Plaster under wallpaper or drywall, which is better to choose?

Plastering or installing drywall are two options you may be considering for readying your walls for a new paint job. Each option has advantages of its own, but knowing which is more appropriate for your project can make all the difference. This decision is frequently influenced by the style you wish to achieve and the state of your walls.

Plastering provides a resilient surface that can be painted or covered in wallpaper, with a traditional finish that can be seamless and smooth. Older homes with uneven walls are the best candidates because plaster can help create a more uniform surface.

Conversely, drywall is a more contemporary, affordable option that installs more quickly and easily. It’s a common option for remodels and new construction because it offers a smooth, clean surface that’s ready for wallpaper or painting.

We’ll weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each option in this post to help you determine if plaster or drywall is the better material for your walls and your style objectives.

It’s crucial to take your project’s needs and budget into account when choosing between plastering walls under wallpaper and installing drywall. Traditional wallpaper can look better with plaster’s smooth, long-lasting finish, but drywall offers a quicker, more affordable option that’s perfect for contemporary applications. Although plastering takes more time and skill but yields a superior surface, many homeowners prefer drywall installation since it is easier to use and more adaptable.

Why is it better to use drywall instead of plaster.

• The quality of the walls does not matter. Crooked, slanting walls are easier to sheathe with drywall. If the differences in the walls exceed two centimeters, significant discrepancies in the slabs are visible, there is not enough plaster to level them.
• Saves time. With plasterboard, repairs will move faster. In one day, you can sheathe the ceiling in a room, in the next 2 days, finish sheathing the walls and start puttying. Real masters also plaster quite quickly, but before finishing plastering, you have to wait until the rough layer dries.
• High skill is not required. Gypsum plasterboards can be installed by yourself. The lathing can be aluminum or wooden. The main thing is to set the slats or metal profiles in one plane as accurately as possible.

• No need to groove the walls. If it is necessary to lay electrical wires or other utility lines, there is no need to chisel the walls. Electric lines, pipelines will fit in the gaps that naturally form between the wall and the plasterboard.
• Additional insulation is possible. Between the base wall and plasterboard sheets, you can put mineral wool or polystyrene foam, which will significantly reduce the thermal conductivity of the outer walls.
• A good sound insulation is provided. Unlike plaster, GKL absorbs sound well.
• No cracks. GCLs do not crumble, microcracks do not form on them, which is especially important if they plan to use painting, not wallpaper as a finish.
• No special conditions for installation are required. GCL can be mounted even at minus temperatures. It can only be warm, otherwise the solution will freeze.
• You can seek any forms. Perhaps the main advantage of drywall is its ability to bend and take the most intricate forms. Therefore, drywall willingly use designers in order to realize their bold creative plans.

Crucial: even the simplest drywall plate installation requires the possession of basic knowledge and abilities. If not, the incorrectly fastened sheets will separate at the joints.

Why drywall is not always used instead of plaster.

1. The plaster is stronger! If everything is done according to technology, you get strong, monolithic walls that cannot be broken through with a punch or just by falling on them.
2. Not afraid of moisture. If a room covered with plasterboard is flooded by neighbors, the slabs may swell to such an extent that you will have to do new repairs. The plaster will simply dry out.
3. Saves space. If there are minor defects on the walls, the best option is plastering. But even with very crooked walls, the plaster layer will be thinner than the plasterboard sheathing.
4. Creates a universal base. Plastered walls are suitable as a base for any cladding work.
5. In addition, the surface of a plastered wall is equally strong in any place. And in order to hang cabinets or heavy decorative elements on plasterboard, you need to additionally strengthen the frame.

Disadvantages of plasterboard.

• Eats up the usable area of ​​the room. Due to the fact that the plasterboard is attached to the sheathing, the thickness of the walls increases by five or more centimeters. In order not to lose valuable usable space, with relatively flat walls, plasterboard is glued instead of plaster.
• Does not allow hanging heavy objects. It is necessary to determine in advance and strengthen with additional lathing the places where cabinets and shelves will hang.
• Afraid of moisture. Although they also produce special moisture-resistant plasterboard, if the humidity in the room is too high, even it will not last long.
• “Loves” mice. Mice and other unwanted domestic animals feel good in the free space between the wall and the plasterboard. In order not to give rodents a single chance, the free space is filled with glass wool. Or broken glass is poured behind the slabs.

