Drywall is one of the most popular and relatively inexpensive materials for leveling walls, it has many characteristics that are valuable for creating a comfortable environment, including ease of installation, high speed, excellent sound and heat insulation, no foreign odors, fire resistance, environmental friendliness. In the process of do-it-yourself repairs, the question inevitably arises: is it necessary to prime drywall before wallpapering and how to do it right.
Why is primer applied to drywall?
It is absolutely necessary to carry out the processing of drywall before wallpapering, because without a preliminary primer and putty, the wallpaper is so firmly glued to the wall that later it will be impossible to remove it during a new cosmetic repair.
In addition, priming and puttying the walls are needed for the following reasons:
- GKL processing helps to reduce pores on the surface and reduce the consumption of wallpaper glue.
- Protects drywall from getting wet if it is not water repellent.
- When sticking light wallpaper without pre-treatment, the base of drywall may show through, as a result of which the color of the wall covering will change.
- Cracks can form in the corner joints, especially if this is an apartment in a new building.
Preparing drywall walls for wallpapering takes a lot of time, but the results obtained exceed all expectations and guarantee an excellent view of the apartment for at least five years.
On construction markets and online stores, you can find any primers, building materials and tools that will help you quickly and easily decide how to process drywall before wallpapering.
What can't be done without?
Building mixtures and tools needed for processing drywall:
- antibacterial composition;
- sanding mesh and sandpaper;
- paint brushes, rollers and brushes for applying antiseptic and primer;
- spatulas with narrow and wide blades;
- primer;
- gypsum or polymer putty;
- sealant or plaster for sealing joints;
- fiberglass or lavsan mesh tape (serpyanka).
Step-by-step processing of drywall before wallpapering
The process of processing walls from plasterboard requires the following sequence of actions:
- Drown the screw heads under the plane, remove the irregularities and gaps that form at the joints of the drywall after cutting with sandpaper or a sanding mesh. First, you should use a grinding mesh with a large grain, then with a fine one.
- Remove dirt and dust from the surface of the walls with a damp cloth.
- After drying, apply a layer of antibacterial composition necessary to prevent the appearance of mold fungi and microorganisms, which is especially important for rooms with poor ventilation and high humidity - kitchens, bathrooms, toilets.
There are many types of antifungal and antibacterial primers, the use of which can do without an antiseptic.
- Apply the first coat of primer over the entire surface of the drywall. This must be done before sealing joints and seams in order to strengthen the top layer of drywall.
- narrow spatula seal joints and seams plaster putty, place a mesh or paper tape on it, drown it deeper.
- Apply a layer of putty to the tape.
- Seal the holes into which the screws are recessed with sealant or putty, otherwise rust will appear on the wallpaper in these places over time.
- When the putty dries, remove the sags and depressions, align the seams and joints with sandpaper.
- Apply a second coat of primer to the areas treated with putty.
- Wait until the primer is completely dry, and apply the third layer of the primer so that all surfaces are perfectly even and do not differ in color and structure.
In this way, a waterproofed wallpaper base with high antibacterial characteristics is obtained.
In the process of processing drywall with putty and primer, it is recommended to wear goggles and use a respirator, even if the compositions are environmentally friendly and do not contain components hazardous to health. This will help protect the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth from the penetration of the smallest particles of dust and field connections.
You should not limit yourself to one layer of primer, since in poorly primed areas high-quality uniform adhesion to the decorative layer is not ensured, and the pasted wallpaper will visually differ from the general background.
How to choose the right primer?
Primer types:
- Water repellent.
- Fire-fighting.
- Adhesive.
- Antiseptic.
- Deep penetration.
The ideal option is a universal primer for drywall produced by Knauf, which increases the adhesion of the decorative layer to the walls and has high fire, water-repellent and antibacterial properties. The high cost of German brand products pays off with the impeccable quality of the treated surfaces, excellent appearance and durability of the repair results. You can find mounting compounds of other well-known world and domestic brands that are not inferior to German ones in quality, but at more reasonable prices.
[smartcontrol_youtube_shortcode key="choosing primer for walls" cnt="4" col="2" shls="true"]It is important to read the instructions before buying, since the compositions for external work are significantly different from the primer for internal work with drywall. It is impossible to treat walls with compounds similar to phenolic, polystyrene, alkyd, perchlorovinyl primers, which include a large number of toxic compounds dangerous to life. A mixture with a high silicone content does not have the necessary adhesive properties, and it will be impossible to stick the wallpaper to the walls.
Do not neglect the antiseptic properties of primers, since mold and microorganisms not only appear on the surface as ugly spots, but can also cause significant damage to the health of all the inhabitants of the apartment, which manifests itself in allergic reactions, nausea, migraines, mycotoxicosis, heart failure, bronchial asthma .
Guidelines for applying a primer to drywall
Among the most popular and affordable primers is a safe, hypoallergenic, quick-drying acrylic composition that reliably protects drywall from getting wet and microbial penetration.
Of great importance is the color of the primer, which will appear from under the thin wallpaper. Under light wallpapers, you need to choose a mixture of only white; for heavy bright or dark materials with embossing, a composition of any shade is suitable.
Methods for preparing mixtures are described in the instructions. It is better to use a wide, shallow container that can easily fit a paint roller or other application tool that is convenient to work with.
There are many different ways to apply primers to surfaces, among which you need to choose the most convenient for yourself. Correctly or incorrectly, a person holds a brush, muffler or roller - it is not critical, the main thing is to achieve a smooth surface without streaks and streaks.
You can start sticking wallpaper only after the primer and putty have dried.It is advisable to increase the time from that specified in the instructions to a day, so that the primer layers and putty in each joint dry evenly.
