How to putty concrete ceilings

Recommendation points

• We clean up the flaws of the formwork
• We ground the ceiling
• Putty with starting putty
• We putty with finishing putty in two layers
• Skins

In this case, we are considering a monolithic concrete ceiling filled with modern “Euroles”.

Used tools:

• mounting puncher (for it there is a cartridge with a stirrer, a blade);
• spatula, metal polisher 45 cm;
• vibration grinder;
• wide brush.

We clean up the flaws of the formwork

Despite the fact that the so-called “Euro-forests” are considered high-quality forests, the finished slab has a lot of roughness and sagging.

All protruding irregularities that exceed a height of 2 mm must be cut down using a hammer drill with a wide blade (the wider the faster). It is better to use the lightest (mounting) puncher, since chopping the ceiling is not a fun activity, and the lighter the tool, the more you will save energy and, accordingly, have time to do more.

Disadvantages of the finished plate

Lightweight hammer drill and paddle

Stirrer with a hammer cartridge

We ground the ceiling

After effective stripping, as usual, the surface is strengthened with a deep penetration primer. Priming can be done with a brush or roller, depending on the working environment. For example, if you need accuracy, then it is better to use a brush – there is less splatter from it, although at a slower rate. Priming with a roller is much more convenient and faster due to the use of a long sliding handle, which allows you to work from the floor.

Putty with starting putty

After about an hour, the primer is dry and you can start the filler with the first leveling layer. For this, a starting putty is used, which allows, if necessary, to apply a layer of up to 1 cm, since it contains large particles (and some types of putties and fiberglass) that prevent cracking. In terms of density, the putty should resemble homemade sour cream, which will ensure less sagging during drying and a more accurate workflow.

The putty is applied with a metal polisher 45 cm long, due to which the ceiling is well trimmed.

Putty with a large half

If in the process large visually noticeable pits come across, then they should be filled with putty and cut off the excess with a truncated rule 1 m long. It should be noted that very large irregularities are rarely found on slabs made with Euroles.

We putty with finishing putty in two layers

If the temperature in the room is more than 15 degrees and good ventilation is provided, then after three hours you can start finishing, otherwise – the next day. For finishing putty, we use a medium spatula (35 cm), since it is possible for them to obtain a good surface smoothness, and it is physically easier to carry out work than with a half-grater. At the same time, if the ceiling area is large enough (more than 20 m²), then it is still advisable to use a polisher, because the speed of filling with a polisher is about one and a half times higher, although with a worse quality. How we putty, qualitatively or not, will ultimately affect the duration of cleaning the surface. So here you need to choose – after all, it is easier for someone to sand, and for someone to putty. There is even such a construction saying: I haven’t learned to putty with high quality, learn to sand with high quality.

We putty with a spatula No. 35

Puttying with the second layer

Our task is to apply two layers in one day, which will facilitate the work and improve the result due to the easier application of the second layer on the still wet first one. It should be noted that not all putties make it possible to apply two layers in a row, therefore we use a cement-based facade putty. An additional plus of the facade putty is that it is more durable than gypsum and almost does not deteriorate in case of flooding.

Skins

If the same atmospheric conditions are observed in the room, the next day you can skin, otherwise in a day or two. To speed up this dusty work, we will use a vibratory sander with 80 sandpaper..

Dry ceiling

Vibration sander

Skins

It is also advisable to have anti-fog goggles (with ventilation holes) and a respirator. It should be noted that cement-based putties tend to become stronger when kept wet for a long time. This means that after a week, the ceiling is almost impossible to sand. Therefore, even if the ceiling does not dry out after two days, it is still necessary to clean it up, just do it a little more carefully.

The ceiling is ready for painting

After the completion of this most unpleasant stage of work, it is considered that our ceiling is ready for painting. However, before painting, it is still recommended to prime it with the same deep penetration primer and at the same time take into account that it is better to use a white (transparent) primer. The fact is that many primers, after drying, leave a yellow tint, which is why sometimes you have to apply an extra layer of paint for the final painting of the ceiling..

There is another economical option – we do not prime, but dilute the paint a little thinner, add a little primer to it and apply the first primer coat of paint with this composition. After the first layer has dried, apply the second layer with paint of normal thickness..

The optimal height of the goat for puttying work should be such that when you work you almost touch the top of the ceiling. That is, we measure the height to the ceiling, subtract the height plus 5 cm, we get the height of the goat. Good luck in the repair!