well as when moving into a new home that does not have finishing, you will definitely have to decide on putting the walls in order. Of course, you can invite a team of builders and pay them a decent sum, sometimes without even having a guarantee that the work was done efficiently. However, to be sure that all layers of finishing applied to the walls will not fall off in a couple of weeks, it is better to carry out everything thoroughly construction processes on their own, naturally, having studied their technology in advance.

- not such a simple task as it seems at first glance. It is possible to level the walls to perfection only after you become skilled in the process of applying the compounds to the surface. Therefore, before starting similar works, after reading the instructions, it is recommended to practice on small areas of the wall that are not in plain sight, for example, in places that are guaranteed to be covered by large furniture

Which putty should I buy?

Puttying walls should not be considered a secondary process that can be skipped. If it is not carried out efficiently, then all surface irregularities will appear through any finishing coating, be it wallpaper, decorative plaster or coloring.

Puttying is usually the final process in preparing walls for any decorative coating. The main task is to achieve an almost perfectly flat and smooth surface by using a thin layer of putty on the surface of the walls, filling existing flaws and eliminating unevenness. To obtain the desired result, two types are used - starting and finishing.

The composition of the starting putty includes a mixture of dry coarse materials. This solution is used to pre-treat the wall, leveling out the most serious defects and at the same time creating good foundation for applying the finishing layer.

The finishing mixture is made from a fine powder, most often gypsum. Subject to technology preparation of the composition, timing and correctness of its application, it is possible to make the surface of the walls of the room perfectly smooth.

Sometimes, to tidy up walls, universal mixtures are used, which are suitable for both initial, rough leveling and finishing, that is, one composition is applied in several layers.

The putty can be purchased dry or ready-to-use. Ready-made formulations, of course, are easy to use - they are produced on oil-adhesive, drying oil, latex, polymer and other bases. But they have not gained much popularity among private craftsmen due to their rather high cost, which is not affordable for everyone.

But dry putty mixtures are available for sale in a wide variety, so much so that you can even get confused at first. Some parameters of putties are summarized in the table presented to the reader. You should get acquainted with each composition in more detail directly when choosing, reading the instructions included with each package.

When purchasing putty, you need to consider and study its packaging, paying attention not only to its characteristics, but also to the expiration date. If the material is expired, then you should not take it, since in this case the money will be thrown away. You should not buy putty mixture stored in conditions of high humidity, even if its expiration date has not yet expired. Wet packaging or packaging with obvious stains of dampness is a sure sign of a spoiled mixture.

It is recommended to purchase putty compositions for the starting and finishing layers made by the same company, as they provide good mutual adhesion and compatibility, which will allow you to obtain a better result.

Prices for popular types of putty

Putties

Materials and tools

It is very important to prepare well for work so as not to be distracted during the process due to a lack of any material or necessary tool.

So, for work you will need:

• Starting and finishing putty mixtures.
• Primer composition.
• A plastic container for mixing putty, if it is purchased dry.
• Special paint bath for working with primer.
• Construction roller and two brushes - wide and narrow. They are necessary for applying primer in hard-to-reach places, such as corners or behind radiators.
• Spatulas:

- wide 500 ÷ 600 mm or even 700 ÷ 800 mm - for applying the finishing layer of putty;

- narrow 100 ÷ 150 mm - for taking putty from a container and applying it to large spatula, as well as for leveling the composition in the corners.

- corner - for leveling corners when filling them.

• Rule for controlling the evenness of the wall.
• Drill and mixer attachment for mixing the mass.
• Electric Sander(vibrating or eccentric) or a hand float for rubbing and grinding the applied putty.
• A spotlight or hand-held light to identify poorly aligned areas on a wall.
• Construction knife.

Preparing walls for puttying

• Before applying putty, the wall must be carefully prepared. If it remains on it old plaster or pieces of wallpaper, they must be removed. You will also have to clean the wall of oil or water-based paint.

• After removing the old coating, cracks or unevenness may appear on the wall. To ensure that the putty lays flat and does not crack after drying along the cracks, it is necessary to seal them.

— Before sealing detected cracks, they must be expanded as deep into the wall as possible so that they do not repeat their direction after applying the putty.

— After expansion, the crack is cleaned of dust and pieces of plaster - this process can be carried out using a small brush.

— Starting putty or sealant is applied to the dried crack. Repair mixture you need to press it as deep as possible into the crack, and level it from above to the level of the wall surface.

— After the putty or sealant has dried, you need to go over the sealed crack with a float to finally level it with the wall.

