Basic methods of finishing walls behind heating radiators. How to finish the wall behind the radiator under the window. Methods of wall cladding. Preparing to create a plasterboard box Decorating the wall behind the battery

When an unsightly heating radiator spoils the interior, there are several ways to solve the problem: replace it with a designer or in-floor model, or simply cover it with a screen/box. The latter method provides several advantages:

A screen or box not only hides a bulky structure, but often decorates the room.
The screen/box can be used to build an additional console, a shelf for decoration, a bench, a rack, or a desktop.
A closed battery is safer for children - there is no risk of burns or accidental impacts. However, one can argue with this argument, because it is in the children's room that heat loss is least needed.

In a children's room, the radiator should be covered with a nice grille with a large number of holes, for example, carved like in this photo

If the house is too hot and dry, then closing the radiator will help create a comfortable microclimate for household members, their pets and plants.
The screen prevents dust from settling in the inside of the radiator and thus simplifies cleaning.

There are also disadvantages:

The heat transfer of a closed battery decreases on average by 10-15% or more (depending on the degree of closure);
Screens and boxes often make it difficult to service radiators, and sometimes even block access to them.
Often, improperly closed batteries lead to fogging of windows, and then to the appearance of harmful mold on slopes and walls.
The screen or box, at least a little, “eats up” the space around the radiator. After all, any elements should be installed at a distance of 5-10 cm from the battery.
Battery fencing requires additional expense and hassle.

How to cover radiators - 11 ways from a plasterboard box to a fabric screen

1. Decorative screen/box made of HDF

This option is one of the most popular due to its average price and beautiful appearance.

What is the difference between a box and a screen? The screen is designed for the battery located in a niche or under the window sill (pictured above), therefore, it covers only its front part. The box completely covers the radiator on the wall from all sides.

The screen, like the box panel, is made of perforated HDF sheet high density 3 mm thick), but the box profiles are made of MDF. Both materials are quite strong, durable and non-toxic when heated.

Advantages:

Due to the original perforation, HDF screens/boxes look beautiful and fit into any interior, especially to classic .
Heat resistance (the structure does not dry out like natural wood and does not turn yellow like plastic).
Easy to assemble and install without the help of specialists.
Ready-made HDF screens/boxes can be white or imitate wood (wenge, beech, oak), and custom-made ones can be painted in any color, laminated, or veneered with natural wood. True, the complexity of the design always affects the price of the screen.

Flaws:

MDF and HDF do not tolerate prolonged contact with water. If the battery leaks or a pipe breaks, the elements of the box/screen may swell. Therefore, any emergency situations must be resolved immediately.
Perforated panels, despite their thinness, are quite durable due to the high density of fiberboard. However, they must be protected from impacts and sharp objects.
Perforation sections in factory screens are not painted and are therefore visible.

Price: from 1500 rubles for a finished model and from 2300 rubles for an individual order.

Selection tips:

The size of the radiator niche must correspond to the size of the inside of the screen.
Screens and boxes for batteries can be either ready-made (assembled like a kit) or manufactured according to custom sizes and design (you can choose a perforation pattern).

Here is a small selection of photos of closed batteries.

Closed battery in the interior of a small kitchen in Khrushchev

2. A plasterboard box

How to cover a battery with drywall? Using this material, you can cover the radiator with a box or create a niche for it in a false wall.

Advantages:

Environmental friendliness;
Can be used in damp areas;
Material available;
With a false wall you can cover the pipes and expand the window sill;
You can close the battery with a plasterboard box with your own hands without special skills in a few hours of work;
You can think through the configuration of the box and false wall yourself, if you wish, equip it with shelves and niches, and additionally cover the pipes connected to the battery. Next, you can look at a photo of a closed battery in a plasterboard false wall with an enlarged window sill-bench and a built-in niche for books.

Flaws:

The main disadvantage of a plasterboard box is that this material is afraid of shocks and leaks. If something goes wrong, you will have to completely change the battery casing along with the finishing.
A false plasterboard wall for the radiator and pipes “eats up” the space, as it is placed 30-35 mm forward from the extreme point of the radiator.

As a rule, a frame made of HA must be made at the renovation stage, because its finishing must coincide with the finishing of the walls.

In the following photos you can see finished interior kitchens with a closed radiator and a plasterboard box in the process of renovation.

Design and Manufacturing Tips:

Before covering the radiator with a plasterboard box, be sure to put it in order: blow it out, wash it (this is done at the end of the heating season) and paint it. In the future, doing this without dismantling the box will be difficult or even impossible.
The box can be installed on the floor or “hang” on the wall.
When designing the box, keep in mind that the window sill canopy must protrude above the front of the box by at least 30 mm. If necessary old window sill should be replaced with a wider one.

Visual instructions on how to cover the battery and pipes with a false plasterboard wall are presented in the video below.

And here is a video tutorial on how to cover a radiator with a box.

3. Furniture

In the kitchen, the battery along with the window sill can be built into a set or bar counter, and in the living room, bedroom and hallway - into a bench, console or shelving unit.

This slider presents a selection of photos of closed radiators under the bench.

The main condition: in the window sill/lid above the battery you need to provide enough holes for air circulation, and the facade (if there is one) covering the battery must be equipped with a grille (see photo below). Otherwise, there is a risk of windows fogging up and cold in the room.

Sometimes, to hide a heating radiator, it is enough to rearrange the furniture and cover the device, say, with a sofa, armchair or console. In order not to disturb the air circulation, it is better to place the piece of furniture away from the radiator (at least 10 cm), it is also advisable that it stands on legs - this way convective flows will not be blocked.

4. Fabric curtain

This method of disguise is good for rented housing or when the problem of unsightly batteries needs to be solved at minimal cost. The advantages of the curtain are obvious: a piece of fabric is inexpensive, and the choice of colors is very large (you can change the “screens” according to your mood), while the battery always remains available for repair and inspection.

5. Natural wood screen

Advantages:

Beautiful and expensive appearance even in the simplest design;
Environmental friendliness;
Good heat dissipation and ability to accumulate heat.

Flaws:

Wood is capricious - poorly prepared wood can swell from a leak or warp from heat;
A wooden screen requires special care;
High price.

Prices: from 3,000 rubles for the simplest models and from 10 thousand rubles for premium wooden screens.

Here are some photos of beautifully sealed batteries.

6. Glass screen

A glass screen is an excellent decorative solution, but from a thermal engineering point of view it is very controversial.

Advantages:

Design for every taste - the glass panel can be transparent and colored, matte and shiny, with or without a sandblasted pattern, with beveled or polished edges;
Glass can look neutral or very bright;
Glass visually looks light and adds airiness to the interior;
Ease of care;
Strength;
Durability;
Heat resistance;
Moisture resistance;
Absolutely environmentally friendly.

Flaws:

More suitable for modern rather than classic interiors;
“Eats” up to 40-50% of heat (infrared radiation);
High price;
Fingerprints may remain on the glass;
The panel does not cover the ends of the battery;
Screen installation most often requires the help of a specialist.

The battery shield must only be made from tempered glass. This is the only way it will be absolutely safe and shockproof.
Glass screens are good for use in rooms with excess heat.

7. Metal box

Advantages:

Practically do not interfere with heat transfer;
Low price;
Easy care;
Absolute moisture and heat resistance.

Flaws:

“Office” appearance that will not fit into every interior.

Selection tips:

A metal screen for a battery can look very nice if you order its production from a company specializing in laser cutting of metal or forging.

8. A rattan box or screen

Most often, rattan fabric refers to an artificial rattan mesh woven from cellulose-based fibers reinforced with nylon thread. Artificial rattan is very similar to natural rattan, but unlike it, it is more practical and can be painted in any color. Screens made from natural rattan have natural beauty and durability, but they cost twice as much and are much more difficult to find on sale.

Advantages of a rattan screen:

Environmental friendliness;
Beautiful view;
Strength;
Elasticity;
Good heat dissipation.

Flaws:

The weaving of artificial rattan is quite dense, which can affect heat transfer;
The screen must be protected from water.

Prices: from 1,700 rubles (artificial rattan screen).

