Painting walls with water-based paint

One of the ways to decorate the premises is to paint with water-based compositions. Why is this option good? Walls painted with water-based emulsion are combined with interiors of any type. And with the hi-tech and minimalism that are popular today, there are almost no options – the walls should only be smooth, without a pattern. This can be achieved by painting or pasting with plain wallpaper. The second plus is that you can choose any color, and by choosing the appropriate type of paint, you can get a matte or semi-matte surface. The third positive point is that painting walls with water-based paint is a simple process. You can do everything with your own hands. 

What water emulsion to choose for walls

Under the name of water-based paints, there are compositions with different properties – some can only be used indoors, and even then they are quickly erased and faded, others paint the outer walls and they do not lose their appearance for years. For this reason, it is necessary to choose a composition for specific tasks and goals.

The basis of water-based paints is water, in which there are polymer or mineral particles. When drying after painting, water evaporates, and polymers and minerals form a film on the surface. The properties of this film are determined by the type of polymer, therefore, when choosing, the composition of the water-based paint is of key importance. And they are:

• Mineral water emulsions. Made using lime or white cement. They have a low price, perfectly adhere to any surface, but quickly burn out and are easily damaged – they are wiped off when touched. Therefore, despite the low price, they are becoming less and less popular.
• silicate. This paint is based on liquid glass, which gives the composition high resistance to atmospheric phenomena. At the same time, the walls remain vapor-permeable. It can be used indoors and outdoors, the service life is about 10 years.
  

• Acrylic-based water-based paint. Its positive property is that it lays down evenly, creating a smooth surface. It can tighten small cracks (up to 1 mm), which means that the preparation of the surface for painting may not be ideal. Without additives, the film is hygroscopic and such compositions are used in dry rooms (living rooms). If latex is added to an acrylic base, it becomes water-repellent. Such water-based emulsions are called latex and are used in bathrooms and for painting walls in pools. The disadvantage of this option is that it does not allow steam to pass through (condensate falls on it). The price range is average, so painting walls with acrylic-based water-based paint is one of the best options for today.
• Silicone water-based paints have appeared on the market recently. They create a dense film that tightens cracks up to 2 mm wide. At the same time, the surface can conduct water vapor, the paint does not change its appearance for a long time. Minus – high price.
  

Having decided on the composition, you need to choose a manufacturer. There is no news here – it is better to pay a little more, but get high-quality paint than repaint everything again in a few months. When choosing, pay attention not only to the price and volume, but also to such an indicator as consumption. It is indicated in grams per square meter and sometimes differs significantly. And often expensive paints have a much lower consumption.

Characteristics of water-based wall paints

Preparing walls for painting

Painting walls with water-based paint requires a flat surface. It can be special wallpaper for painting or a puttied and primed wall. At the same time, it is impossible to paint over oil paint or whitewash with a water-based emulsion. Previously applied coatings must be completely removed – before plastering, then repair defects, primed, and only after that you can paint.

Removing old paint

The method of removing the old layer of whitewash and water-based paint is somewhat similar. First, “dry”, with a spatula, they clean off everything that happens. To quickly remove the old water-based emulsion from the walls, the surface is moistened with hot water. Just take a roller, dip it in hot water and roll it several times. Leave for 3-5 minutes, then repeat the procedure. Usually, after the second portion of hot water, the coating swells up and is easy to clean off with a spatula. Some particularly difficult areas need to be moistened again.

With the removal of whitewash from the walls, the situation is similar, but the water is used cold and more may be required – lime has a high hygroscopicity. But when wet, it cleans up well. Another feature – after everything has been removed, it is necessary to soak the surface well with a solution of soda. This neutralizes the remaining lime in the pores. After drying, it is already possible to prime and putty.

The most difficult process is removing oil paint from the walls. It is inefficient to heat the walls with a building hair dryer – they heat up very slowly. There are also chemical compositions – washes. But firstly, they are toxic, secondly, they are expensive, and thirdly, they remove one layer well, and everything lying below has to be smeared again. In general – not the best way for this situation.

