Bathroom walls finished ceramic tiles, look beautiful and stylish. But to lay tiles, it is necessary that all surfaces be perfectly flat, otherwise the finishing material will not last even a few days on them. Therefore, leveling the walls in the bathroom under tiles is required condition before the beginning finishing works. Doing this yourself is not so difficult, the main thing is to follow the instructions exactly and follow all the recommendations.
Methods for leveling walls in the bathroom can be divided into dry and wet. The dry method includes leveling using plasterboard, and the wet method using plaster or special mixtures. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so the choice is determined individually in each specific case. But the base must first be prepared for further finishing work.
Carrying out preparatory work:
- Furniture must be removed from the room.
- It is recommended to cover all plumbing fixtures with bubble wrap to protect them from dust and damage.
- The walls are completely cleaned of dirt and plaster residues.
- Cracks and chips are cleaned and then sealed with mortar.
- On too smooth surface it is necessary to make notches every 15-20 centimeters.
- Surfaces are coated with a special primer for better adhesion. finishing materials with a wall.
To prevent a lot of dust from rising when cleaning the surface, you need to periodically moisten the walls with water. All work is carried out wearing a respirator and protective work gloves.
Let's consider whether it is necessary to level the walls for tiles in the bathroom
In order to determine whether it is necessary to level the surfaces before finishing work, it is necessary to measure the angles (ideally they should correspond to 90°), determine how much smooth walls and whether there are depressions or bulges in them.
Required tools:
- Level (laser or water);
- Plumb;
- Roulette;
- Thin twine;
- Length of the rail.
If the difference in any parameters exceeds 3 millimeters, then leveling is necessary, because laying tiles will be impractical.
If the difference is more than five centimeters, leveling is carried out exclusively with plasterboard.
Useful tips: how to level a wall under tiles with plaster
Leveling walls with plaster is quite difficult, but this method is considered the most reliable and less financially expensive than facing with plasterboard.
In order not to make a mistake with the dosage of components when preparing the solution, it is recommended to buy a ready-made factory mixture, into which you only need to add water according to the instructions and stir.
It is better to use the mixture cement based, since it has water-repellent properties, unlike gypsum plaster.
Stages of plastering work:
- If the walls in the building are crumbling and are not very strong, and the layer of plaster exceeds 3 centimeters, then it is recommended to install a reinforcing mesh.
- Beacons are placed at a distance of no more than one and a half meters from each other.
- A plastic solution is prepared according to the instructions.
- Using a spatula, the mixture is applied in small portions to the wall and leveled along the beacons using special tool- rules.
- During operation, the beacons are gradually removed, and the cavities are filled with solution.
- After the solution has completely dried, you need to prime the walls.
Correct alignment of bathroom walls with plasterboard: different methods
Simple wall covering with plasterboard can be done quite quickly even by a beginner and does not require special construction skills. The frame installation method is more complex, so you will have to spend more time studying the installation technology.
It must be remembered that when installing drywall frame method, on each side the space of the room will decrease by 10 centimeters, so it is not practical to use it in small bathrooms or toilets.
To decorate the walls in the bathroom, only special moisture-resistant plasterboard (green sheets) is used, treated with a special composition against fungus and mold. The wiring must be laid in advance.
Aligning gypsum board walls using a frameless method:
- First, preliminary work is carried out to prepare the foundation.
- Drywall sheets are cut construction knife, according to the measurements taken.
- Glue is applied to the sheet in small slides around the perimeter and in the middle at a distance of 30 centimeters from each other.
- The sheets are glued to the wall by applying strong pressure so that the joints coincide.
- The joints are sealed.
- Treatment is carried out with a moisture-resistant primer.
When installing gypsum boards, you should always check the evenness of the sheets using a level. If the material lies crooked, then it is trimmed using a special wooden hammer.
The procedure for finishing walls with plasterboard using the frame method:
- All surfaces are marked for installation of metal profiles.
- The guide profile is screwed to the ceiling with self-tapping screws, and then, using a plumb line, the location for attaching the guide profile to the floor is determined.
- Then they are installed vertically rack profiles every 60 centimeters.
