Finishing putty: how to apply efficiently

One important step in getting walls ready for painting or wallpapering is applying finishing putty. It guarantees that the surface is even, smooth, and prepared for the last coat of decoration. However, applying putty alone won’t produce a polished finish; some expertise and understanding are needed.

Using the appropriate instruments and comprehending the right techniques can make all the difference. Making the right putty application decisions will save you time, frustration, and effort—whether you’re an experienced do-it-yourselfer or this is your first time finishing a wall.

This post will walk you through all the necessary steps, from choosing the best putty type to becoming proficient with the application technique. By the time it’s all over, you’ll be able to achieve a flawless finish that will give the appearance of professionally finished walls.

Rules for applying the finish

We’ll talk more in-depth about how to apply the finishing putty to the wall now. Let’s review each point in detail. The proper execution of this work will determine the quality of the coating as well as its appearance and longevity. It is a good idea to look at pictures of the materials before beginning any work; you need to make sure the final finish type matches the interior decor of the room.

Material used for finishing putty

The following set of tools is required for self-puttingtying walls.

Choosing putty for working with walls

After selecting the putty, one must decide how to apply it to the walls correctly. Putty is typically classified as cement, polymer, or gypsum based on its composition. Let’s examine each type of putty’s benefits and drawbacks in more detail:

• One of the advantages of using gypsum putty is its affordable cost and ease of leveling. Among the disadvantages, we can only note mediocre resistance to moisture, which somewhat limits the scope of use of gypsum putty.
• On the contrary, cement putty perfectly withstands long-term exposure to moisture, but is subject to shrinkage.
• Polymer putty does not shrink and has excellent moisture resistance. With the help of this finishing material, you can easily process walls of various structures. The disadvantage of polymer putty is its fairly high cost.

Putties can be categorized as decorative, starting, or leveling based on the area in which they are used. Additionally, universal putties have gained popularity in recent years.

• Leveling starting putties are distinguished by high grain size, moisture resistance and excellent strength indicators. It is recommended to use such putty immediately after applying the plaster. The layer thickness can vary from 3 to 20 millimeters. The thickness depends on the general condition of the surface being treated.
• To ensure maximum durability of the surface being treated, it is recommended to apply a finishing putty to the leveling mixture. This will give the surface a perfectly smooth appearance.
  Treatment with finishing putty is not difficult and is carried out using sandpaper. The application layer is usually from 3 to 5 millimeters.
• Universal putties have the characteristics of a leveling mixture and decorative putties. They have a fairly high cost, but at the same time they allow you to significantly simplify the work being performed. Universal putties are recommended for use when working with walls that do not have significant flaws.
• In specialized stores, you can easily purchase both ready-to-use mixtures and dry putties, which are distinguished by their affordable cost, ease of use and long shelf life.
• Ready-made putties are easy to use, since you don’t need to use a mixer, and the mixture already has a uniform structure. Saving working time, and there is practically no dust when performing repair work.
  At the same time, it is necessary to take into account that ready-made finishing putties are slightly more expensive than dry ones. You should also take into account the fact that ready-made putties shrink a little, so they must be applied in a thick layer.
  The shelf life of ready-made putties is several months, so they must be quickly used in repair work.

Note: You need to consider the environment where the coating will be placed before selecting a material. if the room has a high level of humidity. Then, before purchasing, the material’s instructions must be read. It needs to be resistant to moisture.

Preparing walls for work

It is important to keep an eye on the walls’ condition when applying putty.

• The surface must be absolutely clean, so existing stains of soot, paint or grease must be removed. If there are traces of peeling plaster, it is necessary to carry out deep surface preparation.It is also not recommended to start work if there are frozen sections of the walls, which impairs the quality of the putty applied.
• Before starting repair work, it is necessary to coat the wall with a primer. This will ensure maximum adhesion between the wall and the putty solution. The walls are primed using a small roller, which allows you to evenly apply the primer solution. One coat of primer is sufficient.

You can buy starting, lighthouse, or finishing putty in specialty stores. Let’s examine each material’s range of applications.

Starting putty

Large-grain, coarse material is used to make putty initially. It is usually not difficult to locate and acquire such material.

