One of the ways to decorate rooms is to paint with water-based compositions. What's good about this option? Walls painted with water-based emulsion are combined with any type of interior. And with hi-tech and minimalism popular today, there are almost no options - the walls should only be smooth, without patterns. 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 yourself.
Painting walls with water-based paint can be done independently, and the result will be at the proper level
Which water-based emulsion to choose for walls
There are compositions called water-based paints with different properties - some can only be used indoors, and even then they quickly wear off and fade; others paint external walls and do not lose their appearance for years. For this reason, you need to choose a composition for specific tasks and purposes.
The basis of water-based paints is water, which contains polymer or mineral particles. When drying after painting, the water evaporates, and the 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, adhere perfectly to any surface, but quickly fade 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 agents. The walls remain vapor permeable. Can be used indoors and outdoors, service life is about 10 years.
Mineral and silicate water-based paints have different characteristics and purposes - Water-based acrylic paint. Its positive property is that it lays flat, creating a smooth surface. It can heal small cracks (up to 1 mm), which means that preparing 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 you add latex 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 swimming pools. The disadvantage of this option is that it does not allow vapor to pass through (condensation forms on it). The price range is average, so painting walls with acrylic-based water-based paint is one of the best options today.
- Silicone water-based paints have appeared on the market quite recently. They create a dense film that closes cracks up to 2 mm wide. In this case, the surface can conduct water vapor; the paint does not change its appearance for a long time. The downside is the high price.
Acrylic and silicone water-based paints can heal small cracks
Having decided on the composition, you need to choose a manufacturer. No news here - it’s better to pay a little more, but get high-quality paint, than to repaint everything again in a few months. When choosing, pay attention not only to price and volume, but also to indicators such as consumption. It is indicated in grams per square meter and sometimes differs significantly. Moreover, expensive paints often have significantly lower consumption.
Characteristics of water-based wall paints
| Name | Application | Special properties | Consumption | Price for 1 l | Cost of painting one square meter |
| Tikkurila Euro-7 A | Concrete, wood, brick, fiberglass (wallpaper), plaster | Water-repellent latex paint based on acrylic | 8–10 m²/kg | 292 rub/l | 29.2 - 36.6 rub/m² |
| Optimum (Leningrad paints) | Concrete, drywall, wood, brick, plaster | Waterproof, vapor permeable | 6 – 8 m²/kg | 42 rub/l | 5.25-7 rub/m² |
| Dulux Diamond Matt BW | Concrete, brick, fiberglass (wallpaper), plaster | Increased wear resistance, stains are easily washed off | 12-17 m²/kg | 801 rub/l | 41-66 RUR/m² |
| Dufa Superweiss RD 4 | Concrete, fiberglass (wallpaper) | White acrylic moisture-resistant paint | 6.5 m²/kg | 252 rub/l | 38.7 RUR/m² |
Preparing walls for painting
Painting walls with water-based paint requires a flat surface. This could be special wallpaper for painting or a putty and primed wall. At the same time, you cannot paint with water-based paint over oil paint or whitewash. Previously applied coatings must be completely removed - before plastering, then the defects must be repaired, primed, and only after that can you paint.
Water-based paints can be used to paint special wallpapers
Removing old paint
The method of removing the old layer of whitewash and water-based paint are somewhat similar. First, “dry”, with a spatula, clean off everything that comes out. To quickly remove 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 and is easy to clean off with a spatula. Some particularly difficult areas need to be wetted again.
With the removal of whitewash from walls, the situation is similar, but the water used is cold and more of it may be required - lime is highly hygroscopic. But once it gets wet, it cleans well. Another feature is that after everything has been removed, you need to thoroughly saturate the surface with a soda solution. This neutralizes the lime remaining in the pores. After drying, you can already prime and putty.
Old paint is usually removed from walls with a spatula.
The most difficult process is removing oil paint from walls. Heating the walls with a hairdryer is ineffective - they heat up very slowly. There are also chemical compounds - removers. But firstly, they are toxic, secondly, they are expensive, and thirdly, they remove one layer well, and all those lying below have to be smeared again. In general, this is 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. Turn it on at low speed and clean off the paint. The method is not bad, but it produces a lot of dust, which is not good. As it turned out, it is much more effective to use a drill with a crown for drilling sockets. The oil paint flies off in pieces, there is almost no dust, the process goes quickly.
