Preparing drywall for painting: materials, tools, technology

Painting drywall can give your walls a modern, polished appearance, but it’s crucial to properly prepare the surface before you ever pick up a paintbrush. Well-thought-out preparation guarantees a glossy, long-lasting finish.

We’ll go over the necessary supplies and equipment you’ll need in this guide, as well as how to prepare your drywall for painting. Even if you’re not experienced with do-it-yourself projects, you can still produce results that look professional by following these easy instructions.

Every step, from priming to filling in spaces and blending in rough areas, is crucial to the result. To help you get off to a good start, let’s get started with the process.

Goals

We will first establish the specifications for the paint-ready surface.

It ought to be:

  1. Perfectly smooth. If wallpaper (especially textured) is able to hide quite serious defects of the base, then paint will emphasize them;

First of all, note that glossy-textured paints are covered by this. Gloss uses shadows to draw attention to even the smallest imperfections. The sensitivity of matte surfaces to protrusions and potholes is reduced.

  1. Clean. Dust will sharply worsen the adhesion of paint to the base. In addition, it, collecting in lumps, can make the painted surface uneven, and its color – uneven;
  2. Moderately absorbent. Weak and excessive moisture absorption are equally harmful: in the first case, adhesion (adhesion of paint to the surface) will suffer, in the second, paint consumption will unreasonably increase.

Stages of a long journey

Thus, as stated: gypsum glue is used to secure the GCL to the frame or crate, or, alternatively, to the capital wall. Open mounting seams and fasteners—self-tapping screw heads set slightly below the cardboard shell—decorate the surface of the walls and ceiling.

The video in this article will help you understand them better. Before painting, drywall finishing entails:

Let’s now examine each point in greater depth.

Expansion

The first step in prepping drywall for painting is to extrude the seams between the U-shaped borders. Tool: stationery knife (or, if not available, a short-bladed, sharp kitchen knife). Technology: all U-shaped edges are cut to two-thirds of the plasterboard’s thickness, at an approximate 45-degree angle.

Reinforcement

Materials: thinner glass cloth or serpyanka. Breadth of fabric: 5-8 cm.

Technology: Before filling the seam with the first pass of putty, a serpyanka with an adhesive layer is applied. This is followed by a second layer of putty.

Glass cloth is made with a little more sophisticated technology:

  1. The seam is filled with putty;
  2. After it dries, glass cloth is glued along the seam with PVA glue diluted with water;

A word of caution: avoid attempting to glue the reinforcing material along the seam’s whole length at once. Cutting it into pieces that are approximately one meter long and then sticking the ends together is much easier.

  1. After the glue dries, the seam is puttied again.

Puttiing the seams

Material: finishing gypsum putty or universal putty.

Advantages of it in comparison to rival solutions:

  • Low price (from 12 rubles per kilogram of dry mix);
  • Excellent adhesion with a gypsum core and a GCL shell;
  • Simple processing (gypsum is a fairly soft mineral and can be easily sanded).

Tools: For painting plasterboard putty, use a pair of spatulas that are wide (30–35 cm) and narrow (10–12 cm).

Note: You will also require a container to mix the plaster in addition to the spatulas. Its ideal capacity is 6–10 liters (3–4 liters for a single putty portion). For this, the author uses a plastic bucket made of water-based paint.

  1. Pour water into a clean container (no more than 1/2 of the volume);
  2. Pour the dry mixture into it, distributing it as evenly as possible over the surface of the water;

Caution: When creating your own putty, never wet dry plaster. The reason for the instructions is that, in this instance, very solid, nearly insoluble lumps form at the bottom that are nearly hard to break apart during mixing.

  1. Wait a few minutes and mix the putty until a smooth state. This can be done with a narrow spatula or, which is much more convenient, with a drill with a whisk inserted into its chuck.

Seam sealing involves first filling the seam with crosswise motions using a small spatula (see. How to caulk joints in plasterboard. The most dense filling of the spaces between the plasterboard sheets can be accomplished in this way.

Applying the second layer, which covers the fiberglass or serpyanka texture, requires sliding longitudinal movements with a wide spatula.