Rattan fabric (both artificial and natural) can be used to make a battery screen with your own hands. To do this, you need to assemble the box with the frame at the corners, attach the mesh to the inside of the frame, then install the box on the radiator using brackets.

9. Hinged metal screen

The metal structure consists of a cover and a screen and is hung on top of the battery without fixation.

Advantages:

Easy installation;
Simple dismantling, which facilitates radiator maintenance;
Profitable price;
Durability;
Does not reduce battery efficiency.

Flaws:

The ends of the battery remain visible;
Almost always, suspended screens are grilles without any decoration.

There must be high-quality enamel that does not scratch;
It should hold tightly and be easily removed;
The screen metal must not be subject to corrosion.

10. Curtains to the floor

Masking the radiator with curtains – great idea, approved by both heating engineers and decorators. The only problem is that it won’t be possible to hide the battery under the window behind a curtain without shading the room. Unless you hang very light tulle like in this photo.

Ability to independently change the panel size;

Suitable for kitchens, bathrooms and toilets, i.e. rooms with high humidity;

Affordable price.

Flaws:

It looks simple, no frills;
Over time, the plastic may turn yellow;
When heated, low-quality plastic can release toxic substances, such as formaldehyde.

Prices: from 300 rubles.

Selection tips:

Plastic battery screens are available in basic colors: white, gray, brown, beige. If desired, the screen can be painted in the desired color with alkyd spray paint for plastic;
When choosing a plastic screen for a battery, make sure it is heat-resistant and non-toxic.

How to close batteries correctly - technical rules and tips

Before closing the radiator, you need to take into account several technical nuances:

Keep in mind that heat transfer closed radiator is reduced in any case, no matter what method of masking you choose. The main thing is that the change is not significant. Ideally, the decrease in air temperature in the room should be about 1-1.5 degrees.
Before closing the battery, put it in order: blow it out, wash it (this is done at the end of the heating season) and paint it.
Keep in mind that the denser the grille weave, the better it masks the radiator, but the worse it conducts heat. Therefore, when choosing a screen for a battery, try to look for a middle ground or rely on heat saving.
To minimize heat loss, the screen can be placed on legs and a groove can be cut in the center.

When closing the battery, it is very important not to block convective air flows, otherwise it will blow in the room and the windows will begin to fog up, which will ultimately lead to the appearance of mold on the walls. Ideally, the window sill visor should protrude no more than 30 mm above the radiator; the top and bottom of the radiator should be as open as possible.
There should be a distance of at least 35-50 mm between the battery and the screen. There should be a gap of about 60-70 mm from the radiator to the floor and to the window sill.
To resolve emergency situations, it is necessary to provide free access to the radiator. For example, the box grille can be removable, folding (see photo), opening on hinges or sliding out on profiles.

At a minimum, for trouble-free maintenance, the following must remain in good accessibility: pipe connections, valves, thermal head and threaded connections.

You can increase heat transfer by 20-25% by placing a heat-reflecting screen, for example, fumisol, on the wall behind the radiator. Often this is quite enough to completely compensate for the heat loss of a closed battery.

The point of pasting the wall on the battery side with foil material is an inexpensive way to increase the temperature in the apartment by 2-5 degrees and does not require special knowledge. The radiators heat the brick or concrete of the external wall in the same way as they stand under the windows. In order for all the heat from the battery to be used to heat the room, a special heat-reflecting material must be placed between the radiators and the walls: foil, which is glued to the heat insulator. What does foil do for walls with a radiator? Foil (heat-reflecting screen) behind the radiator will keep the house warm and save on heating costs.

To install the heat shield we will need:

any aluminum foil on soft foam (rolled) mainly with a thickness of 2-7 mm (for example, Aluf) in the required quantity;
wallpaper glue or liquid nails.

Instructions for installing the foil screen behind the battery:

We measure the width and height of the battery (we get the amount of heat-reflecting material required). Everyone says the screen should be a little bigger than the battery. But I think that the battery area is sufficient (the aesthetic appearance is also important).
We buy the required amount of heat-reflecting material. As a rule, 3-5 mm is enough for any walls. Foil foamed propylene in rolls is the cheapest and reliable material For heat shield.
Next, we need to cut heat-reflecting screens for each radiator from the purchased material.
We fix the heat-reflecting screen behind the radiator with glue or liquid nails. The desired distance between the wall and the battery is at least 3 cm; in any case, the radiator fins should not touch the foil. You can mount it on the wall, or you can use it on special grilles, that is, provide a distance of several cm between the wall and the screen. This will also increase the energy efficiency of the screen, but, of course, such a distance between the wall and the battery may simply technically not exist.

Foil insulating screen (heat reflector from battery)

Installing a foil screen allows you to raise the room temperature by 2-5 degrees. How to glue the heat reflector behind the batteries?

Pasting nuances:

The surface of the wall on which you are going to glue the heat reflector for batteries must be flat.
Do not confuse foil with other metalized materials. The material made of lavsan base with aluminum coating reflects heat worse. To check whether it is foil or not, try setting it on fire: the foil will not melt.
If the battery is installed in a so-called “niche” and the wall behind it is thin, then installing a heat shield can lead to severe freezing in cold weather and, accordingly, slow destruction.

Watch the video: an example of installing a heat shield under a battery

Video: how to mount a reflector under the battery

Does the thickness of the heat reflector behind the battery matter?

A thickness of 5 mm is enough for any walls. Heat reflection is provided by the mirror surface of the heat reflector from the battery itself.

What glue should I use to glue heat-reflecting foil to the wall?

The heat-reflecting screen under the battery can be glued using liquid nails or glue for heavy wallpaper.

They either covered it with wallpaper or painted it as far as they could reach or crawl under the radiator. Today, finishing the wall behind the radiator is an integral part of the repair, and no matter how you are convinced that this place will be covered with a curtain, you should not neglect this operation.

In most cases finishing the wall behind the battery cannot be carried out through the installed battery. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out this either before installing new radiators, or to remove the radiators during the work, making marks on the location of the battery, this will help determine the size of the surface to be finished.

Painting and gluing behind the radiator are all just temporary finishing options; due to the inaccessibility of cleaning in these places, sections of walls finished in this way quickly become unusable. We would advise laying tiles behind the radiator, which are practically eternal and undemanding to clean.

If at the top it is possible to finish both directly to the level of installation of the radiator and to the window sill, then at the bottom it is necessary to take into account the level and height of the plinth that will be installed on the floor, because if a tile gets in its way, the baseboard will have to be cut into pieces, plugs installed, etc., which may negatively affect appearance finishing carried out.

We begin work from the bottom. We beat off the level of the tile and attach a block of the required length to the wall with dowels. Its length should be slightly larger than the area to be finished and have a margin on the right and left sides. After this, you can begin finishing, of course, having previously primed the walls. We apply the solution to the first one and mount it on the wall, placing it on a block and orienting it along the side mark. Next, the surface is leveled; if necessary, it must be tamped down in protruding places, or the solution must be added where it is lacking. After this, the tiles are aligned horizontally; if necessary, special plastic wedges for tiles are inserted between the block and the bar. The next tile is oriented relative to the previous one using mounting crosses for the tile. It is also set on the block using a level and wedges.

Finishing the wall behind the radiator continues in this way right up to the window sill; on the last row, the tiles, if necessary, are cut to the required size using a tile cutter. After the solution has dried, the tiles are grouted. And when it dries, you can begin to install the radiator in place.

Arranging the space behind the heating radiators. - blogs - poremontu.ru

I have a fairly old panel house. Almost twenty years have passed since its construction. Naturally, during this time, I, to one degree or another, remodeled almost the entire apartment.