Disadvantages of plaster.

• The quality of the walls is of great importance. Plaster will not quickly fix serious surface defects. It is calculated that with unevenness differences of 1.5 – 2 cm, plastering a small apartment takes 6 – 7 bags of mixture and several weeks of time.
• Dirt. It is simply impossible to be in the room during plastering work. And cleaning after such a repair is quite an occupation.

Important: It’s much harder than it looks to find a good plasterer-painter. It is simpler to locate a superior, virtuoso plasterboard artist.

Why do you need to plaster plasterboard under wallpaper?

Frequently, people inquire as to whether plasterboard is still required if wallpaper is going to be applied on top. Yes, is the response. Any claims made by amateurs who have never had to remove wallpaper that has been adhered to an unprepared base, such as "Plasterboard sheets are already smooth, so there is no point in additionally plastering them," are untrue.

Usually, the wallpaper is adhered to the cardboard with a strong glue and can only be removed in pieces along with the plasterboard. Consequently, you will need to replace the wallpaper in addition to the costly building material sheets.

The plasterboard’s paper base will be shielded by an interlayer layer of plaster, no matter how thin. Furthermore, not much prior plastering experience is needed when plastering plasterboard under wallpaper.

Three stages of plastering under wallpaper of plasterboard bases:

1. Grouting the seams.

Seal the joints once the plasterboard sheets have been attached to the lathing. Plasterboard workers themselves, rather than plasterers-painters, handle this work in many construction companies. The edges of the plasterboard sheets are beveled, or chamfers. They create a groove that the sealing mixture is inserted into when they are joined.

The technology states that a serpyanka tape should be placed along depressions to seal them. This stops cracks from developing.

The screw head-visible depressions are sealed after the seams have been grouted. One spatula stroke is used to rub these depressions.

2. Thin putty.

When the plasterboard sheets already depict a uniform, smooth surface, they start the second phase. Primer, water, and the final finishing and construction mixture are combined to create a liquid "sour cream." Subsequently, they apply the resultant solution to the drywall using a standard paint roller. Consequently, a uniformly thin layer of plaster forms.

Important: If plastering drywall by hand is your first experience in construction, this method is especially good for you.

3. Solid plastering.

It is sufficient to plaster a wall in its first two stages if you are getting ready to apply regular wallpaper. However, you should thoroughly plaster the drywall if you are using light, delicate wallpaper and are concerned that a flaw in the wall will show through the thin sheets. You’ll need to practice a bit before trying this with your hands. If not, the surface will be irreparably damaged.

Generally speaking, however, extensive drywall plastering is only required to fix installation mistakes that resulted in an uneven surface.

Advice: To level out installation flaws, it is best to contact professionals if you have never plastered before.

Is it possible to apply decorative plaster to drywall?

Plasterboard bases must be meticulously and labor-intensively plastered before painting can begin. You must, after all, create something flawlessly smooth and flat. This is more than a novice could handle. A novice painter can be identified by even the smallest dip or indent in the paint.

Hence, using textured finishing mixtures is the best option if you want to plaster drywall by hand.

The best mixture for drywall surfaces is acrylic. These are simple-to-use plastic blends free of hazardous ingredients and smell.

Can someone without any prior experience with decorative plaster be applied to drywall? This is a real possibility. Prior to applying decorative finishing, however, all joints and screw remnants must be sealed.

The entire surface must be thoroughly primed in the following step.

