Aligning wooden ceilings with your own hands will help you significantly save money on hiring outside workers. However, in order for the result of the work to turn out a really flat and durable ceiling, it is necessary to follow the technological process precisely. The technological process of leveling a wooden ceiling includes several stages: preparatory work (cleaning the surface, laying wiring, insulation), treating wood from pests, applying a primer to improve the quality of the starting material and increasing adhesion, marking a new ceiling plane, installing auxiliary elements, leveling the wooden ceiling. Let's consider the features of each of them.
Methods for leveling a wooden ceiling
Ceiling alignment can be done in two ways. They are called "dry" and "wet". The first is leveling with profiles and drywall, the second is plastering. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, as well as conditions of use.
It is advisable to use plastering if the depth of irregularities does not exceed 3-5 cm. Too thick layer of plaster makes the ceiling heavier, increasing the risk of its delamination. With the "wet" method of leveling the ceiling, areas with sufficiently deep drops must be covered with shingles. To level the wooden ceiling better, use beacons.
Preparatory work before leveling a wooden ceiling
Preparing a wooden ceiling for leveling includes several stages:
- Check the ceiling for imperfections such as damage to planks and beams from pests, mildew, and fungus. Replace badly damaged parts of the structure and fasteners with new ones to avoid serious damage in the future.
- Remove old plaster. Those areas that are held tight and will not interfere with further work can be left.
- If the ceiling was previously painted with water-based paint, use a solution of water and iodine to remove it.
- Water-dispersion paint is washed off with special solutions, for example, Docker S4 quick-action gel solution (retail price - from 260 rubles per 1 kg). This product is acid-free.
- Cut off small protrusions with a planer.
- If the boards are smooth enough, make notches on them for better adhesion of the mortar to the wood surface.
- The preparatory stage is the best time for preventive treatment of wood from fungus and mold.
- Lay electrical wiring.
- If necessary, lay insulation, vapor barrier.
- Large cracks between the boards can be repaired with roughing putty and tow. The tow is thoroughly mixed with the putty and hammered into the cracks.
Fighting mold and mildew on a wooden ceiling
Fungus is a fairly common occurrence. It occurs with excessive humidity and poor ventilation of the air, as well as with insufficient heating of the room during the cold season. It affects any surface, including wood products. The fungus most commonly found on wood surfaces has a bluish tinge. This species is just as dangerous as the others: mold and rotting fungi, as well as actinomycetes.
The bluish fungus destroys the structure of the wood, due to which moisture penetrates into it and lingers there. Due to this, mold and rotting fungus develop. The process of destruction of a wooden ceiling occurs quickly enough. That is why it is impossible to neglect the processing of wood with antiseptic agents.
It is known that fungus can penetrate 1 cm or more into wood. If there are such areas, it is better to remove them, replacing them with new boards. If the thickness of the boards allows, use a sharp knife or ax to carve out the affected areas. Waste containing the fungus should be burned to prevent the spread of fungal spores.
Treat the entire surface of the ceiling with a brush or roller with an antiseptic, for example, Nortex-Doctor (from 100 rubles per 1 kg) or Nortex-Disinfector (from 170 rubles per 1 kg). Nortex-Disinfector is highly effective for serious damage to wood by fungus, woodworm beetle and termites. When buying an antiseptic, read the rules of use (material to which the agent is applicable, its consumption), precautions.
Pay special attention to fighting the fungus. Spores of the fungus enter the respiratory and digestive systems, on the skin, causing harm to the entire body in the form of allergies, digestive disorders, sinusitis, pneumonia and other equally dangerous diseases.
Marking a wooden ceiling before leveling
Layout is an important step in ceiling alignment. The final result depends on its accuracy, as well as the choice of the alignment method that will be most acceptable in a particular situation.
Rules for marking a wooden ceiling
A laser or bubble level is used to mark the ceiling. The laser level provides high accuracy with the least effort and time, in contrast to the bubble instrument. DEFORT DLL-9 is one of the cheapest manual laser levels (from 440 rubles). The bubble level is paired with a long rule, it is best to connect them together with tape.
Recommendations for marking a wooden ceiling:
- To accurately mark the new position of the ceiling plane, focus on the lowest areas.
- As you measure, mark the walls around the perimeter. Drive nails into them and pull tight thread, tying it to the nails.
- If, as a result, the level differences of the plane are small - up to 3 cm, then the “wet” leveling method can be used, ie. applying plaster.
Using shingles when leveling a wooden ceiling
If there is a second floor or an attic above the room in which it is necessary to align the wooden ceiling, then shingles should be equipped over the entire surface of the ceiling.
Shingles - a mesh of wooden slats 3-5 mm thick. The slats are stuffed onto a wooden surface in two rows. The size of the cells is 5 by 10 cm. The second row is packed in a parallel plane at right angles to the first. Applying shingles reduces the cost of plaster solution, and also reduces the likelihood of a thick layer collapse.