Boxes for heating radiators

Boxes that hide batteries are best installed when repairing or installing a heating system. The following materials are suitable for making the box:

Drywall. One of the most common materials. It is low cost, lightweight and easy to process. There are many ways to complete finishing using drywall. This material can be puttied and painted, covered with wallpaper and film, and decorated with stucco.
MDF panels. Another budget option for decorative cladding. MDF is not afraid of sudden temperature changes and is not subject to drying out. Typically, the design of MDF panels imitates exotic or rare wood, which makes it easy to fit into the interior of the room.
Plywood. This material is very light and easy to process. With its help you can quickly make a durable and lightweight screen for the radiator. Plywood is easy to cut and also decorated. Varnishing, painting, gluing film or wallpaper, or decorative plaster can be selected as finishing treatments.
Laminated chipboard sheets. This material is more difficult to work with, although there are never any problems with fixing it.
Wood. This material is supported by its environmental friendliness and naturalness. Using wooden blocks and slats, you can make a wonderful box without any work skills or special tools, which will help to perfectly cover not only the radiator, but also the heating pipes. At the same time, it is much easier to work with slats, especially when working in hard to reach places Oh.

The box can become not just a decoration and disguise for a heating radiator, but also carry a functional or aesthetic load. If we consider the option with functionality, then you can, for example, use chipboard sheets and guides to make a cabinet the entire width of the room. The optimal height of such a cabinet should correspond to the height of the window sill if the radiator is located under the window.

The central part of the box cabinet effectively masks the heating radiator, while the rest of the box is used as a bookcase

The aesthetic load of the box is more difficult to implement, but quite doable. A radiator located near the wall can be decorated as a fireplace. In this case, it is not necessary to use brickwork and install a forged lattice. You can do it much simpler and make a box from a cut sheet of plywood or fiberboard.

Maintaining proportions and not deviating from the scheme, you can make a frame for a decorative fireplace in just a few hours from wooden slats and plywood and design it

After securing the wooden slatted frame and installing the cut plywood sheets, all that remains is to cover the fireplace with film. You can go further and stick a painted flame or smoldering coals inside the fireplace; here everything depends on the flight of your imagination.

Image gallery

Installation of batteries in walls

One of the most labor-intensive methods of masking radiators and heating pipes is implemented at the construction stage or carrying out major repairs. This method involves placing pipes and radiators not on the wall, but inside it. Of course, this will inevitably lead to a reduction in the usable area of the room and an increase in heat loss, but there is no need to rack your brains over how to decorate radiators and heating pipes.

You can go even further and completely abandon radiators and pipes, replacing them with warm floors. If the heating efficiency is insufficient, then you can supplement the heating system with invisible convectors mounted in furniture, window sills, plinth, floor, etc.

Invisible convectors can compete with standard heating systems with pipes and radiators

Masking batteries in the bathroom and kitchen

In the bathroom, it is best to hide radiators in some pieces of furniture. Wall cabinets are best suited for this. If for some reason it is not possible to hide the radiator in a cabinet, then it is better not to resort to making hanging boxes. They will look awkward on the wall. In this case, it is better to simply paint the radiator to match the walls.

As for placing the radiator on the floor, you can limit yourself to installing a screen. MDF and plastic are suitable for making the screen, it can also be glass and chromed metal - these materials combine well with sterile cleanliness and shine ceramic tiles.

In the kitchen, radiators are most often hidden under the window sill-countertop. This technique allows you not only to hide the radiator, but also to significantly increase the working surface. If we're talking about about a small apartment, then this technique can be considered a significant bonus. Here it is already difficult to argue which aspect is more important - functional or aesthetic.

The functionality of the kitchen is increased by installing an additional work surface in the form of a countertop and cabinet

There is also the option of installing a folding table. In this case, the color of the countertop and the color of the walls should be the same. The disadvantage of this design is the impossibility of making the tabletop structure perforated. Having a gap between the countertop and the floor, as well as between the countertop and the window sill, will help ensure normal convection.

Video examples of work on masking radiators

Assembly and installation of a finished screen for a heating radiator:

Heating radiator painting:

Overview of heating radiator grilles made of decorative glass:

When performing masking using any of the proposed methods, do not forget about the main functional task of the heating battery - heating and heat distribution. Incorrectly chosen material, installation and decoration scheme can increase heat loss several times.

During runtime cosmetic repairs, you can get free access to almost any surface area. However, in almost every room there is a place where it is very difficult to get to. This place is the surface of the wall behind the radiator. We will consider in detail how the walls behind the heating radiator are decorated in this article. In particular, we will consider the issue of finishing the wall behind the battery without removing it.

When working with the area behind the radiator, the first thing, of course, is to try to remove the battery. Today, heating radiators are mainly found in two types: aluminum and cast iron. Moreover, both types of radiators differ in the connection method.

How to remove a heating radiator for wall decoration

For all radiators, aluminum, cast iron, and other materials general principle connections are the same. Regardless of the number of sections, the battery has a tap that regulates the flow hot water, return shut-off valve, and Mayevsky valve - an air vent designed to release an air plug from the radiator.

Battery connection diagram. If there is a small number of sections, the plug and return pipe are swapped.

At the hot water supply and return in the radiators, couplings with union nuts are installed, to which a water control valve is attached at the top using nuts, and a shut-off valve at the bottom. After both taps, couplings with external or internal threads are installed. And after the released couplings, either American couplings with clamping nuts or couplings for crimping are installed. One way or another, the supply and return heating pipes are connected to the latter.

The nut that must be unscrewed to remove the battery.

In order to remove an aluminum radiator, you must first close the water supply control valve and close the return valve. After this, you need to open the Mayevsky tap. Its external design may vary. Modern air blowers have a comfortable handle. The old-style air vents are opened using a screwdriver, which completely unscrews the bolt.

At the next stage, a basin or low bucket is installed under the battery to be removed and, using either 2 wrenches or 2 adjustable wrenches, unscrew union nuts connecting radiator couplings to taps. Considering that the air vent was previously opened, you then need to wait until all the water drains from the radiator and remove the battery itself from the brackets.

How to disconnect a cast iron radiator from metal pipes

As a rule, in old cast iron batteries The pipe connection is as follows. At the water inlet and outlet of the radiator, cast iron adapter couplings are installed - futorka. External thread The fitting allows it to be screwed into the hole of the last section. The thread cut into the inner hole of the fitting is designed to connect a 1/2-inch metal pipe. After the fitting, a metal pressure washer is located on the thread of the metal pipe.

In houses old building Cast iron radiators, as a rule, do not have water supply control taps or a shut-off valve. All shut-off valves are usually located in one place at the outlet and at the water inlet to the gas boiler, or in the basement if we are talking about an old one apartment building, connected to central system heating.

Connection diagram cast iron radiator heating.

In the figure the numbers indicate:

1 – pressure washer (lock nut);

2 – transition coupling (futorka);

3 – gasket under the futor;

4 – base of the cast iron section.

After making sure that the water supply to the radiator is shut off, using 2 adjustable wrenches, initially release the pressure washer on the pipe, approximately 4-5 cm. After this, placing a container under the battery to collect water, unscrew the fitting from the radiator section, which will move along the thread on the pipe towards the released washer. In this case, it is advisable to count and remember the number of revolutions, since the installation of the radiator will be reverse sequential.

Finishing the walls behind the battery without dismantling it

For various reasons, it is not always possible to remove radiators. For example, if the repair is carried out in winter and there is a radiator at the inlet and outlet, but there are no shut-off valves. In this case, there are two options. If the battery is installed close to the wall, that is, the gap is minimal, only 10-20 mm, then it is better to wait until the end of the heating season and still temporarily dismantle the battery. If the gap between the radiator is 4-5 cm, then you can finish the wall surface without removing the battery.

Plastering and puttying behind the battery

It will not be possible to completely plaster the walls behind the radiator without removing it. That is, you can plaster cement-sand mortar, but without grout. The walls behind the radiator will need to be completely leveled using putty. For application plaster mortar or putties use an aluminum strip 150 cm long or more and only 3-5 cm wide. The thickness of the strip should be about 4-5 mm so that the strip does not bend during operation.

When plastering or puttying, the solution is initially made of a thick consistency so that it does not flow off the aluminum strip. A solution or putty is applied to the edge of the entire length of the strip and the strip is passed between the battery and the wall at an angle of 45 degrees. The work is similar to the principle of plastering with the rule, but here the main inconvenience is associated with the battery located on the wall.

