How to fix drywall on walls without a frame

In rooms where every inch counts, fixing drywall directly to walls without a frame is a great way to save time and space. When the walls are relatively even already and you want a smooth finish without having to deal with building a frame, this method comes in handy.

This method is well-liked in contemporary remodeling projects where efficiency and simplicity are crucial. You don’t need to do a lot of construction work to get a clean, polished look with a few simple tools and supplies.

We’ll take you step-by-step through the procedure in this post, providing helpful hints and advice to help you achieve the greatest outcomes. This guide is simple to follow and put into practice, whether you’re a do-it-yourself enthusiast or just trying to upgrade your house.

Method	Description
Adhesive method	Attach drywall directly to the wall using a special adhesive, applying it in dots or stripes, and pressing the drywall firmly against the wall.
Using foam glue	Apply foam glue to the drywall, then press it against the wall, ensuring it’s level and secure.
Direct attachment with screws	Fix the drywall directly to the wall with screws, typically used if the wall is wooden or has studs for support.

In what cases do not need a frame

The application of glue, along with its quality and texture attributes, are contingent upon the thickness of the drywall and the wall surface that it will be adhered to.

After making a rational judgment, it is clear that drywall walls without a frame are far more practical and profitable. In fact, since installing the frame takes up most of the time, we save money and building materials while also gaining time.

Why, therefore, is this approach less common among builders and is it hardly ever featured on TV shows?

Plasterboard sheets make painting walls much simpler, easier, and less expensive than building a frame.

The truth is that there are a number of limitations that are typical in a typical home or apartment when it comes to attaching plasterboard to a wall without profiles.

These are only a handful of them:

• Humidity of walls. Moisture is the first enemy of plasterboard. Even if you buy moisture-resistant sheets, with frequent, and especially constant contact with moisture, they will quickly become unusable. Gypsum itself does not tolerate water, like paper, and they are the main components of this material. So, if your walls "sweat", then either you need to fix it, or it is better to completely abandon this installation method.

Because drywall is not moisture resistant, the walls need to be primed and treated with water-repellent materials in addition to being treated to prevent drywall from blooming later.

• Curvature. Fastening drywall to a wall without a profile is only possible if the base is relatively flat. The maximum permissible difference is 2 centimeters. It can still be compensated with small inserts. If the difference is greater, then the walls will have to be leveled, and this costs both financial and time.
• Communications. Often, all communications running along the walls are hidden under plasterboard mounted on the frame. This includes electrical wiring, heating pipes, and even ventilation ducts. By mounting the sheets directly to the wall, you will no longer be able to hide it all, which means that all communications will have to be either hidden inside the wall or placed outside the finish, which does not always look attractive.

Pipes and wires can be hidden with the frame; communications cannot be hidden when drywall is installed with glue.

As you can see, there aren’t many restrictions, but they are prevalent. This is likely the reason why frame structures are so well-liked, as they can readily address every issue on the list.

Among the benefits of using a frameless fastening technique are that it saves space and is significantly less expensive than other finishing methods. When installed on walls, even the thinnest profile will take away at least 5 centimeters of space; multiply this by 4 walls, and you’ll have lost an additional 20 centimeters.

Plasterboard finishing walls without adding a frame works well in small spaces because it doesn’t take up extra space in centimeters.

This is particularly important for apartments in the older housing stock, where each square centimeter is precious and preserving the small amount of space is a primary goal of renovations. Now that we have determined the answer to the question of whether plasterboard can be attached to the wall, we can move straight on to the actual procedure, which, while not difficult, does call for an understanding of a few small details.

It’s easy and time and space efficient to fix drywall directly to walls without a frame. Rather than building a wooden or metal framework, the drywall sheets can be adhered to the wall directly using adhesive. This method is best suited for short renovations where every square inch matters and works best on flat, solid surfaces like brick or concrete.

Preparation and installation

It needs to be properly prepared before plasterboard sheets are glued to the wall; otherwise, you run the risk of later developing mold and fungus.

Careful preparation is the first step in any repair, but this is especially true when leveling walls with plasterboard that isn’t framed. The set of tools we’ll need is so basic that we won’t even bother to discuss it, but you should invest as much time as possible in surface preparation because it will determine the longevity and caliber of your finish.

In order to get the glue to stick to the surface as firmly as possible, a plasterboard sheet needs to be glued to the wall and then pressed and held for a while.