Most often, mechanical methods are used to remove old oil paint from walls. A brush made of metal wire is put on a drill or grinder. By turning it on at low speeds, they clean off the paint. The method is not bad, but it turns out a lot of dust, which is not good. As it turned out, it is much more efficient to use a drill with a crown for drilling sockets. Oil paint flies off in pieces, there is almost no dust, the process goes quickly.

Sealing defects and putty

In the case of water emulsions, one cannot rely on the fact that the paint will hide the flaws of the walls. Quite the contrary – emphasize. Unless you use silicone emulsion, but even with this paint we advise you to cover a small piece and see if the result suits you. If not, you’ll have to putty.

First of all, grooves and cracks are closed. First, the angle of the spatula widens the cracks, removing anything that might fall off. Then they are covered with a primer (dip the brush into the composition and moisten well) and after it dries putty is applied, leveling it with the plane of the wall.

If a significant piece of plaster has fallen off, it is better to restore it with a cement-sand mortar. The resulting hole is moistened with water, but it is also better to go through a suitable primer (based on cement), fill it with mortar, level it flush with the wall. The matter is complicated by the fact that further work can be carried out only after the solution has dried, it becomes light gray. But do not try to dry it forcibly – it will crumble and crumble.

When all defects are repaired, the remaining irregularities are smoothed out by puttying the entire surface. The walls are primed first. It is easier to do this with a roller, pouring the composition into the tray.

Putty is sold in bags, it is primary and finishing. Primary is used if a layer of more than 5 mm is required to level the walls. If the wall is relatively flat, small irregularities can be smoothed out with a finishing compound (layer no more than 5 mm). It is most convenient to close the putty in a plastic container. Usually this is a bucket of 10-15 liters. First, pour water – according to the recommendations on the package, then pour the composition and mix thoroughly. For mixing, use a construction mixer or a drill with a nozzle. Particular attention is paid to the bottom and walls – there often remains a dry powder.

For further work, you will need two spatulas – one wide, the second – the usual small or medium size. They work like this:

• Putty is taken with a small spatula and laid with a roller along the large blade.
• A large spatula is pressed with a blade against the wall, carried out in one of the directions, maintaining the same degree of pressure. In this case, the composition is distributed along the wall, filling the irregularities. The thickness of the applied layer depends on the degree of pressure: the harder you press, the thinner the putty layer remains on the wall.
• If stripes, recesses or other defects have formed, this place is again carried out with a spatula, correcting the defect.
• All these actions are repeated until all the walls are aligned.

The putty is left to dry for about a day (depending on the thickness of the layer, temperature and humidity). Then they take sandpaper or a special mesh, attach it to a grater (a construction tool is a platform with a handle). The remaining strips are leveled with this platform, achieving a flat surface.

Usually, after the first leveling layer, there are still imperfections. Close them up with a finishing type of putty. In it, the components are ground more finely, the composition of the batch is more plastic, it is applied in a thinner layer. The sequence of actions is the same.

To understand whether you have aligned the walls well, you need to highlight them from the side. Such lighting will reveal all the irregularities. They are usually leveled with a grater with a stretched fine mesh. If this is not done, the laid layer of paint will reveal the flaws.

Padding

The primer is selected depending on the base of the paint. Acrylic primer goes under the acrylic base, silicate primer under the silicate base, etc. As a rule, it is sold in canisters of different capacities in the same stores where water-based emulsions are. Apply with a roller.

Why is it necessary to prime the walls for painting with a water-based emulsion? Firstly, so that the paint holds better, does not crack or blister. Secondly, to reduce paint consumption. The primer slightly closes the pores, reducing the absorbency of the surface.