- The sheets are attached to the profiles with self-tapping screws using a screwdriver. Approximately 100 pieces of fasteners are required per sheet.
- Serpyanka is glued to the seams and they are puttied.
- The walls are treated with primer.
The joints can subsequently be sanded with sandpaper.
Quickly leveling bathroom walls under tiles (video)
Leveling walls is very important stage when conducting repair work In bathroom. If you take this lightly, then all subsequent work will go down the drain. A perfectly flat surface is the key to the fact that the tiles will be easy to install and will remain on the walls for quite a long time.
Laying ceramic tiles requires a well-prepared base. Most often, such a base is a wall, the degree of preparation of which determines the quality and durability of the cladding. Leveling the walls in the bathroom is the most important stage of such preparation.
The need to prepare bathroom walls
For high-quality and reliable cladding with ceramic tiles, only a few conditions are necessary:
- suitability of the base for good glue adhesion;
- conditions that provide as uniform conditions as possible for the adhesive to set and gain strength;
- other conditions - quality of the dry adhesive mixture, cleanliness of the tile surface, quality of water for the glue, etc.
The alignment of the walls in the bathroom is crucial. This is what makes it possible to achieve an identical and uniform layer and conditions for setting and hardening of the glue. A flat wall is, in fact, a “sketch” of the cladding, that is, a plane that forms the future tiled surface.
Assessment of the quality of walls for cladding
To make any decisions about the method of preparing walls for tiles, you must first evaluate their quality. Here are the wall parameters that are important to know:
- general compliance of the wall surface with the vertical and horizontal directions;
- surface evenness;
- wall material and its condition;
- accuracy of corners in a rectangular room.
A full check of all these parameters can be carried out using the simplest tools - a plumb line, a thin cord, a tape measure, a level for determining horizontal lines. The rake rule will simplify such verification. It must be remembered that high quality surface under tiling should not have deviations from the plane of more than 2-3 mm, and the same deviations from the vertical to the normal height of the room.
How can you level bathroom walls for cladding?
There are two fundamentally different ways to get a smooth wall under tiles. The first method is to process and prepare the existing surface. The second method is to duplicate the required surface with guaranteed high-quality sheet material.
The first method - processing and preparing the existing surface - is applicable to partitions and walls made of any material. Practical implementation This method may be individual in nature due to the characteristics of the object. The main thing is to obtain a complete and uniform base based on the existing wall or partition. Most often this is plaster.
Leveling the walls in the bathroom using the second method is practically implemented in the form of lining the problem wall with plasterboard or its analogues. Of course, only moisture-resistant material is used.
Both ways can be done House master- a craftsman with his own hands. It must be said that leveling walls with duplicate plasterboard cladding is fundamentally simpler than plastering. This is the fundamental advantage of modern “dry” technology, which does not require special skill and experience.
Leveling walls by plastering
Before leveling the walls in the bathroom by plastering, you should remove individual protruding elements - parts of unevenly laid bricks or blocks. These places are determined by checking with a plumb line and a rod. Vertical beacons are installed on the wall to be treated - standard lightweight profiles made of galvanized steel.
Thick layers of plaster need to be reinforced with a thin mesh attached to the wall.
The accuracy of the beacons' installation determines the alignment accuracy. Plaster mixture is applied and leveled along the beacons, and after obtaining a plane, they can be removed and the grooves remaining after them can be sealed. The finished plane is primed.
This preparation ensures a uniform base, which means that the adhesive under the tile will be applied in a layer of the same thickness. Such a layer of glue will harden evenly, and this is the key to long-term preservation of a smooth and precise tiled surface. Characteristic advantage Such preparation ensures maximum strength of the cladding.
Preparing walls for tiles with plasterboard
The use of drywall is important in several cases:
- the need for prompt completion of all work;
- the master’s lack of plastering skills;
- large bathroom space;
- limited period of operation of tiling.
Most often, when choosing how to level the walls in the bathroom, the home master determines the possibility of a slight loss of area due to the distance from the drywall to existing wall. This is important in small bathrooms. It should be taken into account that the gap between the drywall and the wall may not exceed 10 mm if its sheets are attached with glue. Installation of plasterboard on profiles requires a distance to the walls of at least 25 mm.