• If the wall is, then all its joints should be glued with fiberglass mesh, on top of which thin layer putties. Holes from recessed self-tapping screw heads, which drywall is fixed to the wall or sheathing, must also be filled with a putty mixture, otherwise rust from them will appear through any decorative finish.

• After the sealing joints have dried, they proceed to applying a primer with antiseptic properties to the walls. This layer will add additional strength to the surface, increase the adhesion of materials and extend the service life of the finish.

It is poured into a special tray, from which it is easy to take it onto a roller (brush) for application to the wall surface. It is very important to process everything well hard to reach places, otherwise it is from there that the putty may subsequently begin to peel off.

The primer applied to the walls must dry well.

Prices for different types of primer

Primer

Preparation of putty

If you purchase a dry mixture, then it must be prepared correctly, as it should be uniform in consistency and resemble thick sour cream.

• To mix the mixture, a regular plastic bucket filled with water is suitable. room temperature. Typically, a bag of putty weighing 25 kg requires 9.5 ÷ 10 liters of water, but to find out for sure, be sure to read the instructions before opening the bag with the mixture.

• If the selected mixture is made on a gypsum basis, you should not knead it too much, since its “life” is very limited. The time for using the mixed solution can also be found in the instructions for its preparation.
• After pouring the powder into the water, the mixture is mixed using a mixer attachment mounted in the drill chuck.

• After the first portion of the mixed solution is used, the bucket and mixer must be rinsed thoroughly, otherwise the next solution may end up with solid inclusions left over from the first batch. It is clear that this operation is repeated constantly throughout the entire work.

Applying starting putty

• The starting putty is applied to the primed surface with a wide spatula, onto which the mixture is applied for convenience and evenly distributed with a small spatula.

• from the corner and down up smooth movements without force pressing on the spatula, which should be held at approximately a 45 degree angle. It is this position that will help to apply the putty evenly, without leaving marks on it from the corners of the tool.

Putty strips are applied to the surface with an overlap, that is, the strokes should overlap each other by 70 ÷ 80 mm.

• After applying putty to a certain area, its evenness is checked using a rule. As a rule, carefully, without pressure, pass over the putty surface. The flat edge of the tool should collect the excess putty mixture and reveal obvious depressions. The flaws will be especially visible if the wall is illuminated with a light bulb in such a way as to create a moving shadow.

If differences are detected, you should once again go over the surface of the wall with a wide spatula to level them out. This can be done while the putty on the wall is still wet.

• When applying the starting layer, you need Special attention pay attention to the corners, since they are the ones that are constantly “ weak point"When leveling walls. Therefore, very often a special spatula in the shape of a right angle is used to level these difficult-to-plaster areas.

• After applying the starting layer, the walls are rarely perfectly smooth, although this should be strived for. Small errors are allowed, which can be covered by the finishing layer.
• After completing the application of the starting layer on all the walls of the room, you need to wait for it to dry - only then proceed to the first grout. Using an electric sander or hand grater with sandpaper or an abrasive mesh attached to it, all unevenness from the coarse-grained starting mixture is removed from the surface of the walls. In addition, the grout will be able to smooth out small flaws left by the corners of the working surface of the spatula.

Grouting is carried out using movements along a spiral trajectory. You must be careful and try not to miss a single centimeter of the putty surface.

• If, after grouting, irregularities deeper than 2.5 ÷ 3 mm are found on the illuminated wall, then a second layer of the same mixture is applied to the first starting layer. It can be applied to the entire surface or only to individual areas where defects were found.

Final layer of putty

• The finishing layer of putty is applied after the starting one has completely dried, according to the same principle - that is, from the corners and down up.

The mixture is also applied with a small spatula to a large one, distributed along its edge, and applied to the wall with clear movements with slight pressure. Layer finishing mixture should not be thicker than two millimeters, and the remaining excess putty and lines from the edges of the spatula are carefully stretched and smoothed by passing over them again.

• To see all the defects at once, during the work process it is recommended to create combined lighting coming from several light sources, or use a mobile light bulb on a wire so that you can bring it to the wall being leveled with different sides. When creating such lighting, falling dynamic shadows will immediately reveal insufficiently aligned areas of the wall.
• The finishing putty is applied in two layers. The second one is applied after the first one has completely dried.
• When the second layer dries, it is rubbed in the same way as the starting one, using a grater or a special power tool with a fine-grained setting. sandpaper or abrasive (start with 200 grit and usually end with 400). If surface defects are detected, it is permissible to apply another finishing layer to individual areas.
• It is very necessary to seal and sand the corners of the room, as the flaws will be especially noticeable there. To remove them, two spatulas are used - an angled one and a rubber one. The first one immediately forms the corner, and the second one gently smoothes out the excess putty.