Painting, priming the walls behind the battery

Considering the small gap between the battery and the wall, it is more convenient to perform priming and painting with a roller with a small diameter - a mini roller. Mini rollers rarely appear on wide sale, so you often have to make them yourself from improvised materials, using only the holder of a standard roller. You can also use homemade brushes or ottomans to apply paint to the wall surface. As a handle for them, aluminum wire with a diameter of 0.8-10 mm is used, which can be bent under the right angle. In addition, radiator brushes are available for sale. A radiator brush is a curved brush with a long handle.

Mini roller for working behind heating radiators.

Radiator brush.

Gluing wallpaper to the wall behind the radiator

When wallpapering behind a radiator, the surface of the wall is first covered with glue. The glue is applied in the same way as paint and primer. Next, use a roller to cover the back side of the cut piece of wallpaper. After this, a piece of wallpaper is passed behind the battery and in order to press it tightly to the wall surface and smooth it, use a second dry and clean mini-roller or ottoman on a flexible handle made of thick aluminum wire.

Gluing tiles behind the battery

Gluing tiles behind a radiator

If the height and width of the battery are relatively small, for example, a radiator of 5 sections, then tiles can be laid on the wall behind it. The problem can only arise with the brackets on which the battery hangs. You will have to mark the tiles so that the horizontal seam between the tiles falls exactly on the location of the two brackets. If the brackets are made of smooth reinforcement, then small notches are made on the edges of the tile, thereby the upper and lower tiles will encircle the bracket released from the wall.

Other methods of finishing walls behind radiators

If it is very difficult to get close to the battery and it is unrealistic to remove it in the near future, then behind the radiator to the wall you can mount a glass-magnesite sheet (GML) on dowels, which can be pre-painted in the desired color. You can also glue wallpaper or tiles to the sheet. The advantage of SML is that it can be purchased with any thickness from 2 to 10 mm. It should also be noted the good thermal insulation and waterproofing qualities of glass-magnesite sheets. In addition to LSU, you can use other sheet materials, such as plasterboard, plywood, and chipboard.

Installation of glass-magnesite sheet behind the battery

Screens for radiators

Another solution when finishing the wall behind the radiator and decorating radiators is to use screens for radiators. They represent perforated panels from various materials and come in a variety of patterns and colors. Such panels cover the wall along with the batteries. Thus, part of the wall behind the battery itself is hidden from view. The downside of this solution is a slight reduction in heat from the battery.

Screen for radiators.

Niches behind heating radiators are a pain point in many apartment renovations. They don’t want to deal with them, leaving them for later, but what happens in the end is that they forget about them, don’t finish them, and try in every possible way to disguise them. This tactic is wrong - you need to immediately take on these “secluded” places.

This article describes technologies for finishing the battery niche both with and without removing radiators.

Why is it better to finish the niche behind the battery?

By itself, the wall behind the elements central heating is not an entirely accessible place for finishing work, and when it is recessed into a niche, the situation is doubly aggravated. It becomes more difficult to reach such a surface; there are additional angles and transitions that are not always ideal.

For various reasons, niches do not deserve finishing at all:

Removing radiators is a complex and time-consuming process;
when working in uncomfortable, cramped conditions, the aesthetic quality of coatings in niches is worse than on other surfaces;
usually, the batteries are located under the window sills, and this place can be easily covered with long curtains, decorative panels or screens;
work in niches requires additional operations or the purchase of building materials that are not used for general repairs entail additional financial costs.

Leaving the problem unresolved, you can encounter it at the most inopportune moment, when the furniture and floor coverings are in their places, and you need to remove the dirt and finish the corner that spoils the whole look. After all, you may need to change the layout, abandon curtains altogether or replace them with shorter ones, and remove bulky shields.

The niche for the battery is unfinished.

In addition, by covering the radiators, apartment owners greatly reduce the efficiency of heating. It is necessary to do exactly the opposite - to open the air flow freely for convection, and finish the battery niches with isofol, reducing heat leakage to the street.

Also, a plastered surface on which the final protective coating is not renewed begins to rapidly deteriorate. This entails additional financial expenses for its subsequent restoration.

Dismantling (removing) the battery

It is most convenient to carry out repair work on the surface of the niche with the radiators removed, then unhindered access will be provided for carrying out any operations. But not all types of batteries can be dismantled equally easily, and an attempt to unwind the old leads may be unsuccessful or lead to damage to the integrity of the heating elements. In this case, the need to purchase new radiators is added to the costs of repair work. Therefore, it is advisable to remove them only when the batteries need to be cleaned or completely replaced with new ones.

The complexity of dismantling work also depends on the type of fittings used, the time of work (during the heating season or off-season), the heating scheme and the type of radiators themselves.

Removing batteries of modern designs

It is most correct to carry out operations that will be associated with depressurization of the heating system in the summer, when hot water under pressure is no longer supplied and it does not need to be reliably shut off. In addition, this will not entail cooling of pipes in an entire apartment or throughout the riser of a multi-story building.

But situations are different and, sometimes, it is necessary to remove the batteries earlier. The easiest way to do this is in modern houses, where group or individual heating systems and new radiators are used. The general sequence of actions in this case is as follows:

Turning off the boiler. Turn off the heating device and disconnect the system from the mains, paying attention to the manufacturer's recommendations heating device regarding its correct shutdown;

2. Shut off the water supply. Shut off the water supply that supplies the entire system. It could be circulation pump if individual heating or ball valves are used on direct or return risers;

3. Reduced pressure. Then, you should relieve the water pressure in the locked circuit. Thanks to this, the amount of liquid in the connected radiators will decrease. The drain valve is most often located on the drain near the boiler, in its lower part. All you need to do is connect a suitable hose to the tap and drain the water down the drain;

4. Battery cut. The thermostat valve in front of the heating element closes to the minus position - this ensures complete isolation of the battery from the entire system. Some radiators have a lockable drain valve. In such models, water can be removed on site using a hex wrench. If the outflow is not blocked, the entire system will have to be drained to avoid damage that water can cause;

5. Air exhaust. Using a special wrench or screwdriver, the bleed throttle is loosened to reduce the residual pressure. To be safe, you should hold a bowl, bucket, or other container under the vent valve to catch any escaping water. If heating fluid leaks from the air hole for a long time, the shut-off valves must be checked again. Then, repeat the air removal procedure again;

6. Drain. The plugs on the radiator are unscrewed with an open-end or adjustable wrench and a bowl for dirty water is supplied;

7. Analysis of threaded fasteners. The American ones (large nuts) at the radiator inlet are unscrewed. To do this, use a large adjustable pipe or cylinder wrench;

8. Removing the battery. Then, using a screwdriver, unscrew the bolts holding the aluminum radiator in the niche on the wall. If a bimetallic battery is used, then you just need to remove it from the hooks and carefully lower it.

Thanks to proper preparation, dismantling can be done very quickly. When removing an old radiator, it is best to use the help of a second person, since old threaded connections are very difficult to disassemble, and the scale accumulated in the heating sections gives the battery additional weight.

Removing obsolete heating elements

The most difficult thing to disassemble is the old type of pipe connections. The method of seating threaded connections on paint and their long service life mean that such structures cannot be disconnected. In addition, communal linking of risers involves systems located in neighboring apartments in this process.

1. Definition of risers. First of all, you need to find out whether the type of water supply and drainage system used is upper or lower, find the direct and return heating risers and close the valves (stop taps).

2. Next, you can open the reset plugs located in ground floor or basement, this will remove almost all the water from the system, and the liquid will not flood the apartment and neighbors.

Drain plug in the basement.

3. Now is the time to start removing the batteries themselves. Most likely, it will not be possible to disassemble the old drives and couplings, but you can try. To do this, you need to heat them using some device, for example, an industrial hair dryer. You should try to unscrew the couplings in the direction of the drive with a large supply of threads.

Construction hair dryer- aka a heat gun.

4. If it was possible to disassemble the connection, then you need to make sure the integrity of the pipes, the degree of their slagging with scale and check the condition of the threads. Even when everything turned out to be in order, you need to buy a new coupling, since it is the most emergency and vulnerable point of this connection;

If the battery cannot be disconnected, it is cut off.