The master is required not to deviate from standard technology installation, but use common constructive sense in non-standard situation, for example, when designing the necessary inspection and technical openings and hatches. It is especially important to ensure the reliability of fastening the sheets around the perimeter, where there are often obstacles to laying profiles. Finished surfaces prime, and after that - lay the tiles.
Basic solutions for preparing walls for tiles
Before leveling the walls in the bathroom, you need to carefully weigh all the factors that may affect the result. We must not lose sight of further work - painting the walls, installing plumbing equipment.
For example, installing a washbasin is much easier on a surface built on plaster rather than plasterboard. On the contrary, for painting the upper part of the walls, preparation from sheet material represents a completely finished base.
The main thing is consistent implementation design idea, to which all technical solutions must be subject. The better the result of the repair and the pleasure of working with your own hands.
Let's learn how to level the walls in the bathroom so that the laid tiles look neat and beautiful.
As you know, smooth walls in buildings are quite rare (especially in multi-storey buildings), and the coating laid on a curved wall looks sloppy.
This point is most obvious after laying the tiles, and since they are installed strictly along the lines, the curvature of the room becomes even more noticeable.
Therefore, you first need to determine how smooth your walls are, and only after that start tiling. If the deviation is no more than 3 cm, then alignment should not be done.
If the curvature exceeds this figure, then alignment under the tiles must be done. Before leveling the walls in the bathroom, you first need to prepare the surface.
Preparatory work
Preparatory work is an extremely important point, because if you do not clean the walls correctly, then after a certain period of time the cladding will begin to fall off, no matter how expensive the material is and no matter how well it is laid tiles.
It is very simple to explain this point.
If dirt, grease or any other foreign particles are left on the base, the glue will not be able to properly adhere to the wall, this will swell the tiles and lead to the tiles falling off in the future.
In order for the tile to serve long years, must be observed simple rules when installing it:
- the wall must be strong and level;
- the surface must be completely free of dust;
- Laying tiles must be extremely clean and dry.
As you can see, cleaning the walls and preparing the surface for tiles are of fundamental importance. Let's study how to clean walls in more detail.
Wall cleaning
If this is a new building and the walls in the bathroom have not yet been finished with anything, you just need to remove dirt, dust and remnants of building materials from the surface.
Spatula or sandpaper will help you remove dirt manually. To completely remove dust, you need to use a special primer.
Alternatively, you can use PVA by adding a little water to it. If the house is not new and there was already other finishing on the walls, then before laying new tiles, it must be dismantled, removing everything without a trace.
Afterwards, remove dust and level the surface of the walls.
The most difficult moment is the removal especially durable materials. Removing old tiles or paint is not easy.
A putty knife will not help get rid of old paint and as an alternative, you can use a hammer and chisel, making frequent cuts.
If the premises are non-residential, then removal paint and varnish materials produced with the help of fire.
Wall alignment can be done different ways, it all depends on the layout of the house and the bathroom itself.
In old brick buildings one method is used, in new buildings made of concrete another method is used.
Let's not go deep into them and look at how to level walls with plaster and drywall using standard methods.
Plastering walls
Plastering is usually used if the walls have minor differences. This method is quite common and easy to use.
To implement it, you need to prepare the following tools:
- drill or construction mixer;
- lighthouse slats;
- level;
- primer roller.
Having prepared all the tools, you can start working.
We clean the surface, remove debris and dust. We treat the walls with a primer. If there are looseness on the wall surfaces, the primer should have high coefficient gluing.
Thanks to the primer, hardening occurs in the surface layer of the wall, which eliminates the possibility of it absorbing moisture when applying plaster.
Using a plumb line and level, we determine the curvature of the wall and the approximate amount of plaster. If the curvature of the walls is less than 1 cm, the defect can be eliminated while laying the tiles.
We correct walls whose curvature exceeds 1 cm using a beacon.
We attach the beacons using a plaster solution or using special fasteners.