• After completing the filling and grouting work, the walls are covered with one or two more layers of primer, and only after that can decorative finishing be applied.

If the walls are planned to be leveled, then the process of applying putty must be approached with special care, since the surface must be leveled to perfection. If the room is decorated with wallpaper, then they are to some extent able to hide small defects, but when painting, the flaws, on the contrary, will appear - this must be foreseen and the choice of decorative coating must be decided in advance.

After completing all the work on leveling the walls with putty, all the tools that were used for the process must be thoroughly cleaned, rinsed and dried, since they will definitely be needed to tidy up other areas of the apartment.

To achieve the desired result when leveling the surface of walls with putty, it is recommended to follow some rules and recommendations. Some have already been mentioned in the article, but it makes sense to highlight them separately in the form of a final summary:

• If you do not have sufficient experience in this type of work, you should not purchase large quantities of materials. To try whether you can carry out this work yourself, you can purchase a small amount of putty by weight, learn how to prepare the solution and try it small area walls.

Having carried out such an experiment, it will be possible to immediately understand whether it is possible to carry out puttying of large surfaces, or whether it is still worth entrusting the work to professionals.

• Work on applying and leveling the putty should be carried out under lighting from several lighting fixtures installed in different ends rooms.
• The starting putty is applied with a thickness of no more than 4 ÷ 5 mm, since layers that are thicker can peel off, and there is also a high risk of cracks appearing on them.
• Before applying each subsequent layer, you need to make sure that the previous one is completely dry. The drying period of the putty directly depends on the thickness of the applied layer, the level of humidity and temperature in the room.
• It is prohibited to speed up the drying of putty walls by installing heating devices or creating a draft in the room, as these influences can lead to peeling of the applied composition from the walls.
• After applying each layer, be sure to check all surfaces using the rule, making marks of places that require additional adjustments.
• It is only possible to obtain perfectly even corners if a special spatula is used to level them.

And finally, a few words about precautions when carrying out such construction and finishing work:

• To putty walls and ceilings, it is necessary to prepare not only tools and material, but also suitable clothing and equipment. So, when working with putties, plasters, primers, and paints, it is imperative to protect your hair and skin.

A scarf is usually tied over the head, and as a work uniform you can use old clothes that cover the body as much as possible, which you don’t mind getting dirty. It is recommended to protect your hands with thick rubber gloves.

• When carrying out troweling work, it is imperative to secure Airways and eyes, since a lot of fine dust will fly. To do this, you need to purchase a respirator and special glasses at a hardware store.
• If the walls in the room are high, you need to take care of a reliable, stable staircase or build trestles for this. The latter are preferable to have, since they allow you to cover immediately large area finishing, and they will not have to be rearranged often.

And in conclusion, according to the tradition of our portal - a visual video lesson on leveling walls with putty:

Video: first steps in working with putty mixtures

It should be noted that leveling walls is, to some extent, even a creative process, but it is quite labor-intensive. Therefore, if there is no predisposition to such activities, then it is better not to take on it, but to entrust the implementation to professional plasterers. But if you have a great desire to try your hand and even save money cash, then it’s worth taking a risk and doing everything yourself.

There are a certain number of words in the Russian language, the spelling of which raises a lot of questions. Among them are verbal nouns: “putty” and “putty.” What is the correct spelling: “putty” or “putty”? orthographic dictionary, unfortunately, in this case will not tell you, because in it both options are presented as equivalent words with identical lexical meaning. To understand in more detail, you need to consider the history of the origin of both words. Let's do that.

What is putty and putty

Repair is a long, not very pleasant and extremely expensive task, but everyone has had to deal with it at least once in their life. Among the list of materials needed for repairs, there was always such a mysterious substance as “putty” or “putty” (which is correct, will be discussed below). This name is given to a specialized material for leveling the surface of walls or ceilings by covering cracks and other irregularities on their surface.

In order not to worry about spelling options, it is often called other synonymous words: putty or primer.

No less often, the words “putty” (or “putty”) are used to name the process of puttying (puttying) itself.

How to correctly say and write: “I’m putting putty on this wall” or “You put putty on that ceiling”? An excursion into the history of the appearance of these words in the Russian language will help you understand this.

Etymology of the verbal noun “putty”

It is best to start studying the issue with the “putty” option. This word was formed from the verb “to putty” - that is, to work with a spatula.

The very word “spatel” (a plate with a handle, used in medicine, painting and construction) came into Russian from German (Spatel) and is literally translated “spatula”. Most likely, this happened under Peter I, although it is possible that the construction term “putty” came to the Slavic lands centuries earlier, along with German builders.