Sealing defects and putty
In the case of water-based emulsions, you cannot rely on the fact that the paint will hide the flaws of the walls. Quite the opposite - it will emphasize. Unless you use silicone emulsion, but even with this paint we advise you to cover a small piece and see if you are satisfied with the result. If not, you will have to putty.
First of all, the grooves and cracks are sealed. First, the angle of the spatula widens the cracks, removing everything that can fall off. Then they are coated with a primer (dip the brush into the composition and moisten it well) and after it dries, putty is applied, leveling it with the plane of the wall.
The crack is first opened, then primed and then covered with putty.
If a significant piece of plaster has fallen off, it is better to restore it with cement-sand mortar. The resulting hole is moistened with water, but it is better to also apply a suitable primer (cement-based), fill it with mortar, and level it flush with the wall. The matter is complicated by the fact that further work can be carried out only after the solution dries and becomes light gray. But don’t try to force-dry it - it will crumble and crumble.
When all the defects are repaired, the remaining irregularities are smoothed out using putty over the entire surface. The walls are first primed. It is easier to do this with a roller, pouring the composition into the tray.
Putty is sold in bags, there 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, minor irregularities can be smoothed out with a finishing compound (layer no more than 5 mm). It is most convenient to seal the putty in a plastic container. Usually this is a 10-15 liter bucket. First, pour in water as recommended on the package, then pour in the mixture and mix thoroughly. For mixing, use a construction mixer or a drill with an attachment. Pay special attention to the bottom and walls - dry powder often remains here.
For further work, you will need two spatulas - one wide, the second - a regular small or medium size. They work like this:
- Use a small spatula to take the putty and lay it with a roller along the blade of the large one.
- A large spatula is pressed against the wall with its blade and moved in one direction, maintaining the same degree of pressure. In this case, the composition is distributed along the wall, filling the unevenness. The thickness of the applied layer depends on the degree of pressure: the harder you press, the thinner the layer of putty remains on the wall.
- If stripes, grooves or other defects have formed, run the spatula over this area again, correcting the defect.
- All these steps are repeated until all the walls are level.
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 and attach it to a grater (a construction tool - a platform with a handle). Using this platform, the remaining strips are leveled, achieving a flat surface.
Each applied layer of putty is leveled with sandpaper or mesh.
Usually after the first leveling layer there are still imperfections. They are sealed with a finishing type of putty. In it, the components are ground more finely, the composition of the batch is more plastic, and 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 illuminate them from the side. This lighting will reveal all the irregularities. They are usually leveled with a grater with a stretched fine mesh. If this is not done, the applied layer of paint will reveal the imperfections.
Padding
The primer is selected depending on the paint base. An acrylic primer is used for an acrylic base, a silicate primer is used for a silicate base, etc. As a rule, it is sold in cans of various capacities in the same stores where water-based emulsions are sold. Apply with a roller.
Priming the walls
Why do you need to prime walls before painting with water-based emulsion? Firstly, so that the paint holds better, does not crack or swell with bubbles. Secondly, to reduce paint consumption. The primer slightly closes the pores, reducing the absorbency of the surface.
Creating a textured surface
The textured surface design is created using undiluted material. The process of applying the composition is to make the wall look not smooth, but have interesting roughness.
The primary finishing is applied with a nap roller, and the material should be viscous and thick - this way all the pores of the surface are filled. The second coat should be applied with a lint-free tool and a sponge is used for the finishing coat. In order for the surface to be embossed or patterned, the finishing may have a different shade.
Creating texture using a coloring composition
You can also create a textured wall with a paint composition. To do this, you do not need to strive to level the walls to absolute smoothness. If the walls are puttied and primed, then instead of a plaster layer, a painting material is immediately applied. In this case, the rolled surface may have pores, depressions and potholes that will be filled with paint.
