When conducting construction, one way or another you will have to face the issue of putty. Topics that will be raised along with the repair are leveling the walls, priming, choosing the right materials, and how to mix putty. We have already answered some of these important questions. Now let’s look in detail at how to dilute the putty.
It’s worth noting right away that the putty is intended for:
- leveling walls;
- covering small cracks, holes and chips;
- sealing walls and connections;
- as a preliminary step before wallpapering or painting walls.
Any putty can be either in a dry state - a powder, or in an already prepared state - a mixture. In the first case, you will have to add water to the dry mixture yourself and beat very thoroughly with a mixer or by hand (which is highly not recommended). In the second case, you can only slightly dilute the solution if it seems thick (which is unlikely) and it is ready for use. You might immediately think that the first type of putty is most likely not popular - but no. It is more often used than the second one due to its cheapness and ease of transportation, transportation and storage. Everyone chooses the type of putty that suits them.
How to dilute dry putty
If you still decide to buy dry putty rather than wet, then you will need:
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When all the ingredients and tools are ready, you can begin to perform the main task - interfering. To do this, you need to pour a certain amount of dry putty into a bucket or basin, pour the required amount of water on the floor and start mixing. During the mixing process, water must be gradually added until it is all used up. Next, the mixture should rest quietly for about 5 - 10 minutes, depending on the type of putty, and you can start using it.
Every builder will wonder how much water to use. If the mixture is purchased, the answer is clear and it is indicated on the packaging. If the mixture was produced at home, then according to the standard you will need 400 grams of water per 1 kilogram of the mixture. The consistency of the building material should be similar to thick sour cream.
The question of how to mix putty will affect any builder or home owner in one way or another - so it’s worth immediately studying exactly all the information on the topic, and then proceeding with implementation.
Features of starting and finishing solutions
To understand how to properly dilute putty, you need to make a choice of what you need. It is known that among the types of putty there are:
- Starting;
- Finish;
- For walls;
- Ceiling;
- Facade;
- For interior parts of the room
Depending on which putty is chosen, there will be an answer to the question of how to properly dilute the putty. Why does the answer depend on the type? Because each solution has its own required volume of water, its own required thickness and consistency.
For example, the first - starting - mixture is needed to level the walls; its layer can reach up to six centimeters in order to hide very large defects. Therefore, it should not be liquid; the thicker the mixture, the better it will fit into the recesses and the faster it will dry later. But don't overdo it.
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It is also very important how the master will apply the plaster to the wall. If this is a manual method, then the solution must be thicker. If you plan to automate the process, then you should get an airless spraying machine and spatulas of different sizes - preferably 45 centimeters, 60 centimeters, 80 centimeters and 1 meter. When applied to the wall automatically, the mixture should be slightly thinner than when applied manually.
The finishing putty should be more liquid, since we will apply it very thinly. In the final version, the question of how to dilute the putty is very often not raised, since many people prefer to take it already diluted, right in the bucket.
I would like to provide some tips so that the question of how to dilute putty does not remain unknown:
- It is worth taking into account that the proportion of dry solution and water is different for each mixture. Carefully read all instructions, all requirements and under no circumstances ignore them.
- Before applying the solution, the wall must be clean, dry, free from fungus or mold. It must be pre-treated with a primer, also diluted with water.
- every time after using the tools, clean them and wash them, and throw away the excess mixture, it is not intended for storage.
- get a respirator for working with dry solution - this will ensure safe work.
- If you decide to buy a large spatula so that the cherished task progresses faster, take care of a small spatula, it is easy to “throw” the resulting solution onto a large device.
- Do not mix too much solution at one time. Analyze how much building material you can use at a time and use exactly that amount. Don’t skimp on the solution – it’s better to put in more and remove the excess.
- if there are large potholes in the wall, it is better to immediately cover them separately and bring the surface to a more or less even layer. And then deal with the complete leveling of the surfaces of the room.