GKL finishing: leveling the walls with plasterboard

Recommendation points

• What are the features of GCR
• Cladding types
• Preparation for work
• Facing on the frame
• Pasting walls with plasterboard

There are several ways to align walls. One of them is the leveling of the walls with plasterboard, in which the sheets of gypsum board are glued to the wall, or attached to the frame. Let’s look at the features of drywall as a finishing material, and talk about the correct leveling of walls with sheets of gypsum board.

Quite often there are reviews of drywall as an unreliable and short-lived material. But still, the simplicity and high speed of working with gypsum plasterboard structures is not their only plus, with proper and technological installation, drywall has served for decades.

What are the features of GCR

It is unlikely that anyone would argue that in a fairly large number of projects there is no alternative to drywall. As a rule, this applies to multi-storey buildings, where there is a struggle for every ton of load on the building and of all the methods of interior decoration only those related to “dry” repair are considered..

One of the advantages of GCR is that they are absolutely environmentally friendly and hypoallergenic. It contains only gypsum, natural material, and a paper casing. There may be some glue on the end wraps, but it is so small in the bulk that it can be neglected. This does not apply to fire- and moisture-resistant plates, the special properties of which are given by special additives: water repellents and fiberglass.

An equally important fact: drywall helps maintain an optimal level of humidity in the room. The walls, as they say, breathe, absorbing excess moisture and giving it away as needed.

Cladding types

Plasterboard wall decoration can be done in two ways. Let’s conditionally call them frame and pasting. The names speak for themselves, the criteria for choosing between these two methods are less clear.

The frame finishing system is really universal, it is thanks to it that decorative relief and thin geometry of walls, multi-level ceilings, all kinds of niches and openings appear in the interior. The advantage of the method is that you have a clear idea of ​​the shape of the coating even before the sheets are installed, moreover, mechanical fastening methods inspire more confidence. Of the shortcomings, perhaps, we can mention the slightly higher cost of materials for work.

Pasting the walls with plasterboard is used when the run-up along the alignment of the walls does not exceed 25-30 mm, and this value may vary depending on the type of glue (manufacturers indicate the maximum thickness of the seam on the package). The method is good because it “steals” much less space for the skin, because when assembling the frame, even at the zero point, drywall will eat at least 40 mm.

The pasting is not without its drawbacks: the gypsum glue of chains is not to any surface, and the installation process itself requires some skill. Finally, unlike the wireframe method, the cladding can no longer be disassembled and redone, the greatest attention should be paid to laying communications and the final approval of the project.

Preparation for work

First of all, a room intended for decoration is completely freed from furniture, building materials and any unnecessary items. The exception is spacious rooms with walls of at least 8-10 meters, where it makes sense to move objects into a corner, finishing two walls in one step.

The second point is purity. The walls, ceiling and floor are thoroughly swept, additionally the walls are moistened with a primer diluted with 10 parts of water. This is important because the markings follow, which are applied only once. It should not be worn out or indistinct, while the chopping line prints well only on clean surfaces.

Base lines are drawn on the floor around the perimeter of the room with the desired indent from the walls. In most cases, a rectangle is formed, its diagonals must be aligned. In rooms of a more complex configuration, the figure obtained in the plan must be broken down into simpler geometric elements and adjusted separately.

It remains only to stock up on the necessary tools and accessories.

For pasting you will need:

1. Ladder. High enough to touch the ceiling with your elbow.
2. Table and platform (“goat”) 90-120 cm high.
3. Pair of clean plastic buckets.
4. Rotary hammer or mixer with an appropriately sized whisk.
5. Spatulas 40, 120, 300 and 450 mm.
6. Rack level (meter) and bar-rule (200 mm).

And for sheathing on the frame:

1. Stepladder, table, level.
2. Rotary hammer with 6 mm drill.
3. Screwdriver with PH-3 bit.
4. Metal scissors.
5. Cutter. Optional, but highly recommended.
6. Dowel-nails 6×50.

Facing on the frame

The marking line is bounced with an offset from the zero point equal to the width of the guide profile (UD, UW, PN, 30 or 50 mm). Using a plumb line or a laser level, the markings are transferred to the ceiling, then guide rails pre-cut to size are attached along the upper and lower perimeter. To seal the abutment to the wall, the profile is pre-pasted with polyethylene foam tape. Fastening is carried out with dowel-nails with a diameter of 6 mm.

Then, from the CD, CW or PS profile, depending on the brand of guides, you need to cut out the racks, the length of which should be 5 mm less than the distance between the inner shelves of the fixed profiles. Racks are inserted into grooves with a pitch of 40 cm and fixed with a cutter (at least 2 points) or self-tapping screws LM11.

With a step of 60 cm and in a checkerboard pattern, U-shaped plates are nailed to the wall. They are bent, attached to the side shelves of the profile and folded back.

After that, drywall sheets can be cut and fastened to the finished frame. They are mounted on black self-tapping screws 25 or 35 mm long with a pitch of 15–20 cm. Most projects provide for two-layer wall cladding, the second layer is fastened through with longer self-tapping screws. To make it easier, mark the floor and ceiling where the vertical frame posts are installed.

Pasting walls with plasterboard

An adhesive should be selected separately for each type of wall. The wall is primed until it ceases to absorb moisture. Recommendations on the method of mixing the glue are best specified on the package, but a couple of rules remain the same:

1. First, pour water into the bucket, then add the mixture.
2. After mixing, the composition should be allowed to stand for 3-5 minutes, then mix again.
3. The density of the mixture must be brought to such that it does not drain from the wall by itself under its own weight. After that you need to add another 100-150 ml of water and stir.

The glue is applied to the wall pointwise, in a checkerboard pattern with a horizontal and vertical step of 60 cm. The thickness of the glue bumps should be 2–2.5 times the expected layer, so the glue will be crushed into a wide “heel” and better adhere to surfaces.

You only need to apply glue for one sheet at a time, wait 5-7 minutes for activation to begin, and then attach the sheet, aligning it with the line on the floor. The sheet is pressed against the applied glue and strongly pressed down by the rail or level. First, drywall is aligned along the marking line, then in a vertical plane, and only then in relation to other sheets. After installing the sheet, it remains about 15 minutes to align the sheet, so one wall must be finished continuously.

In conclusion, you can give a valuable recommendation: start finishing with the smallest room, practice, compare the behavior of the glue in each batch and learn how to prepare it correctly. Gradually increasing the scale of the work, you will definitely fill your hand and reveal the full potential of leveling the walls with drywall.