In addition to the composition itself, to create a textured wall, rollers with a special pile are used - attached flaps, cutouts, and a spongy surface. However, this requires a larger amount of painting material.
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. To do this, a coloring pigment is added to the composition. You can order coloring in special machines, or you can buy the 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 contains programs according to which it measures the required amount of coloring substances. In any case, at one time you need to tint the entire volume of paint needed for the walls and even with a small margin for painting over stains or scratches. You won’t be able to replicate the same color exactly, and cars produce slightly different shades.
You can choose any shade
When tinting yourself, first the paint is diluted with purified water to the desired consistency (usually it is thick). Then take a clean wooden stick or a clean drill attachment and begin stirring the paint in the bucket (drill at the lowest speed). Having opened the color, pour in the color in a thin stream. Having received the desired shade, stir for another 2-3 minutes, then leave the water-based emulsion and wait until the foam settles.
Roller for water emulsion
Water-based paint can be applied using several types of rollers:
- Foam rubber. Available in any store, they cost 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 for it in specialized stores. When using them, the paint goes on smoothly, but velor is a very dense material and has little curl. Because of this, during the process you will have to dip it in paint too often.
- Fleecy. Painting walls with water-based paint using fleecy rollers is the best choice. The length of the pile can be different, depending on it, the paint layer turns out thinner or thinner. For painting evenly puttied walls, the length of the pile is not important, but it is better not to use ones that are too shaggy - there may be splashes. There are fluffy 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 faint relief, it is better to use fluffy 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 begins, masking tape is applied to the baseboards (if not removed), trim, window sills, and along the edges. If it is necessary to mark the boundaries of painting on the wall, they are also marked using masking tape - draw a line and stick adhesive tape along it. If the ceilings are already painted, it won't hurt to put some tape on the ceiling as well. This way you are guaranteed not to get it dirty. Please note that the tape is removed immediately after this area is painted. If the paint on the tape hardens, it is impossible to tear it off without damaging the wall.
Ready-to-use paint (diluted and tinted to the desired color) is poured into a paint tray. To be able to paint the wall right up to the ceiling, a long handle is attached to the roller. Usually this is a plastic pipe or a thin, well-processed wooden holder (for a rake it is thinner and more comfortable to hold).
Up and down movement of the roller
Painting begins from one of the corners. The corner itself is passed with a brush, painting about 5 cm on the wall. Use a brush to paint the corner under the ceiling (if you paint to the very top). Next, take a roller, dip it in paint, press it onto the platform and, starting from the top, roll the paint down. Moving the roller up and down, paint a continuous strip of paint, going 5-8 cm onto the already painted surface. This way you can avoid the appearance of boundaries formed when applying paint.
Water-based emulsions “set” on the wall in 10-15 minutes. Therefore, you need to act quickly, without smoking breaks or interruptions. If the border of the strip dries, it will then be visible. To avoid this, you need to maintain a high painting pace.
Paint the second corner when one roller width remains before it. If you immediately paint the second adjacent wall, you can paint it with a brush as well.
It is recommended to apply three layers of water-based emulsion to putty walls. After each, you need to wait until the paint dries. The exact waiting time between coats is indicated on the can and is usually 2-4 hours. If water-based paint is applied to wallpaper, one layer is sufficient.
Note! When purchasing and tinting, a plastered wall surface requires three times more paint than a wall surface covered with wallpaper.
How to choose correctly
Sellers may not differentiate between water-based and water-based paints. This is the first difficulty, and it can be solved simply: the packaging must contain the inscription “water-based”.
Surfaces in apartments get dirty quickly, especially with greasy stains, so you should choose washable options. Of course, if this factor does not become limiting. The paint packaging should be checked for compliance with GOST. There are not enough marks on the packaging; you need to ask for a certificate. The process of making water-based compositions itself is not very difficult, so fakes come across more often than in the case of other paints. Complex equipment and specific substances that are difficult to obtain are not used in production. This is good for the price, but in terms of quality assurance you will have to be vigilant. In addition to the listed criteria, it is worth paying attention to the specifics of consumption and the intended purpose - for interior or exterior work.
