Decorating a bathroom with tiles is one of the best and most popular solutions. However, in order for the tile to hold firmly to the walls, be durable, you need to pay attention to the quality of the base. If it is uneven, you should initially treat the surface in a special way. There are several methods for conducting this process. How to align the walls in the bathroom with tiles, what materials and tools to use in this case, will be described later.
Where to begin?
Mounting tiles on the walls of the bathroom with your own hands, you can encounter a number of difficulties. Often the walls in houses or apartments are so uneven that you can’t even lay tiles on them. Often a similar problem is observed on old surfaces that have been coated many times with different layers of finish. So bumps accumulated.
Sometimes the walls are initially curved. Even in new apartments, this is found. To make a decision about the need to level the walls, you need to determine how large the defects are. First of all, it will be necessary to completely remove the old layers of decoration. Only then can we begin to assess the quality of the surface.
There are different ways to align the walls in the bathroom with tiles. To choose the best technique, you will need to evaluate how uneven the walls are. Local recesses can simply be puttied. The following actions will help you make the right decision:
- determination of the accuracy of the angles in the room;
- correspondence of vertical and horizontal lines;
- the presence of protrusions and depressions.
To take measurements, level, tape measure, slats, plumb line and thin cord are used. If during the measurements it turns out that the deviations in different parts of the plane are 3 mm, you will need to align the walls. There are different ways to do this.
How to measure the evenness of the walls?
To mount the tiles on the walls in the bathroom, you need to check their verticality. This is one of the most important indicators. If to lay a tile on insufficiently vertical surfaces, in the corners it will have to be cut under the wedge. It looks ugly.
To check if the walls are vertical, you will need to use a plumb line. It is necessary to fix a nail to the top of the wall. A thread should be attached to it. It is necessary to evaluate the position of the thread below. Visually deviations can be checked using a tape measure and a ruler. If the difference in the distance between the ceiling and the floor of the thread is more than 1 cm, you will have to level the wall. If the angle between the walls is not straight, but has small deviations up or down, this is not a problem for tiles.
Next, you need to use a rake or a long rule. The tool is applied to the wall. So you can determine if there are hollows or protrusions on the wall.
It is necessary to lean the rail against the surface of the base in several places. If you find a lot of small irregularities, you will have to level the walls with sheets of drywall or OSB. If the differences are more than 2 cm, there are a lot of them, you will have to not only use the plates, but also mount them on the frame.
If there are few bulges, they can simply be cut down. Several recesses can be putty. If the irregularities are minor, they are smoothed out using a layer of glue for the tiles.
Alignment methods
There are several ways to align the walls in the bathroom. There are only four options. The first one involves patching small bumps. If there are quite a few irregularities, you can completely finish the entire surface of the base with a solution.
If the irregularities are significant, sheets of drywall are glued to the walls, or in the most difficult cases, when the walls are very curved, they are mounted on a frame. The last of these options is used as a last resort. Due to the arrangement of the frame, the space in the bathroom is reduced. Usually this is a room with a rather modest size. Reducing it even by a few centimeters will be noticeable.
The stucco composition will solve many problems in the case of uneven walls. On sale are two main groups of such mixtures. The first category includes cement-sand plasters. They are resistant to moisture. Therefore, they are ideal for a bathroom. One of the most popular types of materials in this group is M300 sand concrete (50 kg), the price of which varies from 145 to 200 rubles. for packing.
Plaster compositions for these purposes are categorically not suitable. They are hygroscopic. Therefore, such mixtures will accumulate moisture in themselves, quickly collapsing. For the bathroom, the M-300 cement-sand mixture will be an ideal option .
Tools and materials
To align the walls, you will need to prepare a number of tools and materials. The list may vary depending on the method chosen. So, the master should have at hand a level, a trowel for applying the mortar, brushes for the primer, a wide spatula for plastering. You also need to prepare a grater for grouting and the rule. The solution is kneaded in a clean bucket, which usually has a capacity of 5 liters. Work is carried out with gloves. You will also need a drill with a mixer nozzle and a tape measure. If you plan to install GKL sheets, you will need special glue or guides (metal profile, self-tapping screws, dowels).
If you plan to resort to the help of sand concrete M300 (50 kg), the price of the finished material will vary depending on the manufacturer and the additives included in its composition. According to the reviews of professionals, the following cement-sand mixtures (packing 50 kg) are the most popular today:
- "Titanite" - 144 rubles.
- Fix - 159 rub.
- Baumax - 167 rub.
- De Luxe - 179 rub.
- Dauer - 181 rub.
In addition to plaster, you will need to purchase a primer. It is chosen according to the type of wall. If they are made of loose material, it is worth acquiring a deep penetration composition, for example, Ceresit ST-17 (1 liter - 115 rubles), Bauproffi (2.5 kg - 100 rubles).
For surfaces that do not absorb moisture, pre-treatment with concrete contact should be performed. This primer increases the adhesion of materials, which will significantly increase the life of the tile. Experts advise purchasing concrete contact “Cerezit ST-19” (5 l - 460 rubles), “Dali” (3.5 l - 365 rubles) and “Krafor” (3 l - 260 rubles).
Surface preparation
If you plan to cover the surface of the walls with plaster, you must properly prepare the walls. It is necessary to take out all the extra items from the bathroom. After that, remove the old finish from the walls. For this, the walls are treated with a spatula or grinder with a special nozzle. This work is very dusty and quite long. Professionals recommend periodically wetting the walls with water (from a spray bottle).
