How to properly plaster a brick wall with your own hands: instructions

Figuring out how to plaster a brick wall is not difficult. First you need to thoroughly prepare the surface, then mix the solution and apply it in 3 layers, successively waiting for the previous one to dry. How to do this correctly is described in the presented article.

What kind of plaster is suitable

Before you figure out how to plaster a brick wall, you need to understand which composition is best to choose. There are several types of mixtures - cement-sand, lime, gypsum and perlite.

Cement-sand mixture

This is the most common type of mixture, the basis of which is cement and sand, respectively. Suitable for exterior work and interior decoration. It’s convenient for finishing, so figuring out how to plaster a brick wall with your own hands will be quite easy. Features the following advantages:

• durability – service life up to 30 years;
• good plasticity due to long drying time;
• resistance to high humidity;
• resistance to a wide range of temperatures;
• fire resistance;
• absence of harmful components;
• ease of finishing - no special skills or tools required.

However, when considering how to plaster a brick wall, you need to take into account the disadvantages of cement-sand compositions:

• layers take a long time to dry - several weeks;
• It is very important to follow the finishing technology.

Lime mixtures

Plastering of brick walls is also carried out using lime mixtures, which are divided into 3 groups:

• pure lime;
• mixture with clay;
• mixture with gypsum.

Unlike cement-sand ones, they dry in just an hour. If you figure out how to properly plaster a brick wall, you can immediately get several advantages that these compounds provide:

• long service life;
• fire resistance;
• good grip on the surface;
• ability to pass water;
• bactericidal properties.

But it is also important to know that lime plaster on a brick wall is not resistant to moisture. Such a composition can crack after vibration exposure because its strength is low.

Gypsum mixture

When learning how to plaster a brick wall, you can also consider gypsum mixtures. They quickly gain strength (in just a week) and are characterized by several advantages:

• very flexible and simple;
• allow moisture to pass through;
• protect from cold;
• low density, therefore have low weight;
• fire resistant;
• easy to sand;
• If necessary, this finish can be easily adjusted or repaired.

But there were some downsides. Even if you understand how to properly plaster a brick wall, this will not protect against certain shortcomings:

• instability to high humidity;
• fragility;
• instability to negative temperatures;
• lack of bactericidal properties.

Perlite mixture

Finally, you can plaster a brick wall with a mixture based on perlite. This composition is valuable due to the following advantages:

• increased wear resistance;
• light weight;
• low thermal conductivity;
• fire resistance;
• bactericidal properties;
• satisfactory vapor permeability.

The only downsides are the large amount of dust and the complex technology for mixing the solution.

How to plaster a wall

The work is carried out in several stages. Even a high-quality surface must first be prepared, then begin applying several layers and wait until it dries. Instructions on how to properly plaster a brick wall are described in detail below.

Preparatory stage

First you need to prepare the wall, mix the solution, and also select the necessary tools:

• hammer drill or electric drill;
• spray;
• trowel;
• "half grater";
• rule;
• roulette;
• construction level;
• plumb line

Learning how to properly plaster a brick wall outdoors or indoors should begin with a careful inspection of the surface. Preparatory work is carried out in stages:

1. Removing the old coating.
2. Fixing or replacing loose bricks;
3. Filling cracks and chips.
4. Removing remnants of metal fastening fragments.

Main stage

After this, prepare the solution and follow the instructions on how to plaster a brick wall with your own hands:

1. Be sure to prime the surface. If the brick is of medium density, you can use a universal primer; if the masonry is old, you can use a deep penetration mixture. If external work is planned, the composition must contain an antiseptic.
2. Before plastering brick walls indoors, it is necessary to do reinforcement that will increase the strength of the coating. It can be a mesh made of metal or fiberglass. Install it after the primer has dried - there is no need to do this before.
3. Next, beacons are installed, determining the most convex part of the wall by level and plumb. From it, equal steps are outlined, for example, 60 cm, and beacons are installed. The plane is formed using a nylon cord.
4. To understand how to apply plaster to a brick wall, you need to install guides. They use a metal profile, which is fixed to the wall surface. The first of them is placed at a distance of 10 cm from the edge, then at equal intervals, for example, 100 cm.
5. Now begins the main stage of the instructions on how to properly plaster a brick wall. First, a preparatory layer is applied - spray. It is desirable that it be a little denser - the consistency of thick sour cream. The thickness of the layer is no more than 5 mm; they begin to lay it, moving from bottom to top from the left corner.
6. When the spray is completely dry, apply a second (primer) layer. Its thickness should be 3-4 more, but within 20 mm. In this case, the consistency of the solution should be standard, i.e. slightly less dense than for the first layer. They move in the same way - from the left edge below. Since plaster is not applied evenly on brickwork, it should be leveled according to the rule.
7. Again, wait until it dries and begin laying the last (covering) layer. It should be very thin - only 1-2 mm, but no more. Moreover, at this stage, a mixture with a large proportion of cement should be used, and the filler should be well-sifted fine sand.
8. Finally, at the final stage, grouting is done. To do this, you should not wait for complete drying - on the contrary, it is better to work with a slightly damp surface.

Thus, it is quite possible to put plaster on a brick wall yourself.The work is carried out in several stages, with mandatory preliminary priming and reinforcement. For finishing, it is better to use high-quality mixtures so as not to have to do additional repairs in the future.