5. When unsuccessful attempts– the thread does not want to be disassembled at all or through excessive physical effort it was possible to do this, but if the pipes are damaged, you will have to resort to the cutting procedure. This can be done using an angle saw (grinder), a hacksaw for metal and using gas welding. It is better to immediately resort to the services of a welder, since you will have to restore the joint, measure and extend the pipes. Eat Alternative option: replace the risers with plastic ones, and install American ones at the entrance to the radiators;

6. To conveniently remove heavy cast iron heating elements, it is better to use the help of another person. There is still dirty water in the battery section, so you need to carefully lift one side of the radiator and drain the liquid into a low bowl, and then place it on prepared wooden stands.

Here is one of the clear examples of dismantling old cast iron batteries:

Preparing the surface of the niche behind the batteries for finishing

Regardless of how the niche under the battery is finished and insulated, its surface must be carefully prepared. Preparatory work will strengthen the wall, repair damage, remove the unpleasant smell of old coatings and create conditions for further finishing.

The wall in the niche is the thinnest in the entire room, as it is recessed to the thickness of the radiator, therefore, any cracks in it may have a through character. In addition, changing new window frames and installing a window sill contribute to the violation of the integrity of the surface, and it needs repair.

Carrying out preparatory actions in a niche is as follows:

You need to first assess the amount of work: if the surfaces are durable and well-preserved, then they should be slightly updated. If you haven’t looked here for years or want to carry out radical repairs, then you will need a full range of preparatory operations.

If you need to punch grooves (grooves) for outgoing pipes, then you need to mark the walls according to the dimensions of the radiator and make grooves using a hammer drill. Only after this can you begin to prepare the niche.

Layers of old coatings are removed: wallpaper, paint, peeling plaster. This can be done conveniently using a strong iron spatula or a hammer and chisel. To chip away particularly large and durable irregularities, you can use a hammer drill.

The cement apron under the heating elements is a relic Soviet era, which must be mercilessly removed during radical repairs. Its place will be taken by more decent flooring and baseboards.

The wall is completely dust-free and treated twice with a deep penetration primer - concrete contact. This treatment will strengthen the thickness of the surface and ensure adhesion to future plaster.

If the surface is intact and smooth, then plastering is not done, but is limited to simple puttying. If there are hidden or obvious defects, it is necessary to apply plaster.

Since the space behind the battery will not be particularly noticeable, beacons need not be placed under the plaster. If there is major damage, then you will have to use reinforcing metal mesh and pre-fix the flaws.

Possible flaws in the wall in the niche.

In wide niches with large area, it is advisable to install beacons under plaster. This will significantly reduce the consumption of dry mixture and achieve the effect of a perfectly flat surface;

Beacons indicate the leveling plane of the plaster.

To make the coating durable and moisture-resistant, it is better to use a cement-lime mixture rather than gypsum, which takes longer to dry and is less leveled, but is a strong and reliable base. For the best effect, use grade 500 cement, sifted fine sand and lime paste. Component ratio 1:6:1;

To plaster a medium-sized niche, seven liters of solution is enough. It is more convenient to apply it using a small trowel on a dampened wall. At the same time, the movements should be fast and splashing. It is easier to level the mixture with a large wide spatula.

After drying for 2-7 days (depending on the time of year), the plastered surface is covered with thin layer putties. This procedure will reduce the graininess of the surface and hide minor defects, and also paint the cement wall a pure white color. Particular care should be taken to putty the outer and inner corners of the niche and the lower edge for installing the plinth.

The dried, plastered wall is sanded to perfection. If this process is combined with major repairs throughout the house, then it is convenient to use a grinding machine with a P200 attachment. When a niche is being completed with a long delay and less dust needs to be produced, it is more convenient to level it with a sharp spatula.

A well-prepared surface is the key to the successful completion of any finishing work and its long-term service subsequently.

The following video provides an example of preparing niches:

Options for finishing the niche behind the battery

The space behind the radiator should be in harmony with overall design rooms. The methods used to finish heating niches are similar to cladding window slopes. Any type of coating can be used here. The main thing is that it can withstand temperatures of about 70 degrees. You cannot cladding OSB with panels, plywood or PVC tiles– from heating, formaldehydes and toxins begin to be released abundantly from them. It is much better to use other decoration methods:

Painting the niche under the battery

Performed by tinting acrylic paints in one layer. The main thing is not to forget to prime the surface with penetrating putty before starting the painting process. It is better to paint with a brush - it is not convenient to use a roller in the inner corners and to get around the protruding elements of the radiator fastening. You should try to apply the color in an even layer, quickly, without allowing it to dry out - this will help avoid the appearance of stains;

Decorative plaster.

Such cladding cannot replace preparatory plastering and puttying, because the technology of its application requires a perfectly flat and uniform base. After preliminary priming, you can apply any type of decorative plaster. Niches whose corners are decorated with stucco look especially advantageous.

Gluing wallpaper to below behind the battery

This traditional type of decoration can also be used in this case, but it is better to choose thick types of wallpaper that do not dry out or turn yellow from high temperatures. You should approach the choice of glue carefully - PVA and bustilate can change due to heating. Non-woven and vinyl adhesive compositions do not have such a drawback.

Application liquid wallpaper.

Silk plaster, as liquid wallpaper is also called, does an excellent job of improving the appearance of the battery niche and is its durable protection. You can use a single color application, or create texture and highlighting with other colors. The uniqueness of liquid wallpaper is that it can be applied to the surface of the radiators themselves.

More information about applying liquid wallpaper can be found in a separate article: liquid wallpaper - types, application, designs with liquid wallpaper.

Decorating a niche with tiles and panels

If the room uses panel elements: MDF, tiles, decorative rock, plastic surfaces or laminate, then it is quite logical to continue using this style in niches behind batteries. This option is preferable to others, since it is created for a very long period and in the future you will not even need to look behind the radiators to update the coating.

White niches

The easiest way is to leave the space behind the radiators white. It is easy to maintain in this condition during routine repairs, especially with removable batteries. This option harmonizes perfectly with most other types of finishes.

By decorating these inconspicuous corners, you can significantly transform the overall appearance of the entire room, ennoble it and increase the space by removing masking curtains.

Insulation of the niche behind the heating elements

If the radiator is subsequently planned to be covered with a decorative shield and the surface behind it will not be visible, then shielding insulation can be used, which will increase heat transfer and convective heating. Gluing a 5 mm layer of isofol over the entire area of the niche allows you to reduce heat losses for heating outer wall. In cold apartments, with weak central heating, this measure is also desirable and necessary.

Some people try to apply finishing layers on top of the insulator. However, it is impossible to decorate isofol. For example, if it is covered with wallpaper, then the reflectivity of the foil drops and all efforts become practically useless. This insulation itself looks like independent species finishing, which can be slightly improved by adding decorative strips around the perimeter and corners.

In the northern regions, with severe frosts in winter time, the lack of heating in a small section of the wall can cause the formation of cracks and slow destruction of the niche. In such conditions, the insulation is limited space It is not recommended to use.

In order to secure the heat insulator, you need to carry out the usual preparatory work. A flat surface and well-marked corners are the key to ensuring that isofol will be accurately cut and fit snugly over the entire area. For a standard niche, you need to cut four pieces of insulation of different sizes - two for the side walls, one for the top and the last, largest piece, for the rear wall of the niche. You can stick it on liquid nails and vinyl glue. Then it will be evenly and quickly fixed throughout the entire space, will last for decades and will not require replacement.

You can hide isofol joints in the corners and along the perimeter by covering them with decorative plastic corners. The corners are fixed in the correct sequence: first, aluminum strips for the outer and inner corners are attached to self-tapping screws, and only then the plastic elements are glued directly to the metal.

Insulation and finishing of the niche behind the battery without removing it

Heating radiators should only be removed if absolutely necessary. Systematic loosening of fastening threaded connections leads to an increased risk of accidents during the heating season. It is extremely irrational to dismantle radiators to replace wallpaper sheets. However, if you follow a certain work technology, without removing the batteries, you can replace the wallpaper, stick ceiling tiles or isofol and apply liquid wallpaper using a mechanized method. But it is impossible to carry out high-quality painting or plastering of the space behind heating elements. If they will not be removed every time, then it is better not to use painting or decorative plaster at all.

