How to align walls: detailed instructions

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A perfectly flat surface can be obtained in four ways. Choose the right one and make the renovation of your dreams.

How to assess the unevenness of the walls

So that there are no problems with a fine finish, the walls must be perfectly flat. Differences along the plane of no more than 2 mm by 2 m are allowed. Even new buildings cannot boast of such flat surfaces, not to mention old houses.

How to check the differences in the plane

Take a rule 2.5 m long and attach it vertically to the wall in several places - the resulting gap will show the magnitude of the differences.

Repeat the procedure, placing the staff horizontally and diagonally.

How to check vertical deviations

Attach a rule to the wall, attach a building level to it. By alternately deflecting the upper and lower parts of the rule, achieve a position in which the level bubble is exactly in the center of the scale.

The gap from the wall to the edge of the rail will indicate the amount of deviation from the vertical.

Which alignment method to choose

There are several ways to fix irregularities. Based on the magnitude of the differences, select the option that is optimal in terms of labor and material costs.

Putty

• What differences does it eliminate: 5–10 mm.
• Reduces the area of the room: no.

Will hide only small depressions and deviations from the plane. It is rarely used alone. Usually, the walls are putty after leveling in one of the ways described below.

Plaster

• What differences does it eliminate: 1–5 cm.
• Reduces the area of the room: insignificantly.

These mixtures are designed just for leveling surfaces. There are gypsum and cement based. The former are used in dry rooms, the latter - in any. They allow you to remove significant drops and deviations from the vertical after placing the beacons. In the future, if necessary, the walls are putty.

Glue drywall

• What differences does it eliminate: 2–5 cm.
• Reduces the area of the room: insignificantly.

Drywall sheets have a perfectly flat surface. Therefore, wall cladding with them is a simple and quick way of leveling. When fixed with glue, the useful area is practically not concealed, and after installing the drywall, it is enough to cover 1 mm of putty.

Drywall on the frame

• What differences does it eliminate: over 5 cm.
• Reduces the area of the room: significantly.

This method is suitable if the differences are too large for the plaster. Since the frame also has a thickness, the area of the room is noticeably reduced. But it becomes possible to lay a layer of insulation or sound insulation.

How to level the walls with putty

What is needed

• Spatulas 10 and 35 cm wide;
• putty;
• primer;
• roller or brush;
• mixer and kneading container;
• abrasive mesh.

How to do

1. Prepare the surface

Use a spatula to remove loose particles from the wall and remove dust from the wall.

Apply a layer of primer with a brush or roller for better adhesion.

2. Prepare the mixture

Following the instructions on the package, pour the required amount of dry putty into the water and stir with a mixer. Stir again after 5 minutes.

3. Putty the wall

With a small spatula, take some putty and apply it to the edge of the wide spatula, spreading over the entire length.

Starting from the corner and from top to bottom, apply and then remove the excess filler with a spatula, making two movements. Turn the tool with the curved part towards the wall to leave fewer scratches.

To make the layer even, make each subsequent stroke perpendicular to the previous one. Move from an untreated surface to an already covered one.

Adjust the thickness of the filler by tilting the trowel. The smaller the angle between the wall and the trowel, the thicker the layer.

4. Grind and prime the surface

After at least a day, remove all risks and sagging on the surface with an abrasive mesh. Sand from top to bottom in smooth circular motions.

From bottom to top, apply a coat of primer with a roller or brush. Work gently to avoid dripping.

Look for details in this video:

How to level the walls with plaster

What is needed

• Laser level or thread;
• marking cord;
• dowels and screws;
• hammer drill or drill;
• spatulas 10 and 35 cm wide;
• rule for 2 m and level;
• pencil and masking tape;
• plaster and primer;
• roller or brush;
• mixer and kneading container.

How to do

1. Prepare the surface

Clean the working area of foreign particles, dust and debris. Using a roller or brush, apply a coat of primer appropriate for the type of wall material.

2. Install beacons

Plaster guides can be positioned in different ways. The easiest way to do this is with a laser level. But if it is not at hand, a regular thread will do.

How to set beacons on a laser level

• Mark the distance between the beacons so that it is 20 cm less than the rule. To do this, starting from the corner, attach the rail to the wall parallel to the floor and make two marks, stepping back 10 cm from the edges of the tool. Repeat until the wall ends.
• Draw vertical lines along each mark with a pencil using a level.
• Apply marks on the adjoining walls, stepping back 5 cm from the corner, and set a laser level on them.
• Mark the top and bottom of the rule 4 cm from the edge. To avoid scratching the tool, stick masking tape and paint over it.
• Mix a little plaster mixture according to the instructions and apply it along vertical lines with dotted bloopers.
• Attach a cut-to-size beacon and press it in with a rule so that the 4 cm markings line up with the laser beam.
• Remove excess mixture from the guide and finally fix it by greasing it from the sides. After that, check the installation accuracy again with the rule.
• Repeat the procedure for all other beacons.

