What to do after plastering walls: advice from professionals

To get a perfectly smooth and beautiful surface, you need to figure out what to do after plastering the walls. First, the beacons are removed and obvious irregularities are eliminated with the same composition. Then proceed to priming and puttying. Finishing – painting the walls or wallpapering. A detailed description of each stage can be found in this article.

Lighthouses and primer

Plaster compositions dry within several weeks. Moreover, it is advisable to wait 25-30 days to gain strength. Next, you can understand what to do next after plastering the walls. First of all, it is necessary to remove the beacons, level the surface and begin priming. Then you can proceed to the next stage and decide what to putty on the walls after plastering, which is described below.

The first steps will be as follows:

1. Removing beacons. If they are made of a corrosion-resistant material, this is not necessary. On the other hand, finishing walls after plastering involves removing beacons. Some materials may begin to rust, while others may expand or contract depending on temperature changes, thereby reducing the strength of the layer and causing cracks to form.
2. It is advisable to remove the beacons immediately, literally after a few hours - this is the first thing to do after plastering.If several days or weeks have passed, the work will become more complicated, but you can still do it yourself. For dismantling, pliers and a plaster scraper are used. Part of the layer is first removed.
3. Now it is easier to understand what to do after plastering the walls with gypsum plaster. It is clear that due to the removal of the beacons, grooves remain. They need to be sealed with the same composition. Moreover, in damp rooms, on the facade surface it is better to use a cement mixture, and in rooms with dry air - gypsum.
4. Then you need to figure out what to do next after plastering. During work, splashes and drips almost always remain, which also harden and thus form an uneven surface. They are carefully cleaned, and the evenness is determined using a rule.
5. If we talk about what comes after plastering the walls, it’s a primer. It is applied to the surface to remove dents and cracks, after which it is treated with a starting putty composition.
6. When the walls are dry, they begin to level them. In the simplest case, you can use sandpaper or paper for this. Although if you have a grinder and the necessary attachment, it’s easier to use it.
7. At the last stage of preparation, the walls are wiped with a damp cloth, and dust is removed with a vacuum cleaner.

The main stage is putty

Quite often, users wonder whether it is necessary to putty the walls after plastering. This stage of work is mandatory, because the goal of the previous actions is only to prepare the walls.

Choice of putty

To get a perfectly flat surface for finishing, you need to understand what to do with the walls after plastering. To do this, determine which putty to choose. Depending on the structure of the mixture, there are 3 types:

1. Starting – with a granular consistency, based on quartz sand. Used for primary processing, i.e. elimination of the largest defects and cracks.
2. Finish – fine fraction, applied to the starting one in a small layer within 2 mm. The result is a glossy surface that is easy to sand.
3. When studying what to do next after cement plastering, you can also consider the use universal plaster, which combines the functions of starting and finishing. This composition is applied in one layer and simplifies the work, but is more expensive.

When considering the best way to putty the walls after plastering, you need to get acquainted with the types of mixtures depending on their composition:

1. Cement - the most common, universal variety that can be used for work outside and inside. It is resistant to humidity, temperature changes and sunlight.
2. Plaster – very plastic, allow you to achieve a perfectly flat surface, used only for interior work. Once the walls are plastered, we plan what to do next. If you need to paint, gypsum putty is best suited.
3. Polymer based on acrylic, latex, polymer cement. These are particularly resistant compounds that will not be affected by high humidity or temperature changes. They cost more, but they also last quite a long time.

How to putty walls

Now it’s clear what to do next, when the walls are plastered - you need to start puttingty. The work is carried out in several stages, and each of them uses its own tools:

1. Prepare the solution according to the instructions and proceed to the starting putty. This requires a large spatula. It is held at an angle to the wall of approximately 30°.The composition is applied moving in a diagonal direction. You can also apply overlapping layers to avoid bumps.
2. The next stage after plastering the walls is processing even corners. To do this, use an angled spatula and a small spatula. The latter composition is applied to the slope in a small layer, and the corner composition is carefully leveled.
3. Finishing – At this stage you will need a large and small spatula. In this case, the composition is laid in a small layer within 2 mm. A small tool is used to lay the composition on a large one, after which it is distributed over the surface.
4. When the previous layers are completely dry, you need to figure out how to level the walls after plastering. To do this, use the same tools (spatulas of different sizes). The composition is applied as a second layer and then proceed to wallpapering or painting.

Finishing

When the walls are ready after plastering, what to do next is also quite clear. It is necessary to proceed with the finishing (final) finishing - this is painting or wallpapering.

Painting

After filling, the composition must be given at least a day to dry. Then the walls are carefully inspected, directing oblique rays of light, and passed with sandpaper. Next, treatment is carried out using a vacuum cleaner and a hair brush to remove any remaining dust. There is no doubt whether putty is needed after plastering. It is this that provides a perfectly flat surface, which can be further checked by rubbing it with a damp sponge. If there is a dark spot left, moisture has been absorbed, you need to apply a primer, and only after that you can start painting.

Wallpapering

If you plan to wallpaper the walls after plastering, it is enough to lay only the starting composition.Next, check how the wallpaper will look. After drying, the fragment is glued to the surface and checked to see if yellowish spots appear. If everything is in order, the wall needs to be sanded, dust removed and wallpaper glue applied. Next, dry it again and begin gluing.

From this review it became clear what needs to be done after plastering the walls. First you need to carry out preparatory work for “rough” alignment. The beacons are removed and treated with a primer. But to make the surface perfectly smooth, you should use putty. Only after this can you begin finishing.