To replace rolled wallpaper or insulation sheets, you need to stock up on tools with long handles (curved brushes, plastic scrapers). With this tool you can reach the entire surface behind the pipes, press the glued sheets and expel the air from under them. In addition, it is important to perform the correct cutting of the rolls, which will facilitate the work in a narrow place.

Putty knife.

Brush.

It is convenient to use wide-roll wallpaper, the width of which exceeds one meter. They can be installed from the side wall by covering the corner of the niche in a single piece and hiding part of the canvas behind the radiator. In paper sheets, you need to cut out the grooves for the reinforcement of the radiators in advance and insert them behind the pipes, folding them in half with the adhesive side out, and then level them with improvised tools. Isofol is applied in the same way.

The technology for applying silk plaster is even simpler. Using a special device (a pneumatic gun with a hope bucket), liquid wallpaper is sprayed throughout the entire space behind the battery. The remaining splashes of silk plaster on the heating elements are easily washed off with water, but you can not remove them, but cover all the pipes with them.

Installation of skirting boards

Any repair will be incomplete if joints and sharp transitions from one coating to another are left uncovered. The use of skirting boards has a positive visual effect and significantly improves any finish. Removing old cement aprons, half-decayed wooden baseboards and replacing them with new, plastic ones is an important component in upgrading heating niches.

It is preferable to use plastic rather than wooden skirting boards; they have many advantages:

low price;
great elasticity, which allows you to go around all the irregularities in the walls;
availability of cable channels;
very easy to install;
easy to join in corners.

Three methods have been developed for securing skirting board elements:

using glue;
using fastening fasteners;
using hardware.

The adhesive option is the fastest and easiest, but the requirements for the wall increase - it must be perfectly flat. If you use oil tape to protect against accidental ingress of glue, then the appearance of the finish and the baseboard itself will not be affected at all. The main disadvantage of this method of fixation is the impossibility of reusing the baseboards.

Fastening brackets are best used in conjunction with ideal smooth floors and walls, since the baseboards will not be fixed tightly and there is a risk of large gaps forming. In addition, it is very difficult to repeatedly remove and reinstall elements on such fasteners.

The most inexpensive way to fix skirting boards is to use hardware and dowels. The fastening is rigid and quickly removable. This option is good if there are cable channels, when the caps fastening elements will be hidden under the latch.

Installation of the plinth should begin from the inner corner of the niche, having previously installed the connecting corner element. It is better to make holes in the plastic strip in advance using a hot nail. The wall is marked along these holes, and then sockets for hardware are drilled using an impact drill.

It is more convenient to screw in the self-tapping screws last, after first cutting the plinth to the size of the niche and joining it in the corner fasteners. After completing all these operations, the covers of the cable channels are inserted and latched.

How to make a niche for a heating battery

If there is initially no niche provided for a heating radiator, but you need to recess it into the wall, then you should approach this comprehensively, having thoroughly studied this issue:

When it is decided to make a deepening by reducing the wall, it is necessary to coordinate this point with the housing inspection. Thickness reduction load-bearing wall may contradict the requirements of the apartment passport. Housing with violations cannot be sold, mortgaged or left as an inheritance without restoring its original appearance. Failure of load-bearing supports can lead to the collapse of the building.

In addition, the remaining part of the wall may be too thin to support the weight of a multi-section cast iron radiator.

It is much easier to provide the required recess by recessing the radiator in a plasterboard box. Then you can make a niche of any size and hide the outgoing pipes under the sheets.

When thinking about the size of a niche, you need to know the dimensions of the radiator that will be installed in it and the permissible size of convective air gaps. If the battery has not yet been purchased, then it is better to calculate the required number of sections, buy a suitable heating element, and only then start making a box for it.

The minimum gaps around the perimeter of the radiator should not be less than 50 mm, but it all depends on the size of the window sill, the depth of the niche, the design of the battery, and its installation location.

Do not forget about insulating the inner surface of the niche, especially if it had to be done by reducing the thickness of the walls. It is recommended to glue polystyrene foam boards over the entire area of the resulting recess.

The following video shows how to hide a battery in a plasterboard niche:

Installation of the battery in a niche.

Once the repair is complete, all that remains is to hang the battery in the niche. If a used radiator is returned to its original permanent place, then you don’t need to think too much about hooking it onto the old fasteners. However, it is worth worrying about replacing clogged iron pipes and threaded fittings with American connecting pipes and plastic pipes.

If a new radiator has been prepared for a niche, then you need to start trying it on even before starting all the work and prepare everything else based on its dimensions: the exact supply of hot water and the placement of the return pipeline, the dimensions of the convective gaps, the installation of fasteners for hanging:

First of all, places for fastenings are marked. Depending on the length of the radiator, there may be two or three clamps;

2. Using a tape measure, measure its height and place it on the wall from the bottom edge of the niche. An increase is made for the convective gap and the amount of the reserve is subtracted, which is equal to the elevation of the battery above the mounting hook. A horizontal line is drawn along the level at this height.

3. The resulting line is divided in half and holes for future clamps (two or three) are marked on it. The main thing is that the holes are located symmetrically and coincide with the gaps between the sections. Now the heating element is pre-hung on the clamps;

4. The paths of outgoing pipe connections are marked. If repairs are being carried out throughout the entire room, then it is better to hide the pipes in a groove and wall them up, having previously put a heat-insulating cover on them;

5. When constructing a niche from plasterboard, you first need to make communications, and only then fix the guide strips and hem the plasterboard sheets;

6. When everything is ready and you no longer need to remove the battery from the wall, you can finally assemble the threaded connections. The American ones need to be twisted tightly to compress the rubberized gasket. In this case, there is no need to use fum tape, but it is better to additionally cover the threads with silicone.

Taking into account all these points, you can turn the eyesores of the room into its harmonious components, without losing the performance qualities of the heating elements.

If there is no niche in the wall behind the radiators, that is, it is flat, then you can use other methods to decorate it. You can find out about them in the article: finishing the walls behind the radiators.

Not all surfaces are equally easy to paint - this depends on the location and type of surface. However, difficulties can be overcome by choosing the appropriate method. There are many different devices (such as a combination ladder) that make it easier to access hard-to-reach places and therefore save time. For example, you can shield areas that should not be exposed to paint. Try to plan everything in advance and have all the necessary equipment at your disposal.

Painting hard to reach places ( finishing the wall behind the battery)
To paint the wall behind the radiator, it is best, of course, to remove it. But, firstly, only a specialist can do this, and secondly, this is very labor-intensive work. In such cases, use a special radiator roller. Before painting the radiator, make sure it is turned off. Radiators are easy to paint spray paint, just remember to wear a respiratory mask and protect the wall by inserting a large sheet of cardboard between it and the radiator.

Some tricks

In Soviet times, during the construction and decoration of new houses, radiators were hung on the walls without any aesthetic preparation of the latter; in the future, these sections of the walls were either covered with wallpaper or painted as far as one could reach or crawl under the radiator. Today, finishing the wall behind the radiator is an integral part of the repair, and no matter how you are convinced that this place will be covered with a curtain, you should not neglect this operation.

In most cases, finishing the wall behind the battery cannot be done through the installed battery. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out this either before installing new radiators, or to remove the radiators for the duration of the work, having first made marks about the location of the battery, this will help determine the size of the surface to be finished.

Painting and wallpapering behind the radiator are all just temporary finishing options; due to the inaccessibility of cleaning work in these places, sections of walls finished in this way quickly become unusable. We would advise laying tiles behind the radiator, which are practically eternal and are undemanding to clean.

Finishing the wall behind the battery with tiles
If at the top it is possible to finish both directly to the level of the radiator installation and to the window sill, then at the bottom it is necessary to take into account the floor level and the height of the plinth that will be installed on the floor, because if a tile gets in its way, the baseboard will have to be cut into pieces, plugs installed, etc., which may negatively affect the appearance of the finishing being carried out.
We begin work from the bottom. We beat off the level of the tile and attach a block of the required length to the wall with dowels. Its length should be slightly larger than the area to be finished and have a margin on the right and left sides. After this, you can begin finishing, of course, having previously primed the walls. We apply the solution to the first tile and mount it on the wall, placing it on a block and orienting it along the side mark. Next, the surface of the tile is leveled; if necessary, it must be tamped down in protruding places, or mortar must be added where it is missing. After this, the tile is aligned horizontally; if necessary, special plastic wedges for tiles are inserted between the tile and the block. The next tile is oriented relative to the previous one using mounting crosses for the tile. It is also set on the block using a level and wedges.