Next, you need to process the cracks. They are embroidered (enlarged) with a knife or spatula at an angle of 90 °. Then they are carefully sealed with cement mortar. If the walls are smooth, you can make small serifs on them with a knife. Next, you need to treat the base with a primer. The composition is selected depending on the type of surface. If the walls are smooth, you need to apply concrete contact “Ceresit ST-19” or another similar product on them. For loose surfaces, deep penetration primers are on sale.
It is also worth noting that if water or sewage fittings are fixed to the wall, it must be cut off with a grinder. Carrying out major repairs in the bathroom, you can think over all the nuances of redevelopment. You can, for example, install a shower instead of a bathtub or rearrange plumbing so that it is most convenient to use.
Wall plastering
Special technology must be followed in the process of plastering walls. A cement-sand mortar should be coated evenly. For this, special profiles, called beacons, are pre-installed on the surface. With their help, the layer is applied evenly.
Installation of beacons requires attention from the master. The profiles should be located close enough to each other so that the spatula, when moving, captures two elements at the same time. Usually lighthouses are placed at a distance of 1.5 m.
When this work is completed, you can begin to plaster the walls. The solution must be prepared in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. It is consumed within 20-30 minutes. The layer is chosen depending on the unevenness of the walls. It can be from 5 to 20 mm.
The mixture is spread on the wall with a spatula. You can sprinkle the solution in heaps. After this, the layer is leveled according to the prepared beacons. Experts argue that it is easier to spread the solution. Therefore, you need to initially mix a thicker composition. The rule is moved along the lighthouses, removing excess cement-sand mixture. After about an hour, you need to level the surface. To do this, use metal slats or a wide spatula. Using tools, the excess solution is removed and the voids are filled. The layer should be as even as possible.
Until the solution has finally set, it is necessary to remove the beacons. A trowel needs to cover up the formed troughs.
Shutdown
Studying how to align the walls in the bathroom with tiles, the use of plaster should be considered as one of the best options. After this finish, the space in the bathroom will decrease slightly, however it will be almost imperceptible.
When the cement-sand layer is completely dry, it is covered with a primer. Suitable deep penetration composition. Walls that will often get water are recommended to be waterproofed. Often this material is used to decorate the joints of walls, as well as walls and floors. It is also recommended to cover the entire surface of the lower floor with a waterproofing layer.
After that, you can begin the procedure for laying tiles. It does not require a perfectly flat surface, so grinding the dried solution is not required. If after leveling the walls it was decided to paint the walls, you need to carefully grind the dried solution. For this, special graters are used. It is better to cover the surface with another layer of plaster. Only in this case should it be the finish line. Such a composition has a fine fraction. It is laid on the starting layer very thinly. After drying, the solution is ground. This results in a perfectly smooth surface.
Plasterboard installation on glue
In old houses, you can often find a bathroom with a window. The owners strive to close this architectural object, creating the integrity of the interior in the bathroom. For this, drywall sheets are used. Using this material, you can also align the walls in the presence of a large number of small irregularities.
There are two ways to attach GCR. In the first case, the sheets are fixed on glue directly to the surface of the base. This method is suitable if the differences are up to 2 cm. The second option involves the construction of a frame. To fix the drywall on the glue, you will need to prepare the walls in the same way as for plastering.
The surface of the walls is primed with an appropriate composition. This layer should dry well. Drywall is better to choose moisture resistant. It can be cut with a regular clerical or construction knife.
Around the perimeter of each sheet, as well as in the center, special glue is applied with small cakes. The distance between each of them is 30 cm. Next, the sheets are pressed against the wall. Drywall is staggered. Each sheet after installation is checked for unevenness level. This should be done quickly, until the glue has frozen.
Next, the seams between the sheets need to be puttied. When the composition dries, it is rubbed with sandpaper. Next, the walls are treated with a primer.
Frame mounting
Considering the ways how to level the walls in the bathroom under the tile, you should pay attention to such a radical way as mounting the frame for GKL sheets. To do this, you need to draw a drawing of the future design. This method is suitable only for a spacious bathroom.
Profiles must be installed at a distance of 60 cm from each other. It is worth considering that the fixation of each sheet is made along the edge of the cut. It should be located exactly in the center of the profile. Therefore, the entire structure is thought out in advance. If the GKL sheet needs to be cut somewhere, this is necessarily taken into account when creating the frame.
Additionally, it is worth considering the installation of vertical profiles. They will not allow drywall to bend. Screw the screws into the sheets in these areas is not required. These are just additional stiffeners.
The profile must have a length corresponding to the height of the ceiling. To cut the profile, you will need to use metal scissors or a grinder.
First you need to fix the guide profile on the floor. For this, dowels are used. Perforated suspensions are fixed on the wall at a distance of 50-60 cm. All of them should be located on one vertical line. After that, the extreme profiles are mounted. During the performance of this work, you must use the level.
When all structural elements are exposed, you need to fix them with metal screws. Then between the extreme elements you need to pull the rope. You need to navigate along it, mounting the remaining vertical profiles of the frame.
Installation complete
When studying how to align the walls in the bathroom with tiles using drywall, you should consider the installation completion procedure. When all the profiles are mounted, you need to fix the GKL sheets on them using self-tapping screws. It should be done carefully. If you pull the screw, you can push the material.
Be sure to leave room for fastening the adjacent sheet. When all the work has been done, you will not need to putty the joints. It is only necessary to clean the surface of construction debris. Plates should not bend. If this happens, the glue will crack and the tile will fall. Therefore, special attention must be paid to the proper design and installation of the frame.