The first thing that needs to be done is to take everything unnecessary that might get in the way of the work off the walls. Needless to say, this extends beyond communications or ornamental interior pieces to include the remnants of the previous finish.

If you have wallpaper on your walls, use a spatula to remove it after soaking it in soapy water (see. How to remove wallpaper from walls properly and painlessly), things get a little trickier if the surface is painted. Using the same spatula or trowel, you will need to purchase a specialized paint stripper from the store, apply it to the walls, and then wait a few hours for the paint to dry.

Crucial! Protect your eyes and respiratory system when using paint strippers, and make sure the area is well ventilated. The paint stripper itself is a highly toxic solvent-based chemical, so be prepared for the house to smell strongly of chemicals for the next several hours.

An approximate set of tools that might be required to install drywall on walls is shown in the photo.

The walls need to be treated with an antiseptic primer or a specific deep penetration impregnation after they have been cleaned. This is a crucial point to remember because the primer prevents bacteria from growing, which keeps fungus and mold from growing on the walls.

You cannot start installing right away after application; the walls must first completely dry. Start work only after there isn’t even a drop of uncured primer left on the walls. The drying process can take anywhere from an hour to several days, depending on the humidity and room temperature.

Installation: method one

We will go over each of the two methods in detail so you can decide which one best suits your needs and the features of the room you are repairing. There are two ways to attach drywall to a wall without profiles. Thus, adhering the drywall sheets to the base is the initial technique.

Although this approach is thought to be the quickest and easiest, there are a few drawbacks:

• Glue for drywall has poor adhesion to non-mineral surfaces. If your walls are stone or concrete, then there will be no problems, but if they are built of wood, then it is better to refuse this method of installation.

• Gluing plasterboard occurs in one go, therefore, if some area is left without glue, you accidentally missed it or smeared the mass not so generously, it will no longer be possible to fix the situation.
• If there are elements of the old finish on the wall that you could not remove, there is a high probability that the plasterboard sheet in these places will peel off over time.

You can proceed with safety if none of the above concerns you.

The plasterboard sheets are first cut to the required size. We won’t repeat what has already been said in one of our website’s articles about how to accomplish this; instead, we’ll go straight to applying the glue.

There are a few optimal methods for applying glue that will maximize surface coverage while minimizing the amount of unused space:

• Crosswise.
• Straight lines in one direction.
• Cage. Lines are applied in two directions.
• Snake.
• Along the perimeter and crosswise.

Press the sheet firmly against the wall as soon as the glue has been applied. Holding the sheet for three to four minutes is preferable to letting the solution set for a minute, just to be sure.

As soon as you apply the glue, you must immediately attach the drywall sheet to the wall, pressing it down slightly for improved adhesion.

That’s it; the first component is now complete, and you can proceed to the next and so forth around the room. This is the simplest option available to you if you are doing the repairs yourself, as you can see how easy the process is. If you still have questions, we suggest watching the video in this article, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to attach drywall to a wall without a profile.

Method two

The photo illustrates the second method of installation, which involves utilizing construction dowels with plastic caps to secure the plasterboard sheet to the wall.

Since you can change the pressure of the sheet against the base, this option is thought to be better. Additionally, it is quite practical when the attached sheet reveals areas of weakness. You may recall that this flaw could not be fixed when glue was used, but in this case, all you have to do is hammer in another dowel.

Crucial! Regulate the force while driving the dowels in. You won’t be able to remove the fastener if you hammer it in further than is necessary.

Therefore, we will need a hammer drill and a drill with the right diameter for this installation method. Applying the sheet to the wall and drilling through it into the base itself is how everything is done very simply. It is preferable to begin sewing in the middle of the sheet and work your way outward from there.

You might need eight to twenty dowels, depending on how even the walls are, but you shouldn’t skimp on them because the stronger the fastening, the longer your finish will last.

A workable solution that can save time and space is to fix drywall directly to walls without using a frame. A smooth, polished finish is achievable by selecting the appropriate adhesive and making sure the surface is ready.

This approach works especially well in small spaces or when you don’t want to reduce the size of the room. Just make sure you pay close attention to every step, from putting on the adhesive to fastening the drywall panels.

You can effectively and efficiently transform your walls if you have the right tools and a little patience. Whether you’re building new or remodeling, this method provides an easy way to get the desired outcome.

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