Sealing the fasteners: Using a 10-centimeter spatula, putty the self-tapping screw in a few strokes. Using a sliding motion, you first fill the hole with putty and then make a second pass ("for tearing") to remove any excess.

Please take note: wash the dishes and tools as soon as the putty is finished. Dried gypsum lumps can leave incredibly messy putty grooves and ruin the finish entirely by getting under the spatula.

Surface puttying

The same gypsum putty is used to putty the entire plasterboard surface in preparation for painting.

The technology used for its application is the only distinction:

  • The putty is evenly applied to a wide spatula with a narrow one;
  • Then it is applied to the surface of the plasterboard with sliding movements. The layer thickness should be approximately equal to a millimeter;

  • If you cannot apply a layer of constant thickness, putty the wall in two steps with extremely thin (“for tearing”) layers. The second layer is applied at a right angle to the first: this way the inevitable stripes from the edges of the spatula will stand out less.

Sanding

Tool: hand float in severe situations, or a sander (vibration or disc).

The plasterboard is sanded by the author using a vibration sander, which fixes sanding meshes in place of paper. For basic sanding, use mesh No. 80; for finishing, use mesh No. 120.

Please take note: before you sand, we highly advise you to wear safety goggles, a respirator, or at the very least a gauze bandage. In addition to being ineffective, breathing in gypsum dust causes noticeable eye irritation.

Technology: sanding is done at an oblique angle on gypsum board using circular motions of a grater or grinder under bright light. Here, the shadows will make even the smallest imperfections easier to see.

Dust removal

Using an industrial vacuum cleaner is the most convenient option because the filters are impermeable to gypsum dust. Although gypsum is a great abrasive and accelerates the wear of all moving parts in any equipment, a household vacuum cleaner will still function, but expect a noticeable decrease in its service life.

If you don’t have a vacuum nearby, use a floor broom or a standard sweeping brush.

Primer

Using the same binder used to prepare the paint of your choice, primer is made for painting drywall. Gypsum board will be best prepared with latex primer for painting with latex paint; silicone primer works best with acrylic paint for moisture-resistant silicone paint.

Note: Before installing floor and ceiling skirting boards, lamps, and other decorative elements, priming and painting must be done. The only exceptions are baguettes, stucco, and gypsum lamps for painting.

Priming is done in a single layer.

Applying the primer is possible:

  • A roller with long pile;
  • Spray gun;
  • A sprayer for flowers.

A water-based primer will dry in about two hours, so don’t rush into painting right away; wait at least two weeks between filling in the seams and finishing. All of the gypsum’s chemical reactions related to its hydration will be finished during this period. Rushing will cause the seams to show through all the layers of paint like a dark shade.

Materials Tools Technology
Drywall primer Paint roller Apply primer evenly to seal the surface
Joint compound Putty knife Fill joints and screw holes with joint compound
Sandpaper Sanding block Sand the surface to smooth out imperfections
Painters tape Tape measure Mask off areas you don"t want to paint

A smooth and durable finish is ensured by properly priming and painting the drywall. A professional outcome that will last the test of time can be obtained by assembling the necessary supplies and equipment and by following the right procedures.

From cleaning and priming the surface to applying joint compound and smooth sanding, take your time at each step. The way your painted walls look in the end will greatly depend on how carefully you follow these steps.

Whether you’re an experienced painter or a do-it-yourself enthusiast, these tips will help you prepare a perfect paint base, which will ensure the success of your wall finishing project.

Getting ready for painting drywall entails assembling the necessary supplies and equipment, making sure the surface is primed and smooth, and adhering to a simple procedure to produce an impeccable finish. You can confidently take on your painting project by following this article’s step-by-step instructions, which cover everything from choosing the best sandpapers and compounds to applying primer.

Video on the topic

Factory joints (Video course "Painting works as a system from A to Z")

Puttying the ceiling for painting. How to putty drywall?

How to putty drywall walls for painting

System Q1-Q4. Preparing surfaces from KNAUF sheets for finishing coatings

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Dmitry Stepanov

Professional decorator with 10 years of experience. I know everything about renovating apartments, houses and offices. I will be happy to share my knowledge and experience with you.

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