In the process of repairing living space, it is often necessary to level existing walls. If for some reason the use of plaster is impractical, then you have to consider other options.
In such situations, it is better to give preference to drywall (GCR). It allows not only smoothing surfaces, but also decorating them with various niches, shelves and lighting fixtures.
The material is quite light, can be processed well and has an acceptable price tag. You can even build such a partition with your own hands. Drywall wall can have different versions and, most importantly, it will not exert additional load on the foundation of the house.
About how to independently sew up surfaces with gypsum and what you need to know for this, read our article.
What partitions can be built from GKL?
Gypsum is a very malleable building material. From it you can build a figured partition, equip it with the required number of shelves and lighting fixtures.
DIY wall made of drywall can perform three functions:
- delimit the space in one room;
- serve as a continuous interior wall;
- be a decorative finish on an existing brick or concrete wall.
With the aim of zoning the space in small rooms, light and openwork designs are installed. They can be several in one room, they can be installed asymmetrically.
When it is necessary to divide one room into several different rooms, solid rectangular walls are mounted. So that such partitions do not let in sounds, they contain noise insulation materials.
Often drywall is used only for leveling surfaces. In this case, one side is sewn with sheets. This method allows you to mask the bases with flaws and give them a completely new look.
A wall made of gypsum plasterboard is very easy to process. It is characterized by absolute smoothness, which allows you to easily paste wallpapers, tiles, plaster, paint and other finishes on them.
These walls have one drawback: they are very light and fragile. It is impossible to fasten heavy furniture on them, to trim bulky cladding (for example, natural stone). This must be taken into account when arranging.
What types of GVL can be used to create walls
Before considering the question of how to build a wall from drywall with your own hands, pay attention to the rules for choosing materials for this purpose.
In the construction market you can find several varieties of gypsum boards. Each of them has its own purpose. First of all, look at the material labeling. It can be represented in the form of three letter combinations:
- GKL - the simplest sheets with a minimum price tag (about 180 rubles per m 2 ) ;
- GKLV - moisture resistant options (with a price tag from 280 to 350 rubles);
- GKLO - refractory varieties (their cost starts from 350 rubles per m 2 ).
The choice of material is based on the specifics of the room in which the partition will be installed. If the work will be done in the bathroom or in the kitchen, choose moisture resistant sheets.
To equip workrooms and workshops, purchase fireproof materials (labeled GKLO).
For zoning living rooms (and leveling surfaces), you can choose the simplest and most affordable types of drywall.
We make the choice of metal components of the wall
The design of the false wall consists not only of gypsum sheets. The material is mounted on a metal frame, which takes the bulk of the load. It is assembled from profiles.
To make a wall from drywall with your own hands, a photo and instructions will not be enough. You need to understand what materials you need to purchase to create a framework and how many will be required.
All metal profiles are marked. It indicates for what purpose this or that option can be used. The designation is represented by the letters:
- CD - the basis of the frame for mounting the sheet. Used in cases where a drywall sheet needs to level the existing surface. The standard size is 60 x 27 mm.
- CW - rack elements. They create a frame for bilateral gypsum walls. They have a size from 50 x 50 mm to 50 x 100 mm.
- UD - guide profile. Used on prefabricated concrete substrates for mounting CD elements.
- UW - guide profile. It is used for fastening CW-strips when installing a wall made of drywall with your own hands (for double-sided walls). It has dimensions of 50 x 40, 75 x 40, 100 x 40 mm.
If you need to create a large-width frame (for installing shelves and lighting in it) or simply align the existing walls, use CD and UD profiles. For the arrangement of bilateral partitions, purchase elements marked CW and UW.
What tools and materials are needed to build a wall from drywall do -it-yourself
Finishing uneven surfaces or erecting new partitions is done with a range of tools. This list includes:
- puncher or drill;
- a screwdriver or several types of screwdrivers;
- Bulgarian;
- jigsaw;
- construction knife;
- measuring tool;
- construction pencil;
- level;
- scissors for metal;
- pliers;
- plumb line;
- masking cord;
- hammer.
If you need to conduct wiring in the wall and install sockets with switches, you will need a cutter to make the corresponding holes.
