Many are familiar with the expression "repair is a natural disaster." So that the renewal of your beloved home does not turn into a real "catastrophe", you need to think over the sequence of repairing the apartment and stick to it in the future. Drawing up an algorithm of actions will save you from wasting time, nerves and the family budget.
Where to begin?
In what sequence to make repairs, should be determined at the very initial stage. It can be conditionally called theoretical. It is characterized by a number of preparatory activities:
- Design project development. To draw up a design project, you can contact a special organization where experienced professionals can handle this matter. But this is not necessary, in your apartment you can experiment with your own design solutions. The project should reflect in detail such moments as the redevelopment of rooms, the arrangement of furniture, appliances, the location of lighting devices, switches, sockets, and decorative elements. An important role in this project is given to color solutions, right now you should think about what color the ceiling, walls, doors and floor will be.
- Selection of materials and preparation of cost estimates. Based on the finished design project, it is already possible to start selecting the necessary materials, an approximate calculation of their consumption and drawing up an estimate. This document will help you track and control financial costs during the repair process.
Tip: when creating an estimate, do not forget to calculate the amount of materials and their costs with a margin, since there is always a risk of marriage, damage during work, or a change in their value.
- Drawing up a plan that determines the sequence and types of repair work.
- Procurement of materials and missing tools.
Simple rules will help to correctly designate the repair procedure:
- Repairs should begin with the rooms furthest from the front door.
- Dismantling and installation work is carried out in the direction from the ceiling to the floor.
- Finishing work begins only after the completion of the communications wiring.
In no case should you neglect this stage. It is the preparatory measures that will help to avoid disappointment in the end result of the entire repair.
Repair process: what for what
The entire repair process can be divided into several stages:
- Preparatory stage. The release of a room or the entire apartment from furniture, household appliances and other interior items.
- Demolition work. They include freeing the walls from old wallpaper and plaster, washing off the whitewash from the ceiling and walls, removing the flooring, if necessary, breaking and demolishing wall partitions and door blocks. The success of further repairs depends on the quality of the dismantling work, so they must be treated responsibly.
Tip: if you do not plan to change the interior doors, it is still better to remove them from the hinges so that they do not interfere with the entry of building materials and the removal of debris, and are also not dirty or scratched.
- Construction and transfer of wall partitions and doorways (if necessary).
- Communication wiring. channeling and electrical wiring. It is appropriate to draw a diagram of the location of electrical wires so as not to damage them later when drilling. If necessary, at this stage, the distribution of pipes for water and heat supply is carried out. They, like electrical wiring, to improve the aesthetic appearance of the room should be hidden in the depths of the walls or with the help of plasterboard boxes.
- Replacement of window structures (if necessary).
- Plastering works. Plastering, puttying and leveling the surfaces of the ceiling and walls.If you plan to install a stretch or false ceiling, such work on the ceiling is not necessary.
- Floor repair work. A floor screed is being made, its final leveling, heating installation.
- Installation of doors (if it was planned to replace them). After installing the door frame, do not rush to hang the door itself on the hinges - this is best done at the final stage.
- Carrying out finishing work. These works must also be carried out in a certain sequence. Painting (whitewashing) of the ceiling is carried out first of all, then the finishing of the walls is carried out. This can be painting, decorative plaster or gluing various types of wallpaper. Floor coverings of any type are installed last, that is, when the ceiling and walls have already been updated.
- The final stage. Fixing skirting boards, platbands, sockets and switches, installing plumbing fixtures, placing furniture and various decorative elements and accessories.
Special case - stretch ceilings
To date, stretch ceilings have gained immense popularity and prevalence. Their installation is possible in any of the rooms, they reduce the time of repair and look just great. However, the installation of tension structures makes some adjustments to the usual apartment renovation at the stage of finishing work. The rule about the direction of repair from top to bottom, or from ceiling to floor, does not work in this case.
Most experts strongly recommend installing the canvas after finishing the walls. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this advice. Mounting the ceiling after finishing the walls will protect it from the negative effects of various primers, glues and paints, which can leave indelible stains on the ceiling sheet. The ceiling material has a fairly high price, so its replacement will cost much more than replacing or repairing the wall covering.
How to protect the walls
Installation of a frame for a stretch ceiling is a rather dusty process that can lead to contamination of the wall covering. To avoid this, the walls can be covered with a protective film, and cement dust can be collected with a vacuum cleaner during drilling.
The high temperatures required to install PVC ceilings can cause the wallpaper to peel off the walls. Therefore, the installation of ceiling structures should be started after the wallpaper glue has completely dried. This occurs approximately on the fourth day after gluing, subject to normal temperature conditions.
If the installation of ceilings is done by hand, the negative effects on the wall covering can be minimized by alternating the process of installing the ceiling and finishing the walls. It looks like this:
- Preparing walls for wallpapering or painting.
- Mounting frame for stretch ceiling.
- Direct pasting or painting of the surface of the walls.
- Ceiling sheet installation.
Such a sequence of work contributes to a snug fit to the baguette wall, eliminating the contact of wallpaper or painted walls with cement dust, and the ceiling sheet with paint and glue.