It is better to use fasteners; they not only reduce the time required to complete the work, but also increase the level of accuracy of placing beacons.
We install the beacons along the edge of the wall, stretch a string between them and place intermediate slats along it every meter (do not forget to align the slats, oriented horizontally and vertically).
Mix the solution, being careful not to make it too liquid, otherwise it may shrink too much when it dries. The mixture should not flow along the wall, but be slightly viscous.
Distribute the solution between the beacons. Immediately after application, remove the beacons and fill the spaces left behind with a small amount of the mixture.
We wait for the applied mixture to dry completely, then we rub the surface using a polyurethane trowel (if the plaster is cement) or a trowel with a sponge (if the plaster is gypsum), completely leveling the surface.
On such a prepared surface, you can already lay tiles. As you can see, this process of leveling walls with plaster is quite simple and can be easily done with your own hands.
Leveling with drywall sheets
If the difference in curvature exceeds 5-6 cm, then it is best to correct such an obvious defect with plasterboard. It must be installed on the entire wall.
To do this, prepare:
- assembly adhesive;
- level;
- jigsaw;
- rubber hammer.
The installation instructions are quite simple:
- We thoroughly clean the wall of dirt, grease and prime it;
- Mode plasterboard sheets to the desired size;
- We glue the sheets from top to bottom, level them using a level and a rubber hammer;
- After installing the drywall, we seal small seams using dispersion (finishing) putty;
- Afterwards, we apply a deep-penetrating primer to the surface again.
Now you know how to level the walls in the bathroom. Just remember, if the wall has severe destruction, then such leveling with drywall should not be carried out.
This method can only correct curvature.
Elimination of local damage can also be corrected with plasterboard, but for this it is necessary to install special metal profiles under it.
If the room has walls with curvature, then the floor, as a rule, also has its own shortcomings. Let's also look at how to level the floor.
Leveling the floor
Self-leveling flooring is extremely easy to make.
Divorce ready mixture(sold in construction stores) to a liquid consistency (the mixture should not be thick, otherwise the floor will be uneven, so it is better to make the solution a little thinner) and fill it to the level of the highest point.
Afterwards we leave the floor to dry.
Laying cement-sand screed reminds plastering work: first the beacons are placed, then the solution is applied. Before applying the solution, preparation should be carried out flooring.
If minor defects are found on the surface of the floor covering, they are simply cleaned.
If there are many deep cracks, they are covered with non-shrink cement.
Afterwards, the floor surface is dust-free and primed to increase the adhesion of the screed to the concrete.
The solution is made from a mixture of sand, concrete and water. The consistency should not contain lumps, so it is better to use a special construction mixer.
Below is a video showing how to level a bathroom floor.
Beacons are removed only when the solution has set and dried sufficiently. The spaces remaining after the beacons are filled with the same mixture.
The thickness of the applied solution can be different, it all depends on what kind of base you have. After the screed has dried, waterproofing must be applied to the bathroom floor.
As a rule, it is used for these purposes coating waterproofing– mastic. The mastic is applied 2 times to create required thickness layer.
Experts recommend leveling the walls before laying tiles. The quality of the repair depends on many factors. It is very important to use quality materials and tools, know what technology to use, consider surface quality and room conditions. Very often, users ask about how to level a wall under tiles. Tiles are one of the most common materials for finishing walls and floors in the bathroom and kitchen. In order for the tile to be securely attached, it is necessary to carefully prepare the surface before laying it.
Those who are not doing renovations for the first time know how important it is to prepare the surface before finishing. To prepare the wall for installation, you need to remove old layer coverings. The goal is to get to a base that will be suitable for further processing.
If the previous finishing was also done with tiles, then it must be removed, not forgetting about the adhesive solution.
To make the process of removing the slabs easier, you need to thoroughly clean the seams, wet the entire wall well with water and leave it to soak for a couple of hours. Using a chisel, you need to pry off the outermost tile, then tap the chisel with a hammer so that the tile comes away from the wall. The tiles can also be removed using a chisel, but then the safety of the tiles is not guaranteed.