To make a wall of drywall with your own hands as quickly as possible, prepare all the materials necessary for work in advance. Get the right amount of gypsum sheets, countersunk head screws, suspensions, bolts for fastening profiles, “quick installation” (dowels 6 x 40 mm) or wood screws.
If you are going to make a partition, then its thickness will be equal to the width of the profiles you selected. Do not forget to purchase thermal insulation material.
When everything you need for work is in stock, proceed with the manufacture of drywall walls with your own hands. The step-by-step instructions given in our article will help you with this.
We create a wall of gypsum plasterboard on a ready-made basis: we mark
Where to start work when you need to sheathe finished walls? This whole process is presented in several stages:
- Layout of the base, ceiling and floor.
- Assembly of a metal frame.
- Covering the base.
- Finish.
Particular attention is paid to marking, since the evenness of the entire structure depends on its correctness. In the process of drawing control lines, use the building level.
Perform the work in the following order:
- Apply a straight line to the ceiling. A guide profile will be placed along it. It should pass at a distance of 40 mm from the wall, which you will trim with gypsum sheets. If insulation is to be placed in the space between the wall and the casing, add to the 40 mm thickness of the selected thermal insulation.
- To draw a straight line, step away from the opposite corners of the room an equal distance and mark it on the ceiling. Fix the masking cord between the marked points, pull it and release it. Hitting the ceiling, he will leave an even imprint on it. Do-it-yourself wall covering of the walls will be carried out at this level. A step-by-step instruction says that the line needs to be moved to the floor. For this purpose use a plumb line.
- Mark several points on the floor, draw a straight line along them.
- Make markings on the wall itself. Step back about 10 cm from the corner and draw a line from the ceiling to the floor. Repeat the marking every 60 cm of the wall. You can also use a plumb line for this. In designated places, CD profiles will be installed.
- On the resulting vertical lines, indicate the location of the suspension. They must be placed in increments of 50 cm.
Thus, prepare all the walls that you plan to sew up with drywall. After each step, check the markings with a building level.
We make a wall from drywall with our own hands: we assemble a frame from profiles
After marking all the surfaces, you can begin to assemble the base for mounting sheets. There is nothing complicated in this process. Profiles are easily trimmed and fixed with screws. The main thing is to evenly assemble the frame on which the wall from drywall will be arranged (with your own hands). The step-by-step instruction of this process looks like this:
- Cut the guide UD profile along the length of the sheathing wall. Fasten it to the floor and wall using dowel nails.
- In the places indicated on the wall, fix the metal suspensions. If walls made of hollow blocks are to be finished, use special fasteners (designed for porous concrete). In other cases, use dowel nails.
- Cut the required amount of wall profile (CD) to the height of the surface to be trimmed. Install them in the guide rails and fix them with suspensions.
- To ensure that all CD profiles are in the same plane, first install the side rails. Pull the cord between them and align all other vertical elements of the frame along it.
- To make the wall strong enough, the frame must consist not only of vertical profiles, but also of horizontal jumpers. To create them, you need to cut the wall rail to the desired width, make cuts from each of its ends. Bend the side parts, and fix the central one on the vertical bar with self-tapping screws. Reiki are staggered. Using this principle, create a framework on all plaster surfaces. After that, you can start working with drywall. With your own hands, the walls are assembled even easier than the frame.
Please note that profiles can bend during the assembly process. For this reason, each bar must be checked with a level or a long rule. If irregularities are detected, the profile should be replaced, otherwise it is fraught with a curvature of the entire structure.
Do not forget about electrical appliances and sound insulation
A step-by-step instruction on wall covering with gypsum cardboard with your own hands includes the stage of insulation work. However, in those cases when you simply level the finished base, you can refuse to insulate the structure.
If the drywall construction has a large width (when cabinets and shelves are located in it), then in the empty space metal elements may “ring”. To prevent this from happening, noise isolation should be installed between the uprights.
To install the backlight and install sockets with switches in the frame, you need to conduct electrical wires. It is advisable that before starting work on your hands there is a circuit according to which you can output the wires in the right places.
All wiring should go in a plastic corrugation. The wires must not touch the metal elements of the frame!
