How to properly putty a plasterboard ceiling for painting

Recommendation points

• Why do you need to putty the ceiling
• Step-by-step puttying
• Ceiling preparation for puttying
• Seam sealing
• Phased filling of the total surface of the ceiling

Ceiling painting is one of the most popular types of plasterboard finishes. However, this type of work requires careful preliminary filling of the surface. To do it efficiently and without problems with your own hands, use the simple step-by-step instructions.

Why do you need to putty the ceiling

Paint is often chosen as a finishing material for finishing plasterboard ceiling surfaces. But if many other finishing materials, for example, PVC panels or expanded polystyrene tiles, do not require special preliminary preparation in order for the paint to lay flat and firmly on the surface, then the ceiling must be carefully putty.

Puttying the ceiling is a very important stage in the rough preparation of the surface for paint. It is required for:

1. Create a flat, smooth, seamless plane.
2. Covering cracks, seams, pits “base”, masking installation defects.
3. Antiseptic prophylaxis (in certain types of mixtures).
4. Ensuring good paint adhesion.
5. Possibilities of dismantling the old finishing layer in the future or stripping it without harm to the gypsum board.
6. Creation of a white or colored background to enhance brightness and uniformity of coloring in one layer.

Step-by-step puttying

Puttying takes place in several main stages:

1. Preparation of materials and tools.
2. Surface preparation.
3. Seam sealing.
4. Application of the first 2 starting layers of putty.
5. Application of the finishing layer.
6. Grinding.

You will need the following materials:

1. Deep penetration primer.
2. Serpyanka.
3. Putty for seams (you can take a 5 kg bag), starting and finishing.

There are also universal putty mixtures, however, we advise beginners to start with specialized ones, so it will be easier to level them. We also recommend purchasing solutions from one manufacturer..

When buying a mixture, pay attention to its operational and installation characteristics. Starting putties can usually be applied in a layer up to 1.5 cm (if necessary, pay attention to the instructions on the package) and in the case of drywall, this is also true, because it does not always lie flat, and can also have pits on the surface due to temperature – humidity drop or breakdowns. The finishing mixture can also have special instructions for application thickness – from 0.5 to 3 mm.

Also, if the putty needs to be chosen for a room with high humidity, buy a mixture with the appropriate designation, most often it is LR +, with normal – KR.

And the tools:

1. Electric drill with mixer attachment.
2. Roller and brush for applying primer.
3. Stationery construction knife.
4. Container for directing putty.
5. 2 metal spatulas 8 and 25 cm, as well as a corner.
6. Sander with abrasive mesh.
7. Ironer.
8. Respiratory protection mask (respirator).

Ceiling preparation for puttying

First, remove all furniture from the room or cover it with a film. You also need to close the walls and floor, if their finishing has already been carried out or is not planned in the very near future.

Before filling the ceiling, it is necessary to carefully prepare it for this process so that the mixture will lay down qualitatively.

Clean the “base” from dust and dirt. Examine the surface for cracks and, if any, determine immediately the nature of their origin and, if possible, eliminate. Cracks on the gypsum board can appear for various reasons – they can be the result of installation errors, improper storage of the gypsum board before its use, temperature and humidity changes, or warn of more serious consequences, for example, significant shrinkage of the house, ceiling deformation, rotting of load-bearing beams, and so on. Such problems after high-quality puttying can appear too late and often many of them threaten even the lives of people living in the room if they are not noticed and prevented in time. If the cracks are not dangerous in nature, they need to be “cut” in the likeness of chamfering.

If everything is in order, proceed with the chamfering of the sheets. Some GKL panels have an edge that does not require careful sealing with a reinforcing tape, otherwise, or if there are cut joints, the chamfer should be removed. If this is not done, a narrow seam is obtained between the sheets, into which it is very difficult to hammer in the putty. To do this, at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, the edge with a sharp construction knife must be smoothly cut by no more than 2/3 of the sheet thickness. Then sand it lightly with sandpaper or a special abrasive mesh.

Prepare a rolling tray, which must be filled with a deep penetration primer, and carefully prime the ceiling surface with a roller with a “fur coat”.

Seam sealing

Sealing of seams is necessary so that they do not stand out with grooves against the general background, as well as to prevent the formation of joint cracks.

Carry out the work on filling the joints in the following order:

1. Use a brush to carefully prime the seams..
2. After the primer has dried, fill the middle of the joints with a putty about 60%, using an 8 cm spatula.After the putty has dried, prime the joint again.
3. Stick the arm tape in such a way that its middle falls on the seam. Many people first stick the serpyanka, but in this case, the seam will most likely not be fully filled.
4. Put a thin layer of putty on top of the serpyanka with a spatula and carefully level it.
5. This procedure also needs to be done with cracks, if you made them “cutting”. The caps of the screws on the entire surface of the plasterboard ceiling must also be smeared with a thin layer of putty.

Phased filling of the total surface of the ceiling

On the ceiling with significant surface differences, preliminary markings are made from the lowest angle, but the gypsum board has such a level spacing extremely rarely, so it can be left unmarked. The worst thing is that there may be holes-breakdowns on the surface, they are simply puttyed flush with the common surface.

Before puttingtying, you need to properly learn how to induce the mixture:

1. Take a clean container of 5 liters (for beginners).
2. Pour water into it and pour the mixture in portions (according to the proportions on the package).
3. Take a drill with a nozzle and stir the solution thoroughly at medium speed.

For the starting and finishing putty, the consistency should be creamy.

So, the work of applying the putty consists of the following stages:

1. Starting putty.With a narrow spatula, draw a wide solution (from corner to corner). Press the spatula firmly to the surface and pass it, applying a thin layer of putty so that the base is slightly visible through it.

The putty applied in this way should hide the flaws of the ceiling to the maximum, not have burrs and streaks.

After the starting layer has dried, rub it with a grater with an abrasive mesh in a circular motion..

Then the ceiling must be primed, and then after each subsequent layer, also apply the primer.

2. Second starting layerapply in such a way as to fully hide all the flaws after the first. Move the spatula in the same direction at all times.

3. Finishing puttylay in the opposite direction in straight and circular motion. She should lie so that the ceiling is “under the testicle” – perfectly flat and as smooth as possible. Semi-dry mixture can be smoothed.

The mixture is applied to the corners with an angular spatula, “six” or “ten”, depending on the required layer thickness.

After the putty and primer have dried, sand the surface with a trowel with a fine-grained abrasive mesh.

Upon completion of the puttying work, the ceiling must be primed again.

Thus, you can independently and efficiently putty the plasterboard ceiling for painting.