IN mandatory You should prepare the walls by cleaning them from dust and old coating
How to remove paint, whitewash and decorative plaster:
Today, kitchens and bathrooms are rarely wallpapered. But if this type of finishing is in the room, it must be completely removed and the wall washed of glue. It is important to remember that the slightest remnants of old material can impair adhesion strength.
How to level walls for tiles
Several methods can be used to level the surface. The first is to putty. To do this, the wall is completely cleaned of dust, degreased and primed. After this, you need to install beacons and calculate the amount of materials that will be needed.
You can do without putty, or putty in one layer, only if, when measuring the differences, it turns out that they are less than 1 centimeter.
Plastering walls is best done cement-sand mortar. If putty is performed in the bathroom, pay attention to high humidity. That is why they choose putty with a reduced level of water absorption. You can level the putty using a spatula. It is not at all necessary that the surface be perfectly flat.
There are several ways to level the surface, which you can choose at your discretion.
How to straighten a wall with a strong curvature:
- Purchase sheets of drywall that are resistant to moisture.
- Attach the slabs to the wall with metal profiles.
- Foam or plaster the joints with honey slabs.
This leveling method is quite simple, fast and least expensive. To lay the slabs on the prepared surface, it must be properly processed. This should be taken seriously, since poor preparation surface will definitely cause the tile to fall off or swell sooner or later.
Recommendations: how to prepare walls for laying tiles
The surface on which the tiles are laid, no matter where: in the kitchen, bathroom or toilet, must be strong and durable. It also doesn’t matter what kind of tiles will be laid: lightweight ceramic or granite. But the preparation of the wall will be different if the tiles are laid outside rather than indoors.
The first thing you should pay attention to is the type of surface - the stages of work and the amount of time to complete them depend on this.
If a wooden surface is being prepared for laying tiles, attach it to it. metal grid, which is then plastered. Plastering of concrete and brick walls is possible. You can refuse plaster if the base is plasterboard or ceramic brick.
Additionally, you can level the walls before laying the tiles
Tips for surface preparation:
If, after removing the plaster, cracks and swellings remain on the wall, they should be repaired. After removing the old finishing materials, you can start leveling the wall. Many people wonder whether it is necessary to level the walls perfectly, or whether it is possible to lightly plaster the surface. The answer can be found in the next section.
Do I need to plaster the walls before laying tiles?
To perform capital and high quality repairs surfaces in any room, it is imperative to plaster the walls. This stage of work involves additional material and time expenses, but also significantly increases the service life of the tiles.
For durable, reliable and high-quality repairs, the wall must be plastered with cement mortar.
It is not recommended to cover walls with gypsum mixtures, as they quickly crumble when exposed to moisture, lose strength and become damaged. Gypsum plaster Great for wallpapering, but absolutely not acceptable for laying tiles. Putty must be carried out carefully, calculating the size of the room, taking into account deviations from the level. The use of beacons is recommended.
Cement mortar can be used to plaster walls
Why do you need plaster:
- For uniform distribution of the tile adhesive layer;
- Correct load distribution, which will lead to high-quality laying of slabs;
- Compensate for uneven walls.
Plaster makes it so that glue mixture can be applied in an even layer, avoiding excess. A large layer of glue can significantly slow down the workflow and reduce quality tiling. Plaster will make laying tiles easier, faster and cheaper.
Leveling walls for tiles (video)
Before carrying out repair work on laying tiles, you must familiarize yourself with the necessary list of preparatory work. It is important to prepare the surface for laying tiles, no matter whether it is a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. The tile will hold strong and reliably if done preliminary preparation surfaces, especially when it comes to preparing concrete or brick walls. It is necessary to level the surface - this will improve the quality of applying the mortar for laying tiles and speed up the completion of repair work. Plastering is an important stage, avoidance of which can lead to the fact that the tiles may simply fall off in the near future.
The alignment of walls in the bathroom has its own characteristics. After all, there is a humid environment here and correct execution the work plane may become deformed and become unusable.
How to level the walls in the bathroom under tiles and how to do it correctly, we will look at today. Also in the video in this article and photos you can see the most difficult areas of the work.