The application of a decorative layer is the last step. These mixes come in a variety of forms. It is advisable to select one of the following two options if you intend to plaster plasterboard by hand:

1. Structural plaster – is a granular heterogeneous mass with inclusions of small solid granules. The composition is applied to the wall, making rectilinear or circular movements with a spatula.
2. Textured plaster – is used to create original relief textures. The pattern depends on the method of application and the number of layers.
   Ultimately, applying decorative plaster to drywall with your own hands is not as difficult as it may seem at first. A little skill with sufficient effort – and a stunningly beautiful finish pleases the eye.

Price of materials.

Which is more affordable: drywall or plaster? It is impossible to provide a clear response to this query. Everything is dependent upon the state of the object prior to work commencing and the desired outcome.

Plaster will be less expensive if the walls are nearly level. However, using drywall to cover severely uneven walls and ceilings is more cost-effective.

How much will plaster cost per square meter? Once more, the prices are not all the same. You must ascertain the extent of the work before estimating the cost. The builders provide estimated amounts or purposefully inflate the amount ("in reserve") if they haven’t seen the object.

In any event, the estimate will include the following two categories of costs:

• cost of materials;
• remuneration of finishers.

The least expensive material is plastering brick or concrete bases (up to 350 rubles per m2, according to Moscow prices); slag or aerated concrete block leveling walls is slightly more expensive; and finishing wooden walls starts at 450 rubles per square meter.

A multiplying factor is used when applying two layers of plaster. All numbers are multiplied by two more if we are discussing superior surface smoothing rather than just leveling.

Advice: When plastering under a trowel, some repairmen quote $4 per square meter. There is no indication of the tool’s length. A knowledgeable expert in these costs operates under the 1.5 meter rule, which is more advantageous to the client.

Cost of work.

What more should you ask the contractor before putting in a repair order?

1. The price is determined per square meter of plastering a conditionally flat or real wall?
2. What differences (in mm) are considered a deviation from a flat plane?
3. Is the cost of work included in the lifting of building materials to the floor?
4. Will it be necessary to additionally pay for the installation of beacons, reinforcing mesh, etc.?
5. Is the estimate taken into account the finishing of slopes, corners, arches?
6. Is the use of special equipment provided for, and who will pay for its rental?

The price of the material is the second important query. Calculate the total area of the walls and whether decorative plaster can be applied to drywall before deciding how much mixture to purchase. On the packaging, the manufacturer invariably states the material’s standard consumption (kg/m2). All you have to do is figure out how much the layer’s thickness that was used as the foundation for the computation differs from the actual one.

When choosing between plaster and drywall, bear in mind that plasterboard facing walls with metal profile masters will cost about 650 rubles per square meter (350 rubles for material and 300 rubles for labor). However:

1. Such prices are valid for walls up to 3 meters high. The higher – the more expensive.
2. Calculations are made for an average-priced renovation using inexpensive materials.
3. Simple ceiling sheathing will cost one and a half times more than wall cladding.

Plastering Under Wallpaper	Plastering Under Drywall
Provides a smooth, even surface for wallpaper to adhere to.	Creates a flat and even surface, often used for finishing.
Requires proper preparation to avoid bubbling or peeling.	Can be quicker and cleaner as it often requires less finishing work.
May need additional layers and sanding for a perfect finish.	Drywall installation typically involves fewer layers and less sanding.
Can be more labor-intensive and time-consuming.	Generally faster to install and finish.
Can be more cost-effective in some cases, depending on the wallpaper.	May have higher material costs, but can save on labor.

Your unique needs and preferences will play a major role in your decision between plaster and drywall for wall preparation. Plaster is a good choice for traditional aesthetics and for creating a long-lasting, high-quality surface because it can provide a smooth and durable finish. It also makes elaborate detailing possible, which can improve the overall appearance of your walls.

Conversely, drywall is frequently selected due to its affordability and ease of installation. It’s a quicker solution, which can be especially helpful if you have a limited amount of time or money. For contemporary renovations, drywall can be an excellent option since it offers a sturdy foundation for wallpaper.

In the end, the choice should be based on the specifications, cost, and desired outcome of your project. Whether you choose drywall or plaster, both can yield great results if done properly. Think about what will look best in your room and how you want your walls to turn out.

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