Painting walls with water-based paint: technology and rules

The base color of water-based paint is white, but many companies allow you to get any shade from the RAL palette, which is a little more than 200 options. For this, a coloring pigment is added to the composition. You can order tinting in special machines, you can buy color separately and add it yourself.

When tinting a water-based emulsion with your own hands, you determine the color “by eye”, but the machine has programs according to which it measures the required amount of colorants. In any case, at one time it is necessary to tint the entire amount of paint necessary for the walls, and even with a small margin – to paint over stains or scratches. You won’t be able to repeat the same color yourself exactly, and the machines give out slightly different shades.

When self-tinting, the paint is first diluted with purified water to the desired consistency (usually it is thick). Then they take a clean wooden stick or a clean nozzle on a drill, begin to stir the paint in a bucket (drill at the lowest speed). Having opened the color, pour the color in a thin stream. Having received the desired shade, mix for another 2-3 minutes, then leave the water emulsion, wait until the foam settles.

Roller for water emulsion

Water-based paint can be applied with rollers of several types:

• Foam. There are in any store, they cost a little, but they absorb too much paint, which can cause microscopic bubbles to appear on the surface of the wall. The surface will therefore be uneven and rough. The situation is better with high-density foam rubber, but they are more difficult to find.
• Velor. This type of roller is not so widespread, you need to look in specialized stores. When using them, the paint lays down evenly, but velor is a very dense material and it has little winding. Because of this, in the process of work, you will have to dip it in paint too often.
• Fleecy. Painting walls with water-based paint with fleecy rollers is the best choice. The length of the pile can be different, depending on it, the paint layer is thinner or thinner. For painting evenly puttied walls, the length of the pile is unimportant, but it is better not to take too shaggy ones – there may be splashes. There are fleecy rollers made of natural fur or felt, they last a long time, but are expensive. Artificial materials are cheaper, but wear out faster. For water-based paints, polyamide pile is best suited.

For water-based paint of wallpaper with a soft relief, it is better to use fleecy rollers made of polyamide fiber or natural fur. The length of the pile in this case is 6-14 mm.

Water emulsion application technology

Before painting, on the baseboards (if not removed), platbands, window sills, masking tape is glued along the edge. If it is necessary to mark the boundaries of painting on the wall, they are also marked with masking tape – a line is drawn, adhesive tape is glued along it. If the ceilings are already painted, it does not hurt to stick tape on the ceiling as well. So you are guaranteed not to stain it. Please note that the adhesive tape is removed immediately after this area has been painted over. If the paint on the adhesive tape hardens, then it is unrealistic to tear it off without damaging the wall.

The paint ready for application (diluted and tinted to the desired color) is poured into the paint tray. To be able to paint the wall up to the ceiling, a long handle is attached to the roller. Usually it is a plastic pipe or a wooden thin well-crafted handle (it is thinner for a rake and it is more convenient to hold it).

Painting starts from one of the corners. The corner itself is passed with a brush, painting about 5 cm on the wall. With a brush, paint over the corner under the ceiling (if you paint to the very top). Next, they take a roller, dip it in paint, squeeze it against the platform and, starting from the top, roll the paint down. Moving the roller up and down, paint over a continuous strip of paint, going 5-8 cm onto the already painted surface. This way you can avoid the appearance of borders formed during the application of paint.

Water-based emulsions on the wall “grab” in 10-15 minutes. Therefore, it is necessary to act quickly, without smoke breaks and breaks. If the border of the strip dries, it will then be visible. To avoid this, it is necessary to maintain a high rate of painting.

Paint over the second corner when one roller width remains before it. If you immediately paint the second adjoining wall, you can paint over it with a brush.

It is recommended to apply three layers of water-based emulsion on putty walls. After each, you need to wait until the paint dries. The exact exposure time between applying layers is indicated on the bank and is usually 2-4 hours. If water-based paint is applied to wallpaper, one layer is enough.

Note! When buying and tinting – three times more paint is required on the puttied surface of the walls than on the wallpapered surface.