Finishing the wall behind the radiator continues in this way right up to the window sill; on the last row, the tiles, if necessary, are cut to the required size using a tile cutter. After drying tile mortar The tile joints are grouted. And when it dries, you can begin to install the radiator in place.

Arrangement of space behind heating radiators
I have a fairly old panel house. Almost twenty years have passed since its construction. Naturally, during this time, I, to one degree or another, remodeled almost the entire apartment.
The emerging new building materials and technologies have allowed us to significantly expand the content of the very concept of repair. If earlier we were content with whitewashing and changing wallpaper, today it can only be called a renovation with some stretch.

Take any element of an apartment: floor, walls, ceiling - today the renovation of any of these elements can include a very diverse range of activities. For example, the ceiling, instead of traditional whitewash, came stretch ceiling, two or even three - level. I'm not even talking about ceiling tiles, they have already become so firmly established in our everyday life that they are considered to some extent an outdated solution.

I found another use for ceiling tiles.

The space behind the heating radiators is traditionally the bottleneck of any repair. Even just whitewashing it is quite difficult, gluing wallpaper is also quite inconvenient, and besides, very often the pasted wallpaper flies off. So the battery “shows off” against the background of a poorly furnished wall.

And I covered this space with ordinary ceiling tiles. It turned out to be quite simple to do this - the ceiling tiles are very well tailored to any configuration of supports for heating radiators. In addition, measuring the location of these supports before gluing the tiles is also very simple - after all, all the tiles have the same dimensions.

The sticker started with ceiling plinth, with which I framed the lower part of the window sill. And I started gluing the tile itself from below, in the direction from balcony door. Thus, the bottom, most clearly visible row turned out to consist of whole tiles. The same applies to the first vertical row from the balcony. I got two rows in total, and the top row even had to be trimmed a little.

I glued the tiles with PVA glue, spreading it over the entire surface. I also coated the walls with glue before applying the sticker. The adhesion of the tiles to the wall was good. Quality is time-tested. Already more than a year The tile holds perfectly and does not fly off.

The space behind the heating radiators arranged in this way began to look very good. From a somewhat whitewashed corner, it turned into a completely ennobled niche. Everyone who saw my innovation rated it positively. This is, of course, just a small touch in the overall decoration of the room, but the touch is quite noticeable. Now in all my rooms the heating niches are arranged in a similar way.

Finishing the wall behind the radiator
It is better to first make a lathing for the lining, then mark the brackets (install the timber) under the battery with the expectation that the lining will take 1 cm of the distance from the radiator to the wall.
In general, for convenient marking, I take with me to sites a sheet (roll) of thin plastic 1500X600 with drilled holes that coincide with the installation locations of the brackets (for aluminum batteries 350-500... up to 20 sections). It takes less than a minute to mark. All you need is a pencil and a level, I recommend it.

Wall cladding in hard-to-reach places

Modern renovation work involves full wall cladding. However, unfortunately, in any apartment, in any house there are places that are difficult to finishing works. This is especially true for the joints of adjacent walls, as well as window niches.

You need to start working with the choice of facing material. It should be remembered that not every finish will look beautiful in the room if there are so-called difficult places. So, the wallpaper in these areas may swell or crack, the tiles may create some unevenness and even sharp corners, and the plaster may delaminate. However, the more savvy in this matter a person takes up work, the more less opportunity as a result, observe all these flaws.

So, finishing of adjacent walls. Unfortunately, in modern buildings the corners, as a rule, are not perfectly straight. This makes it very difficult to work towards achieving good looking and quality finishing. However, there are a couple of secrets. The process of tiling is considered the most difficult, since the most problems can arise with this material. The main nuance that should be taken into account is the laying of tiles on both the outer and inner sides of the corner.

To achieve a high-quality result, it is best to work along horizontal guide bars that will be located at the same level. This is necessary in order to avoid discrepancies in both horizontal and vertical tile levels.

When working with window openings, you should first tackle the facing walls. Typically this work is done using solid tiles. Only after this process is completed can you begin finishing the side walls and window sills. In this case, so-called edged tiles are most often used, that is, not solid ones. It is also worth noting that it is advisable to start cladding from the side of the window, and not from the top.

It is also important to remember that in some situations it becomes necessary to make holes or cutouts in the tile itself. Therefore, it is advisable to have the necessary tools at hand, such as a tile cutter or file.

When working with tiles good option preliminary calculation work will be performed. Of course, this is very painstaking work that can take quite a lot of time. However, when making such a calculation, you can save a lot on materials, as well as reduce the duration of the working process with tiles.

So, difficult places in the house are not uncommon, but rather a pattern. Therefore, you should not be afraid of them. You just need to choose the right material, and, if possible, consult with a specialist who will tell you a few secrets. Only then, not even related to construction and repair work the person will cope with this difficult work.

Adviсe

Did you know that?

We bring to your attention several tricks for self-repair

It is easier to hammer a nail into wood if it is rubbed with soap or sunflower oil.
If the screw turns when screwed in, insert glue-covered matches into the hole.
If it is difficult to remove an old and rusty screw, then you need to heat its head with a soldering iron.
The sharp, unpleasant odor of oil paint can be neutralized by placing several cans of salt water in the room where painting is taking place.
If you insert a magnet into a plastic bathroom stopper, you can attach it in any convenient place.
To avoid moisture condensation on water pipes with cold water and associated leaks in the apartment, you need to wrap the “fogging” sections of the pipes with two or three layers of bandage.
The light bulb “has the habit” of sticking to the socket, and therefore, when unscrewing it, you constantly risk breaking the bulb from the base. Before screwing the light bulb into the socket, rub the thread of the base with the graphite of a soft pencil: the light bulb will come out effortlessly and will get rid of its bad “habit” forever.
A dried glue brush can be easily restored. Unclench the metal clip with a knife, release the hair and insert it with the stuck side back into the clip. Crimp it with pliers, trim the protruding hairs - and the brush will still serve you until you buy a new one.
Don't waste your time gluing wallpaper to walls that have been puttied on alabaster. The wallpaper will come off and the putty will collapse. Before pasting, lightly oil the walls and let them dry.
It will be much easier and faster to coat a parquet floor with varnish if, instead of a brush, you use two rubber sponges clamped in a rag holder. Sponges do not leave streaks, like brushes, and allow you to work while standing, away from the fresh varnish layer, WHERE the concentration of solvent vapor is maximum.
When painting or wallpapering a room, do not open any windows or doors. Draft, moving warm or humid air will inevitably disrupt the uniform drying of the paint and ruin your work.
The ceiling is painted first. Moreover, the last layer of paint or whitewash must be applied with a brush in the direction of the light (towards the window). And the previous one, therefore, is across. Otherwise, no matter how carefully you do the work, brush marks will be visible on the ceiling.
The paint should be applied in a thin layer. Of course, you won’t be able to cover the surface in one go. Paint it a second time (after the first layer has naturally dried). Remember that two or three thin layers of paint are always stronger than one thick one.
Even dried water-based white stains can be easily washed off the floor with vinegar.
Trying to get rid of the persistent smell of kerosene or oil paint that stains your hands with water and soap will not lead to success. But if you add a little dry mustard to the water, your hands will quickly wash and the unpleasant smell will disappear without a trace.
You can remove old whitewash from the ceiling using a metal brush connected to a vacuum cleaner.
A wax-like coating can be obtained by painting the surface with diluted PVA glue. To get the desired color, dilute the glue with water tinted with watercolors.
It is much easier to cut a product of the desired shape from foam rubber if you wet it first.
If stains appear on the wallpaper, don’t worry! Lubricate them with tooth powder soaked in gasoline, and when the powder dries, brush it off the wall; After doing this operation several times, you will be convinced that there is no point in covering the room with new wallpaper.
Aluminum foil glued to the wall behind the central heating radiator will improve the heating of the room due to reflection thermal radiation radiator
The drill will last longer if, when drilling holes in brick or concrete, it is periodically moistened with water.
Before painting metal furniture, slats, pipes, etc., wipe them with a rag soaked in vinegar and let them dry. After this, the paint will adhere better and will not peel off.
If you keep knives in a weak solution of table salt for half an hour, they sharpen easily and quickly.
When sawing plywood, its surface chips. To get smooth edges, you need to moisten the sheet along the cut line with hot water.
If the tile has lost its shine, wipe it with newsprint soaked in a solution of ammonia.
To make it easier to remove the whitewash layer from the ceiling, you need to thoroughly moisten the ceiling with water and cover it with old newspapers. After drying, the whitewash will come off much easier with the newspapers.
You can drill a hole in the glass (if you don’t have a special drill) with an ordinary unsharpened pencil clamped into a drill. Sprinkle some dry sand on the glass, press the pencil firmly and turn on the drill. This results in a smooth hole.
Dark spots often appear on the bathroom mirror. This can be easily avoided by lubricating the back of the mirror with regular window putty. Just remember to remove the mirror from the frame first.
The plaster mixture will adhere and stick better if it is diluted not with water, but with wallpaper glue.

