During the construction or repair process, you often have to putty the wall. But you need to understand that such a surface without additional processing is not suitable for further decoration with different materials. In this regard, such work as sanding the walls after putty becomes relevant. Features of grinding - later in our article.
What do we need?
For this work, you can use mechanical devices or hand tools. It is unprofitable to acquire expensive equipment for sanding walls after puttying. Therefore, many use it is a hand tool.
The process of sanding the walls is carried out only after the putty is completely dry. You also need to prepare:
- Portable lamp.
- Stepladder.
- Hand skinner.
- Sandpaper.
- Small spatula.
- Sanding sponge with cut corners.
Additionally, the master will need personal protective equipment. We are talking about gloves, a respirator, special glasses and a headdress.
The nuances of work
When sanding a surface that is already covered with finishing materials, you need to know the following. Coarse paper is starting grinding. And the finish is already done with fine-grained sandpaper.
What should be the skin for sanding and grouting the walls after puttying? It has its own macro and micro sizes. These are numbers from 20 to 240 and from 240 to 2500, respectively:
- In order to sand the first layer, you need to use paper P120-180.
- In the case when it is required to sand the finishing putty, it is better to choose a finer-grained material. It must have a number from 240 to 280.
- If this is sanding the walls after puttying under wallpaper, then P120 paper can be used.
- And if it is sanding for painting, it is recommended to take material P180.
Please note that some use abrasive mesh instead of sandpaper. It costs a little more, but it has one advantage - such a mesh is noticeably less clogged, so it can be used longer. In addition, it will reduce the physical and time costs of work.
Work stages
So, how do you sand the walls after puttying with your own hands? The operation is performed in a certain sequence:
- First, a putty wall is inspected for various voids. You must also make sure that the surface has dried out qualitatively.
- Then they get to work and put on protective equipment (glasses, a hat and so on). If there is insufficient lighting, an additional portable lamp should be connected.
- The tubercles (if any) are removed with a spatula. If the work is performed for the first time, it is better to practice using numbered sandpaper models. For example, if there are large scratches on the surface, replace the paper with finer-grained paper. You also need to take into account what the walls are sanding after puttying. If under the wallpaper, then the scratches are not so critical. Removing them carefully does not make sense. Wallpaper will block this defect. But if sanding is carried out for painting, it is important to achieve a perfectly flat surface. Otherwise, all defects will be clearly visible.
- After selecting the desired paper grain perform primary grinding. This work begins from above. Gradually you need to sink to the bottom. At the same time, small areas up to one and a half meters should be processed. The movements can be different - uniformly rounded or of the type "left-right". You can also direct the tool up and down. But the same place does not need to be processed for a long time. Otherwise, unnecessary depressions form in the wall. If this really happened, the defect can be repaired with putty.
- When the main area of the wall was sanded, you should pay attention to inaccessible areas and corners. To perform sanding at such places, you will need a special material with beveled corners. You can use the "grandfather" way - just bend the sandpaper.
At the end of the work, you should remove all debris that has formed in the room and perform wet cleaning.
But this does not finish sanding the walls after puttying. After wet cleaning, check the surface for cavities and other flaws. All defects should be puttied.
Finishing sanding
After this, secondary sanding is performed. This work is already being done with a smaller abrasive. In this case, the movements of the hands should be soft. Do not forget about the quality of lighting. Thanks to this, you can determine how good the work was. Often with a lack of light, you can skip certain areas. As a result, the surface seems unfinished.
At the end of the secondary sanding, you need to remove the garbage and again perform wet cleaning. Next, the surface of the wall is covered with a primer. And then you can safely apply decorative material (for example, wallpaper or paint).
Homemade angle grinder
To sand in hard to reach areas, you can make a tool. To do this, you need a segment of the L-shaped profile. It must be cut so that an even strip is obtained with a width of 8 centimeters. On the back side you need to attach sandpaper, and then divide the strip into segments of 20 centimeters. The corners are formed so that the tool resembles a pencil in shape. By the way, such a device can work with paper of different grain sizes.
Sanding the walls after putty without dust
When sanding the surface with a manual method, a lot of dust is always generated. That is why experts recommend working with glasses and a respirator. However, is it possible to sand the walls after putty without dust? To do such work without dust is quite realistic, but for this you will need another tool. So, during the operation, a special grinder is used , complete with vacuum cleaners. What this unit looks like, you can see in the illustration.
The machine has its own working platform, inside which the sanding belt moves along special rollers . The width of the latter may be different. It all depends on the size of the unit itself. The speed of the tape is also different. It depends on the power of the grinder. It is recommended to take units with the ability to adjust the speed. This is true when removing a thick layer of plaster. In this case, a higher speed is required than when working with a plasterboard wall.
There is a dust collector on the shaft of the grinder motor. It is here that all the dust that is released during the work is absorbed. The machine is connected to the dust collector by means of a corrugation. According to reviews, when sanding the walls after puttying with a grinder, practically no dust is formed. Therefore, to perform wet cleaning will be much easier at the end of work. But this unit has a drawback - it is a high cost. Buying such equipment for the sake of one time is unprofitable, so it makes sense to rent it.
Vibratory grinding machine
This is another tool that can be used to sand the walls after puttying. It costs an order of magnitude cheaper than the previous version. At the same time, it is able to give the wall perfect smoothness. Such machines are used on different surfaces. By the way, some models even have the ability to connect to a vacuum cleaner.
Therefore, for less money you can get a device that will be no less functional than the previous one. Grinding material will be mounted on the sole of the unit. Dust is collected through special openings. Many models have the ability to adjust the speed. With it, you can adjust to a certain type of polishing (start and finish).
Eccentric
This machine is more versatile. It combines the capabilities of a belt and a vibrating machine at the same time. The quality of the unit is in no way inferior to analogues. It can work with various nozzles and on different surfaces. And due to the fact that the working surface simultaneously performs oscillatory and rotational movements, both fine and rough processing occurs. The eccentric machine is suitable for work in difficult areas. Here you can adjust the speed of rotation of the nozzle.
Delta grinder
This is a less popular unit, but it is quite effective. Its main difference lies in the special shape of the work surface. So, the front part of the grinder has the shape of an iron, which allows you to finish any surface in hard to reach places. Additionally, the unit can be connected to a dust bag.
Among the advantages of this device, buyers note low weight and the ability to work with different nozzles. As for manufacturers, the following companies receive positive feedback:
- Bosch
- "Makita";
- "Metabo";
- Hitachi
Experts recommend purchasing cars of German or Japanese production, since Chinese models do not differ in high resource and reliability.
Conclusion
So, we found out how the sanding of the walls is carried out after puttying. As you can see, this work does not have any special difficulties in terms of technology. However, you need to be patient, because the operation takes a lot of time. All the necessary tools for sanding the walls after puttying can be purchased at any hardware or construction store. Good luck