• The starting putty is intended for working with walls that have significant differences and numerous defects. Depending on the specific conditions, the thickness of the starting putty layer can be 1.5 centimeters.
• The material can be applied in several layers, you just need to wait until the previous layer is completely dry.
• For maximum quality of the work performed, special painting nets are used, which allow you to firmly fix the putty on the surface of the walls and prevent the material from crumbling and delaminating in the future. When using a painting mesh, the walls are plastered solidly. The surface becomes smooth, which reduces the labor intensity of subsequent surface treatment.

Beacon plastering of walls

This kind of putty differs in that it requires the use of beacons, which can be made of wood, plaster, or metal lath.

• All beacons are set in level and attached to the walls using a gypsum mixture. The surface processing of the finish putty can be proceeded exclusively after the gypsum fixation of the beacons is completely hardened.
• For putting putty, spatulas and a long rule can be used, which allows you to simplify work with large walls in their area.
• To control the quality of the work, it is necessary to use the level

The finish putty walls

They start by applying the lighthouse or starting mixture, and then they work on the finish putty.

Please take note that this work is being done with specific compositions with minimal grain, which, with the right processing, will give you perfectly smooth walls.

• It is necessary to apply the finishing putty in a minimal layer, which will ensure an effective appearance of the coating and save costs on repair work.
• In order to reduce material consumption, it is necessary to level the surface even when applying the starting putty, which will reduce the labor intensity of the work performed. In this case, you will be relieved of the need for a long and labor-intensive sanding procedure.

Puttying cracks in walls

Using specific gypsum putties is advised to seal any existing wall cracks.

The malleability and user-friendliness of this material are noteworthy:

• One of the features of gypsum plasters is their long hardening time and the need for preliminary surface treatment before applying the plaster.
• To improve adhesion, it is recommended to scratch the existing cracks with some sharp object, which will subsequently improve adhesion to the gypsum plaster.
• You can also use a primer, and then putty the cracks.

Be aware that the walls need to be primed. The finish’s service life will then be extended as a result of the surfaces’ increased adhesion.

Technology of applying putty

If you use dry putty, you have to follow the directions to the letter. The steps involved in making the putty:

• Pour a small amount of water into the container.
• Using a spatula, mix the mixture.
• Next, you will need a drill with a mixer attachment, with which we will mix the mixture and gradually add water.

Be aware that the prepared solution should have an elastic consistency and adhere to the spatula.

• Apply the prepared starting putty to the walls. This is easiest to do with a large spatula.
• It is necessary to apply the mixture in medium portions, evenly distributing it over the surface.
• It is necessary to hold the spatula at an angle of 30 degrees to the surface.
• To avoid the appearance of bumps and transitions, subsequent layers must be applied overlapping.
• If there are certain defects when applying the starting putty, they can be eliminated by using the finishing material.
• For the highest quality application of putty in corners, it is recommended to use a small corner spatula. Using this angled spatula, you can carefully level the applied mixture in hard-to-reach places.

Note: You can begin working 24 hours after applying the previous layer because the putty dries in a day. The initial putty layer should be roughly two centimeters thick.

• Before proceeding with further wall finishing, you must wait until the material has completely dried. It takes about 12 hours for the finishing putty to dry.
  Only after this can you start sanding the surface with sandpaper. Sanding can also be done using a special grinder, which simplifies the execution of this work.

Note: If you are going to apply multiple layers of putty, you will need to prime the surface in preparation for each new layer.

Applying finishing putty effectively requires careful surface preparation, tool selection, and application technique. Putty can be applied evenly in thin layers, and by waiting for each coat to completely dry before sanding, you can easily achieve a polished, smooth surface. This method guarantees a long-lasting and aesthetically pleasing outcome in addition to saving time.

While applying finishing putty may appear simple, proper technique and attention to detail are necessary to produce a smooth, polished finish. Your walls will look much better in the end if you take the time to properly mix the putty, prepare the surface, and apply it evenly.

Recall that patience is essential. Sand and apply the next layer of putty only after the previous one has completely dried. This will guarantee a perfect finish and stop errors. Take your time; the results of your meticulous work will be evident soon.

Finally, perfection comes from practice. Start small when using finishing putty if you’re not familiar with the material or tools. You’ll discover that getting a gorgeously smooth wall gets easier and more satisfying with practice.

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