Corrugation must be fixed on the frame. In the places where the fixtures are installed, the wires extend by 10-15 cm. For switches and sockets, you need to conduct a separate power supply.
Next, do-it-yourself plastering the walls with drywall. Photos of this process will help you imagine the complexity of the upcoming work.
GKL mounting technology to the frame
In the next step, you need to fix the gypsum sheets on the fabricated frame. If your wall has a straight and straight look, then this work will take a minimum of time and effort.
Structures of complex geometry require preliminary preparation of the material. To make a drywall wall with your own hands as quickly as possible, first cut the sheets into elements of the required shapes and sizes. This work does not require large labor costs, as the sheet material is cut very easily.
Marking is applied to the sheet according to the shape and size of the frame. A rule is applied to each cut line, after which you need to draw a construction knife along it. When you cut a layer of cardboard, bend one part of the sheet and cut the paper casing on the other side. The gypsum should break exactly along the fold line.
Then you can fix the material on the frame. Its installation is carried out using a screwdriver and screws. When performing work, adhere to the following rules:
- The edges of the sheet should be in the middle of the profile. If you fix the end of the sheet on the edge of the metal strip, over time, the material will begin to crumble and the wall will quickly fail. As a result, you will have to re-install the walls of drywall with your own hands.
- For reliable fixation of the material on the basis of self-tapping screws, it is necessary to screw in increments of 25 centimeters.
- The caps of the fasteners must be recessed in the sheet. However, you need to be careful here: if you do not screw the self-tapping screw to the desired depth, it will interfere with the further surface finishing, and if you drown too much, it can violate the integrity of the gypsum layer. Try to twist the cap 1 mm below the paper layer.
GKL rough wall finish
At the end of the do-it-yourself installation of drywall on the walls, you need to prepare the resulting structure for finishing. All joints of sheets and its main surface are subject to thorough processing.
Follow these steps:
- In the joints of adjacent sheets, at a slight angle, cut off the edges of the material. Work is carried out by a usual office knife. The maximum width of the resulting seam should be about 5 mm.
- Glue all joints with a serpentine.
- Using a roller or brush, treat the entire wall with a primer. Avoid uneven application, sagging and excessive wetting of cardboard. When working in hard to reach places, use smaller paint brushes.
- When the wall is dry, reprocess it.
- Mask all joints and caps of fasteners with starting putty. Apply the composition so that it lays down in an even thin layer.
- After the putty has dried, apply a primer to it.
- Using a wide spatula, cover the entire area of the wall with a starting putty. On all external corners, fix the special plaster corners. They protect the material from delamination and prevent the formation of chips and cracks.
- When the walls are completely dry, sand them with fine sandpaper. So you remove all the bumps and stains on the putty.
- Smooth surfaces with a primer.
If in the future decorative plaster will be applied to the wall or it will be glued with wallpaper, then at this stage the rough finish can be completed. In those cases where the wall will be painted, it must be covered with a layer of finishing putty.
This can be considered complete assembly of the walls of drywall with your own hands. Photos of ready-made options published in our article will help you understand whether you have completed all the necessary work correctly.
Frameless plasterboard wall cladding method
The method for creating false walls described by us is the most relevant and popular. However, the frame method of fixing the material "eats" the space of the room, so it can only be used in spacious rooms.
But what to do when the walls need to be aligned, but there is no room for the frame? Then you can use the glue method of wall covering with gypsum board with your own hands. The step-by-step instruction for these works looks like this:
- Remove the old trim and plaster from the wall.
- Clean surfaces from dust and dirt. Wipe them with a damp cloth. Apply primer to the walls and back of the gypsum sheet.
- Apply glue or starting putty to the back of the drywall. Spread the compound evenly over the entire base.
- Press the gypsum sheet against the wall using a long rule. The correct installation of all elements is controlled by the level.
- Using this method, paste all the necessary walls with drywall.
After the adhesive mixture has dried, rough the walls. The work is carried out according to the principle described above.
Work with drywall is within the power of any novice master, but in the process of installing it, you must take into account all the requirements listed in the article. If you react to the process of creating walls with all responsibility, you are guaranteed a good result!