We will build our own, we will build a new world

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Repair is, of course, an Event. And repair on your own - and even more so. Perhaps, after such a feat, you can safely write yourself into the category of real women, who can also handle a house, a tree, a child. Instead of a tree, indoor flowers will do quite well - well, this is so, by the way.

Of course, no one argues that it is better to entrust repairs to professionals. From sketches, drawings and approvals in the relevant authorities to the work itself. Your share would then be only pleasant chores like choosing the color of wallpaper and tiles, the shade of plumbing and a promenade through the salons of curtains. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. What to do now - live in an unrepaired apartment and longingly look at pictures in magazines? To stumble over the parquet floor, standing on end, and regularly glue the wallpaper, which is long overdue for a well-deserved rest? Of course not. If you have a husband or a friend who is willing to be drawn into an endless carousel of repairs for several months, you can do everything! Well, or almost everything - perhaps complex solutions like a multi-level ceiling or various arches throughout the apartment, it is better to entrust it to professionals.

So, the decision is final and irrevocable - we make repairs! Where to start? No matter how trite it may seem - from drawings and notes. Like real specialists. You can use the existing BTI plan, but it is better to measure the apartment yourself. The length, width and height of the premises, the location of windows and doors, their dimensions, the necessary bindings (the location of the risers for heating and water supply, sewerage, gas). It's not difficult, but it takes precision. It is imperative to take measurements of all available niches and protrusions. After that, you draw up a blueprint for your apartment. Best on a piece of graph paper. Then it will be convenient to plan the movement of furniture - you draw all your wardrobes, beds and tables on the appropriate scale, cut them out and place them on your drawing as you please. If something does not fit, then you will see it on paper, not in nature.

You should buy a few design magazines to decide what you want to see in your apartment after the renovation is over. It is very useful to read the descriptions of the materials that you plan to use and choose at least a few options. This is really necessary because we all make mistakes. For example, there are some floor coverings that children can easily slip on. If the family has pets, you need to think about the advisability of using moisture-resistant wall coverings in certain areas - stains will not decorate even the most beautiful wallpaper! Most acrylic bathtubs do not tolerate dog claws - in general, there are many examples, so all these points should be thought out in advance.

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What are the dirtiest jobs? Replacing the floor, replacing windows and doors, radiators, transferring electric points (it will be necessary to groove the walls). It is better to entrust an electrician to professionals (as, indeed, all work, the quality of which you are not sure of). It is necessary to clearly understand what this or that outlet will be used for (here the same plan with furniture will come in handy). Where will the washing machine be located? Any other equipment that requires a grounded outlet? Where to locate the telephone socket? All this must be presented in advance, so as not to cover up the extra holes in the wall later, or, conversely, not to stretch out a bunch of extension cords.

How to prepare the premises for work?

First, if possible, free it from furniture, and those items that cannot be removed, grouped in the center of the room and carefully covered with foil. Do not neglect this - removing stains from furniture is much more difficult than wrapping it with foil! The floor also needs to be protected from dirt and possible scratches: the film can tear, therefore experts advise to lay sheets of hardboard or packaging cardboard on the floor, and only then place the film on top. It is better to seal the joints with tape. The foil should also go over the skirting boards. Another option is to cover the baseboards with masking tape (unlike scotch tape, it can be easily removed and leaves no residue). After de-energizing the room, sockets and switches are also sealed with masking tape, after removing the frames from them.

Walls, floor and ceiling

The course of action in relation to the floor depends on the chosen coverage, so it makes no sense to dwell on this issue in detail. Sometimes it is enough to cycle the old parquet and varnish it. If liquid leveling mixtures are used, carefully study the technology so that there are no problems with the neighbors below (the screed can seep through the cracks). It is necessary to wash off the old whitewash from the ceiling. If the coating is lime, it is soaked with a roller and removed with a spatula, if it is a water-based dispersion paint or enamel, peeling areas are removed. It is desirable to process the enamel with sandpaper. As for the wallpaper, no matter how many layers there are on the walls (this is quite possible if the apartment is old), you need to remove them all in the same way as lime: tear off what is peeling off, and then soak the remnants and remove them with a spatula … Then the surfaces are treated with a primer and putty. The layer of putty should not be thick (about 2 mm), if necessary, it is better to apply several layers. If the walls are planned to be pasted over with heavy dense wallpaper, you can limit yourself to processing individual sections, if the wallpaper is light - processed and untreated sections of the wall will be visible.

The ceiling is first painted with diluted water-dispersion paint, and then undiluted. This is done with a roller. After painting the ceiling, you can paste the wallpaper. This business is probably familiar to everyone, and, in general, it presents no difficulties. Pay attention to the choice of glue - this is the key to success. To stick the first panel, a vertical line is drawn on the wall (a plumb line will be needed), well, then stick it for your pleasure. The border (if you need it) is not glued to the wallpaper, but to the surface of the wall! The bottom edge of the pasted wallpaper is cut with a sharp knife.

Important points

As we have already decided, it is still better to entrust complex work to professionals. To do this, it is not necessary to contact reputable companies (since in our case there is simply no money for this), but you should not trust the first person you come across either. Try to contact the masters from your ZhEK - no joke, they have vast experience, and they will not refuse to "cheat"! Of course, leave the new windows and doors (at least the entrance one!) To the specialists - they, among other things, also give a guarantee for their work. Estimate. It is believed that when repairing with your own hands, the costs should be considered as follows: all the necessary materials plus 30%. But in practice, it is still more!

Most likely, the most tempting prospects for you are to choose the color and texture of coatings, tiles, linoleum and the like. You will soon see that it is not so easy. The shades, which seem to be almost the same in the store, are quite different in daylight. Therefore, it is best to have a sample of already purchased material with you when you next purchase: wallpaper and tiles, paint and linoleum. However, if you want contrasts - it's the master's business.