Using dry plaster
If there are large deviations of the wall from the axis, then you can level the bathroom walls with hypocardboard, but it must be moisture resistant. Indeed, over the past few years, dry plaster has become quite a popular method for repairs.
Attention: It is worth keeping in mind that it is advisable to use this method provided that the difference on the wall that is being repaired is in no case less than ten centimeters.
In order to achieve maximum effect, using plasterboard, you can use assembly adhesive and simple plasterboard sheet(see How to glue drywall to a wall yourself). The most famous glue today belongs to the Knauf company and is called Perlfix.
- For the subsequent cladding of each of the walls using gypsum plasterboard, it is necessary to take into account that the selected base must meet certain requirements, namely to be durable and also without crumbling areas.
- Also, the wall must first be as protected as possible from possible excess moisture.
- Under no circumstances should there be condensation or, for example, freezing in any places.
- All solutions used in repairs, oils and other products that may have bad influence the properties of the adhesive that interact with the wall must be removed by you.
- In the future, the walls must be primed.
- If you want to optimize the repair process, it is better to immediately cut to the required length. In this case, cutting must be carried out taking into account the need to leave gaps between the floor itself and the sheet, as well as the ceiling and the sheet.
Attention: Before the gypsum board installation process begins, all hidden wiring must be installed.
Leveling with plaster
How to line the walls in the bathroom is decided at the initial stage. It mainly depends on the size of the application layer and the material of the base plane. The first option has already been described above, this is drywall. But most people choose plaster.
It is necessary to consider this process in stages so that the need to level the walls in the bathroom under the tiles with your own hands does not become a problem. Now let's look at how to level the walls in the bathroom using this material in detail.
Preparing the plane
The first thing that is important to do is to prepare the wall for plaster. All actions at this stage depend solely on the wall material used.
Here are some points that you should definitely pay attention to:
- For preparing and cutting joints on stone walls you must use a special metal brush.
- If the bathroom walls are made of wood, then it is important to purchase wooden shingles. With its use there should be an arrangement next plan: shingles are filled with the first layer diagonally, and the second - at approximately 90 degrees relative to the first layer. The approximate distance between adjacent elements and the thickness of the shingles is about 1 centimeter. You can stick it on the wall using simple small nails. also in Lately, if it is necessary to plaster a wooden wall, a metal mesh is often used. In this case, each cell should be no larger than 4 cm by 4 cm.
- Brick wall should initially be cleared of any debris, including elements of previous finishing and dust. Upon completion of this work, special seams are applied to it with a depth of no more than two centimeters. To create high-quality seams, use the simplest chisel.
- Concrete walls They undergo basically the same treatment as any brick walls. The difference is that after processing the elements of the old finish, it is necessary to make small notches with a length of no more than 2 cm and a depth of no more than 1 cm. After this, each wall is carefully rubbed with a damp rag and left to dry before further work.
Preparing the mixture
It is better to choose a cement mortar for leveling bathroom walls (see Cement plaster: doing it right). It is least susceptible to moisture. If you are preparing a dry mixture, then before you start creating the mixture, you must read the instructions that are written on the bottom of the package, since it already includes in its points all the most important points and it is them that you should pay attention to during this process.
Attention: The mass of the solution must be completely homogeneous. It is important to stir as many liters in the solution clean water so that when further work While you were running a spatula over the resulting solution, no spreading was immediately noticeable on it.
That is, the plaster should ideally still be diluted with a certain amount of water. Also, be especially careful that it does not become too liquid. Keep in mind that what a large number of water will increase the time of the evaporation process. This can further cause compression of the base itself.
Applying the base layer
The first stage involves clearing the surface of various dirt that may have accumulated. There is paint, dust, and much more. All you need to do in the end is to give the wall some roughness.
- After cosmetic cleaning, all noticeable irregularities and protrusions visible to the naked eye are eliminated. If you want the plaster to adhere better, it is important to apply special notches to the selected concrete wall. This can be done quickly enough with a chisel.
- There are cases when the base of the wall is made of wood, in which case shingles are necessarily placed on it. There are situations that completely previously caused by the previous owners of the premises old paint off the wall in the usual way It just doesn't get deleted.