How to put beacons on a string

• Mark the distance between the beacons so that it is 20 cm less than the rule. Place the batten against the wall parallel to the floor and make two marks, 10 cm inward from the edges of the tool. Continue to the end of the wall.
• Draw vertical lines along each mark with a pencil using a level.
• Set a level to the bottom of the extreme line and make marks at a distance of 5 cm from its edges. Moving the level higher, draw lines along its entire length.
• Mark in the same way the extreme line from the opposite end of the wall.
• Using a marking cord, draw horizontal lines, matching the corresponding marks on the outermost vertical ones.
• In all the crosshairs of the resulting "checkerboard" make holes for the dowels. Use a screwdriver to tighten the screws in them as deep as possible, but so that the level attached to the caps is strictly vertical.
• On the extreme lines, drill an additional hole next to each screw and screw the self-tapping screws in them.
• Pull the thread over the auxiliary screws, then tighten the rest of the fasteners in this line so that they barely touch the cord. Repeat the procedure for the remaining screws.
• Mix a little plaster mixture according to the instructions and apply it along vertical lines with dotted bloopers, without covering up the screws.
• Install all the beacons by pressing them with a rule until they rest against the caps of the screws. Gently grease the sides of the rails and clean the plaster from the blades with a spatula.

3. Prepare the mixture

Pour into a container with clean cold water and add dry plaster according to the proportions on the package.

Mix thoroughly with a mixer until the mass becomes homogeneous. This will take about 5 minutes.

Stir again after 5 minutes.

4. Apply plaster

Using a construction bucket or trowel, apply the mixture to the wall and smooth over the surface. Attach the rule to the beacons and swipe up from the bottom to remove excess plaster.

As soon as the plaster begins to set, pull the beacons out of the wall from the bottom up and seal the remaining grooves with a spatula.

5. Putty the surface

If you need to make the plastered wall smooth, apply a layer of putty on it as described in the previous method.

How to align walls with glue drywall

What is needed

• Drywall and reinforcing tape;
• 10 cm spatula and knife;
• rule for 2 m and level;
• pencil;
• glue and primer;
• roller or brush;
• mixer and kneading container.

How to do

1. Prepare the surface

Clean the wall from dust and debris. Using a roller or brush, apply a coat of primer suitable for the material to be treated.

2. Mix the glue

Pour into a container of clean cold water and add the dry mixture according to the proportions indicated on the package. Stir with a mixer for 5 minutes until smooth.

3. Glue drywall

With a spatula, apply the mixture to the wall in one row in the center of the sheet in 30 cm increments and at minimum intervals around the perimeter.

Attach the sheet by placing it on a thin strip of drywall backing. Using a rule and a level, place the sheet strictly in the plane, upsetting it with light strikes of the rail.

Mount the rest of the sheets in the same way, staggering them.

4. Putty the joints

Prime all non-factory joints with a brush.

Prepare some putty according to the instructions on the package. With a spatula, apply a layer of the mixture to the joints of the sheets.

Place the reinforcing tape on the joint, and then press with a spatula into the putty and level.

After the first has dried, apply a second leveling layer of filler, being careful to keep the trowel perpendicular to the wall.

How to align the walls with plasterboard on the frame

What is needed

• Plumb line and marking cord;
• dowels and screws;
• hammer drill or drill;
• level and pencil;
• masking tape;
• drywall and profiles;
• hangers and screws;
• scissors for metal and a knife;
• plane and screwdriver;
• putty and primer;
• roller or brush;
• mixer and kneading container.

How to do

1. Make the markup

Use a plumb line to find the most protruding part of the wall and make marks on the floor and ceiling in this place.

Alternately step back the same distance in one and the second corners, leaving lines on the floor and ceiling.

Connect the marks in the corners with a thread, first on the floor and then on the ceiling, and make sure that it goes through the lines of the most protruding place on the wall.

If these marks do not coincide, gradually move from the extreme lines in the corners towards the wall or room until the thread passes exactly through the mark of the most protruding place.

Using a chipping cord or pencil, draw lines on the floor and ceiling, passing through the two extreme marks and the most protruding one.

2. Assemble the frame

Cut the guide profiles to fit the length of the wall. If necessary, apply soundproofing tape to them.

Install the profiles along the line markings on the floor. Secure them by drilling holes at 1 m intervals and inserting dowels into them. Fix the rail to the ceiling in the same way.

Attach the hangers for the rack profiles to the wall with a vertical pitch of 1.5 m.

Measure the distance between the rails and cut the post profiles so that they are 10 mm smaller.

Install the racks with a step of strictly 60 cm horizontally. Align them vertically with a spirit level and screw them to the hangers.

If necessary, place a layer of insulation or sound insulation between the profiles.

3. Mount drywall

When cutting sheets, cut the paper and some of the plaster with a sharp knife, and then break them. Clean the ends with a plane and chamfer the edges at a 22-degree angle.

Mount the sheets so that they are 1 cm from the floor. Use pieces of drywall or other pads for this.

Fasten the sheets with screws in the center and around the perimeter in increments of 25 cm. Start from the middle or from one of the edges.

Place self-tapping screws at a distance of at least 15 mm from the edge of the sheet so that there are no chips. Move the screws at the junction of adjacent sheets by at least 10 mm.

Screw in self-tapping screws at right angles and sink their heads into the sheet by 1 mm.

4. Putty the joints and screws

Prime all non-factory joints with a brush. Dilute a little putty and apply with a spatula to the joints of the sheets.

Place the reinforcing tape on the joints, and then press with a spatula into the putty and level.

After the first layer has dried, apply a second leveling coat, taking care to keep the trowel perpendicular.