Throughout the history of using a spatula, its main task in construction and painting (and today in cooking) was leveling: for artists - the surface of canvases, for builders - walls and ceilings, for confectioners - cakes.

The highly specialized meaning of the word “putty” today

Despite ancient history, and to this day little has changed in this process, except perhaps the materials from which the spatulas are made. If in past centuries these were mainly various metals, sometimes wood, today spatulas are made mainly of plastic and silicone.

In modern Russian, the term “putty” has official status construction term. It is used in specialized literature and instructions, technical documentation. That is why professional builders and painters to the question: “What is the correct spelling of the word: “putty” or “putty”?” Be sure to choose the first option.

A little about the verb “putty”

There is simply no such word in modern Russian. However, just a few centuries ago, the legendary Vladimir Dal wrote down the word “putty” as an analogue for the verb “putty” in his fateful dictionary.

Linguistic scientists have not yet been able to establish exactly where this spelling came from and why it became so popular that it even found its way into the dictionary.

The theory has been put forward that this is related to the Polish equivalent of the word "spatula". Since some scientists believe that the noun “spatel” entered the Russian language through the mediation of Polish, as was the case with many terms from the era of Peter I. But this is unlikely, since in the Polish language this term szpatułka is also written with the letter “t”.

Origin of the words “putty” and “putty”

The progenitor of these cognate terms was the name of a coarse fiber unsuitable for spinning, which in the old days was used to caulk (clog) cracks wooden houses or boats. We are talking about tow; it was it (moistened with resin or other waterproof mixtures, putties) that was used for plastering (caulking) huts, sheds and various wooden fixtures.

Despite the fact that today this technique seems outdated, many happy owners of their own wooden baths and now they use tow as a means of reliably plugging the cracks between logs and are quite satisfied.

The name of this technique was as follows: caulking or pecking.

Most likely, since stone and bricks began to gradually replace wood as a building material, ordinary workers from the people, having heard the word “putty”, changed it to an old friend - “paklevat”, especially since the concepts are, in essence, very similar (in both cases you have to mask cracks, holes and other openings).

While both finishing techniques were actively used in practice, their names also coexisted in parallel, meaning two related, but different actions. That's how they got into the dictionary. And they could become synonyms (according to some linguists) simply because Vladimir Dal did not really understand construction and did not know the clear difference between the concepts, considering them identical.

Over the years, caulk, like wooden huts, has become the preserve of history and antique lovers, and the word “putty” is often used instead of “putty.” And since by that time it was already part of the literary norm of the Russian language, they began to turn a blind eye to this error.

How to write correctly: “putty” or “putty”

Having examined the origin of each term separately, we can finally understand the main issue. So, which is correct: putty or putty?

Despite the mistakes of the past, which contributed to the emergence of this linguistic incident, today, according to the literary norm of the Russian language, both words can be used equally in speech.

Which is correct: putty or putty - question about the name of the material for putty

Although the main issue with the participants in this spelling dispute has already been resolved (both spelling options are acceptable), there are some nuances in this topic that are worth remembering for those who strive to speak and write correctly.

In this case we are talking about the name of the putty mixture. Which is correct: putty or putty. Paradoxically, but correctly, this putty is called “putty.”

Interestingly, most manufacturers of this substance do not particularly bother to delve into spelling subtleties, so sometimes the name of this substance is misspelled.

Knowing now how to correctly putty or putty, you can no longer be afraid to make repairs. After all, the list of materials for its implementation this time will be written without errors.

If there is a need to update the premises in a home, many people think about the possibility of doing it themselves. In most cases, this requires properly treating the surfaces, painting them or. The editors of the site will help you navigate difficult repair issues. We will tell you how to putty walls correctly and share secrets the right technology applying working mixtures and presenting detailed instructions that will help beginners avoid mistakes.

Puttying is commonly understood as the process of treating wall surfaces. finishing materials immediately before gluing or painting. If mortar If applied incorrectly, as a result, unrepaired defects will appear under any decorative coating - cracks, irregularities and pits.

After eliminating the existing defects, a smooth and at the same time even surface of the wall or ceiling is achieved using putty. For these purposes, materials are used for starting and finishing, which are dry mixtures of coarse and fine grinding.

It is easy to check the wall by applying a rule to it: if there are gaps, they are eliminated by applying a layer of putty. The spatula should be held at an angle of 25−30° relative to the wall. If you don’t know how to putty the walls under, you can choose a ready-made acrylic mixture and a medium facade spatula for these purposes. For final sanding dried up wall abrasive paper marked P-150, 180 is used.

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