Puttying a ceiling with your own hands - step by step instructions and practical tips + Video

Self-applied plastering of the ceiling is a very laborious and demanding job. That is why this stage of work, many prefer to trust the team of professionals. However, following the instructions given in this article, any person with minimal construction skills will be able to putty the ceiling with his own hands.

Required tools and materials

Before starting work, make sure that you have everything you need during your work.

Tools:

• spatulas of different sizes (at least two are narrow and wide);
• metal half tacker (about half a meter long);
• roller for applying a primer;
• a convenient basin for breeding a dry mix;
• a construction mixer or nozzle on a drill for quick and high-quality mixing of putty.

A list of tools that may be useful when performing putty.

When choosing the type of dry mix, you should carefully read the recommendations on the packaging. Putty is usually used if necessary to smooth small drops (up to 50 mm), if the drops are too large, the surface of the ceiling must first be plastered. However, the putty "Rotband" allows you to eliminate differences greater than 50 mm. For wet rooms there is a putty "Betonit VH", in dry rooms you can use the mixture on the basis of glue, such as "Betonit LR" or "Betonit KR".

Preparation and cleaning of the ceiling

If the ceiling plates are laid flat, it is enough to remove the remnants of wallpaper, glue and / or whitewash from the ceiling. To remove whitewash or wallpaper, the surface of the ceiling should be moistened with water using a sponge. As soon as the removable layer of whitewash or wallpaper is soaked, it can be easily removed with a spatula. It does not need to moisten large surfaces at a time, as they can quickly dry. It is best to do this step by step, wetting and cleaning small areas of the flow, for example, meter by meter.

Example of removing soaked whitewash with a spatula.

For better adhesion of the putty to the ceiling, it is necessary to coat the surface with a primer mixture. The primer should be applied to the ceiling in two layers. The first is parallel to the wall with a window, the second is perpendicular to it. Apply the primer smoothly, leaving no drips or traces of a brush or roller. The brush should touch the ceiling with the tips of the pile. We keep the brush at an angle of 60-70 degrees to the ceiling, while at the same time, the brush should be rotated around the axis, allowing it to wear evenly from all sides. The optimum result is given by a primer roller. It is better to take a roller with a short nap, to prime the surface without pressing much on the tool.

If the ceiling has sufficiently strong drops and steps, then before the start of the putty, in some cases it will be necessary to plaster it to remove the most significant irregularities, then after complete drying, prime it.

Sequence of work on putty

Knead the dry mixture

This work is best done using a special mixer or nozzle on the drill. The use of such a tool will allow you to get a homogeneous mass without lumps. Add water to the dry mixture should be a little bit, trying to eventually get a lot with the density of sour cream.

Kneading and preparation of putty.

Putting the putty on the ceiling

The puttying process is absolutely the same for any kind of putty. Using a small spatula, scoop up some of the mixture and evenly distribute it over the surface of a wide spatula. Then the mixture is applied with a wide spatula to the ceiling as thin and uniform as possible. The remains of the mixture from a wide spatula are removed narrow back into the basin. We continue to do this procedure until the entire ceiling is plastered with the first layer.

Applying the first layer of putty.

After the first layer is completely dry, it is necessary to remove all irregularities that rise above the base layer. Nodules can be removed with a spatula or sandpaper. After sanding dust remains, which can affect the quality of the second layer. Therefore, the use of a wide spatula for leveling defects is more appropriate.

Number of layers

It is the larger, the more uneven the ceiling. With each applied layer, you should strive to level the surface horizontally, applying more mixture to uneven areas. Each subsequent layer can be applied only after complete drying of the previous one.

Last layer

Finishing layer must be thinner than all previous ones. It is necessary to carry out the application of the finishing layer quickly, without letting the mixture dry at the edges. We apply a layer of putty with a wide trowel and remove all unnecessary with the next movement, pressing the trowel to the surface of the ceiling with effort. At the same time, it is better to keep the tool almost perpendicular to the surface to be treated.With the correct application of the finishing layer, subsequent sanding of the surface may not even be necessary.

Final finishing

If the ceiling is being prepared for sticking wallpaper, you can skip the finishing sanding. If it is planned to paint the ceiling, we will give it perfect smoothness by treating it with fine sandpaper, highlighting and revealing irregularities with a lamp-carrying lamp after it has dried. It is possible to resort to the help of the grinding machine.

Grinding of the filled surface.

Features of plasterboard ceilings

The main feature of plasterboard ceilings is that it does not need to level the surface. Putty is applied only in order to give the ceiling a uniform smoothness. The first step is to align the seams of drywall sheets. Usually, the ends of drywall sheets have an oblique cut, which facilitates the alignment of the joints. If there is no such chamfer at the edges of the sheets, you should prepare the drywall edges yourself, cutting the chamfer at a 45-degree angle with a stationery knife.

After that, all the seams and joints are glued over with fiberglass mesh. It is on a self-adhesive basis, therefore its gluing will not be difficult. Pre-seams better primed to get rid of dust. Apply the putty to the seam with a narrow trowel, then immediately level it with a wide one, trying to fill the seam with the mixture with these two movements and level it.

The caps of the self-tapping screws are puttied crosswise, this allows you to fill the entire cap of the fastener with the mixture. After the seams have dried, we sand them, primer the entire surface of the ceiling and apply a final layer of putty.

Video: Puttying of drywall seams

Features of ceiling putty for painting

Most of the work has already been done, the ceiling is pleased with its even smooth surface, you can start for painting. At this stage, many are faced with an unexpected and very unpleasant problem. During painting, pieces of putty may stick to the roller, which come off the ceiling, forming defects on it. Attempts to remedy the situation and stick the putty in place, as a rule, give an even more dismal result. How to protect yourself from this problem?

1. For finishing, a waterproof putty should be used that will not get wet from the water contained in the paint and stay firmly on the ceiling. If the usual putty has already been acquired, you can use a water-repellent primer to dilute the putty. In this case, do not add the primer directly to the dry mixture, but rather dilute it in water beforehand.

The mixture prepared in this way must be periodically stirred with a mixer so that it does not harden and form lumps. Use this mixture should be faster, because after three hours after cooking, it will become unsuitable.

2. You can also simply coat the finished ceiling with a waterproof primer before painting. This will also prevent the layer of putty from lagging behind the surface.

3. While painting, do not press hard on the roller and try not to drive them too many times in the same place.

Video: Putting the ceiling for painting

You can get some tips and recommendations for puttying by looking at the following video.

Video: ceiling filler