Installation of beacons for applying plaster on a wooden ceiling
The lighthouse is a special guiding profile. Its task is to regulate the final level of plastering.
The rules for installing beacons are as follows:
- The lighthouses are fixed to the ceiling parallel to each other.
- The distance between them should be less than the length of the rule that will stretch the solution. If the width of the room is 3 meters, then fix the first lighthouse 50 cm from the wall parallel to it, the second - 150 cm, the third - 250 cm. With this option, the rule should be 160 cm, so that when pulling the solution from the wall to the first lighthouse, the rule also relied on the second lighthouse.
- Install beacons in deeper areas so that the level of the new plane does not decrease. Then the layer of plaster will be less, because the new plane will run along the most protruding section of the ceiling. If the lighthouse is installed in the most protruding part, then the level of the ceiling will drop to the height of the lighthouse.
- Beacons should not be too flexible, otherwise they will sag when pressed by the rule.
- The best option for fastening the beacon profile is "eared".
"Ushastik" is a fastener for beacons, consisting of a screw and a fastener. Installation of "eared": a screw is screwed into the surface to be leveled (it is possible to use a dowel), to which a plastic mount with a plug is attached, which firmly holds the beacon. With the use of such fasteners, you can easily adjust the level of the beacon by screwing in a screw. "Ears" are set at the required level. Then beacons are attached to them.
Priming a wooden ceiling before leveling
Before plastering, be sure to prime the entire wood surface of the ceiling. The purpose of applying the primer is to deeply impregnate the wood. The solution fills microcracks, strengthens the structure, and prevents moisture penetration. The primer is designed to improve the adhesion of plaster to wood.
Rules for working with a primer:
- Use gloves and a hat when working.
- Wash all equipment immediately after finishing work with the primer.
- Apply the primer in several steps. The time specified in the instructions should elapse between applications.
- Apply the primer in any convenient way: brush, roller, spray.
Apply the impregnation by brushing in two opposite directions so that the product penetrates more evenly deep into the wood. Pay particular attention to seams and hard-to-reach areas.
There is a wide variety of primers available. They can be classified by composition, by the type of surface to be treated, by purpose. In order to purchase the most suitable primer, explain correctly to the seller what material will be processed, what kind of coating will be applied.
A universal primer, in addition to increasing adhesion, improving the strength of the material, increasing resistance to external influences, is designed to fight pests, fungi and mold.
Leveling the wooden ceiling with plaster
As a plaster of a wooden ceiling, you can use a self-made cement mortar or other mixtures that are more plastic, for example, Rotband plaster. Rotband Knauf is a universal gypsum-based mixture with good binding properties (retail price - from 400 rubles).
Knead the solution, adhering to the manufacturer's recommendations and the following general rules:
- The solution for leveling a wooden ceiling should be mixed in a small amount. The mixture containing gypsum dries quickly enough.
- The prepared solution should be applied immediately.
- The solution should not be too liquid or solid. A liquid solution tends to spread during operation, and a solid solution does not adhere well to the surface.
- With the use of a construction mixer, the mixing time of the solution will be reduced, while the solution will be the most homogeneous. Application of the plaster should be started after the primer has completely dried.
Features of applying plaster for leveling a wooden ceiling:
- Apply the finished solution with a spatula, starting from the inside of the room, moving gradually to the window opening.
- Apply the solution to small areas - up to 80 cm in length.
- Stretch the rule towards you. Press the rule moderately against the beacons.
- In those areas where the level beacon is located at a certain distance from the ceiling surface, i.e. there is a gap, it is better to apply the plaster in two layers. The first layer is applied before attaching the lighthouse, immediately covered with a paint net. In this case, the mesh should be slightly pressed into the applied solution by 3-4 mm. Then the lighthouse is attached, and the final layer of plaster is applied, leveled along the lighthouses.
- Reinforcing mesh must be used over the entire ceiling area if the plaster layer exceeds 1 cm.
- When the solution has already been applied to the entire surface of the wooden ceiling, remove the beacons. If the lighthouse is made of a material that is resistant to oxidation, then it can be left without fear of rust.
- The grooves from the lighthouses should be covered with the same solution.
The plaster is characterized by a large grain size. To make the surface smoother, for example, before painting or wallpapering, it is advisable to smooth it with a putty. Before applying a new type of leveling compound, the surface must be primed again.
The starter putty has a medium grain size and is used for the initial leveling of the surface. The finishing putty has the smallest grain, which is why it is suitable for the final smoothing of the surface.
Watch the video about wooden ceilings:
Aligning a wooden ceiling with your own hands using the "wet" method is a rather lengthy and laborious process. Follow all of the above recommendations to get the best results.