Characteristics

Types of wallpaper and their features

Currently, a huge number of wallpapers are produced different types. Let's look at some of the most commonly used in DIY repairs.

1. Paper wallpaper.

The main advantage of this type is its low cost. In addition, walls decorated with breathable paper wallpaper look aesthetically beautiful. The downside is that paper wallpaper They get dirty easily and quickly, but of course they cannot be washed.

2. Vinyl wallpaper

Nowadays this is practically the most used type of wallpaper. Vinyl wallpaper consists of three-layer paper - vinyl. They imitate well such types of finishing as painting, textiles, plaster, etc. They are easy to wash. Another advantage is the inconspicuousness of the joints between the canvases. Vinyl wallpaper hides wall defects quite well. Modern wallpaper Vinyl allows air to pass through well, thanks to a special layer. But they are, of course, more expensive than paper ones.

3. Velor wallpaper

Velor wallpaper is made using paper based, onto which tequila fibers are glued. These wallpapers are very beautiful, as they have a pleasant velvety appearance. The disadvantage is that they wear out quickly and that they cannot be used for wet cleaning.

So you have chosen the type of wallpaper and its color, and decided on the number of rolls. Now you can start the actual gluing.

Pasting the walls

It is first necessary to prepare the walls for gluing. There should be no greasy stains, loose plaster, large depressions or protrusions on the walls. All this needs to be cleaned, the depressions should be plastered. The walls must be dry.

Now we close all the windows and doors. When pasting, drafts are not allowed.

After rolling out the roll on the floor, cut off the first panel. Immediately, after matching the pattern, cut off the second one. Remember that you need to leave a margin of about 5cm (calculation for shrinkage and unevenness of the wall)

Apply glue to the wall and panel using a brush or roller. The glue you use depends on the type of wallpaper. When purchasing wallpaper, it is better to consult the seller about the choice of glue for it.

Wait about five minutes. Now you can glue the strip to the wall.

Gluing the first sheet is the most important moment when wallpapering. You need to glue it strictly vertically. To do this, use a plumb line.

They begin gluing from the top, smoothing the “wallpaper” from top to bottom in the center. Then smooth the panel from the center to the edges. All this is done with a soft brush or clean rag.

Now, according to the drawing, cut the third panel. Stick the second one on the wall. Etc.

The bottom edge of the strips is cut so that only the edge of the baseboard is covered.

After the room is pasted around the perimeter, the upper edge of the wallpaper is covered with a special edge, matched to the color of the wallpaper or with a ceiling plinth.

Some tips

Do not wallpaper behind radiators. In this place it is better to finish the wall by painting, since a lot of dust accumulates behind the batteries, and removing it from there is quite problematic.

Sockets are a rather difficult place to paste. Glue the strip as usual, then make two diagonal cuts in the area of the rosette, peel back the wallpaper and cut it to the shape of the rosette. Same with switches.

Near the door and window openings, the wallpaper is glued with a margin of 5 cm. Then it is cut at an angle of 45 degrees and glued to the edge of the opening. The excess is cut off.

How to get rid of mold?

Among modern construction and finishing materials, there are practically none that cannot be affected by mold. Microscopic spores are present everywhere, and as soon as they find themselves in a favorable environment (humidity more than 70% and temperature not lower than 15 degrees), they immediately begin to grow. Mold can cause any disease, from allergies to cancer.

Reasons for appearance

Conventional physical mold removal can only provide temporary results. In order to get rid of mold on the walls once and for all, you first need to determine the reasons for its appearance.

Most often, the occurrence of fungus is observed in rooms with high humidity - in corner rooms, in bathrooms, in basements, and when the roof leaks. For a long time now, black mold has taken a liking to panels with leaky interpanel joints.

Mold control

If mold stains have already appeared, you can remove mold from the walls using special antiseptic agents, which are present in great abundance on the shelves of building materials stores. Any product for removing mold on walls is, first of all, poison. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful when working with such products. Before starting, it is advisable to carefully study the instructions for use.

Plastic windows

In autumn and winter, windows cry because they are exposed to cold from the outside and heat from the room. At the same time, any increase in temperature and humidity in the room causes a “tearful” reaction of the windows.

Thanks to the good insulation of modern plastic windows Air exchange between the apartment and the street becomes almost impossible. But such insulation is effective in combating cold, noise and insects. However, without air exchange, the humidity in the apartment increases and the air stagnates. Therefore, it is necessary to ventilate the room to eliminate excess humidity, which can lead to fogging of the glass unit and the appearance of damp spots. And to create a favorable climate in the house, ventilation should be done regularly.

* ventilate the rooms at least once a day (opening the window for 10-15 minutes)

* if the humidity is high, it is necessary to ventilate the room more intensively. Room humidity should not exceed 30%

* rooms should be well heated. And the window sills should cover the batteries no more than 2/3. Or be equipped with openings for access of warm air to the windows

Step-by-step instruction

* dismantle wallpaper from affected areas

* use a special spatula to remove the layer of putty and plaster where it has become soft and loose due to mold

* thoroughly clean the affected area of the wall

* we treat the affected areas, as well as the entire surface of the wall, with a special solution (to prevent the appearance of mold)

* it is necessary to re-treat the solution after 4-5 hours

* we prime the wall with an antiseptic solution

With your own hands

WALL FINISHING WITH FABRIC.

decorating walls with fabric with your own hands Decorating walls with fabric is bringing back unfairly lost popularity. In fact, our great-great-grandmothers knew a lot about organizing an interior, which became significantly more comfortable after decorating the walls with fabrics. Damasks, tapestries, jacquard fabrics - everything served one purpose - to create a cozy and harmonious composition.

It's hard to argue, because everything is true, until the last word. The fabric really makes the room feel homely and comfortable, and at the same time, somehow especially solemn. Let's say a few words about whether it is possible to decorate walls with fabric yourself.
Quite possible! However, to implement daring plans you will need to make some effort.

Important:
1 - choose the right fabric. In principle, any one will suit you, but natural ones, with high-quality prints (or without them), a small pattern step and not overly stretched are preferable.

2 - Decide on the method of attaching the fabric to the wall. If you have perfectly smooth walls sewn into plasterboard, then you can easily nail the fabric without first creating complex structures. (Please note that the distance between the nails should not exceed 25 cm, otherwise the fabric will look bad and sag over time). If your walls leave much to be desired, then you can, without much processing, stretch the fabric onto a specially created frame, leaving the door and window openings uncovered.

3 - If you chose the second option in the previous paragraph, then consider several important points. Firstly, there is no need to try to form frames for the entire wall, since the fabric can sag, not stretch enough, deform the frame and be difficult to attach to the wall. Secondly, when choosing slats for the frame, avoid those that have rounded corners.

By itself, such a frame looks normal, but when joined to adjacent canvases it will form a too noticeable joint. Thirdly, if your plans include upholstering the walls with leather, then the frames need to be created smaller than for upholstering the walls with fabric. This is not only more practical, but also much more aesthetically pleasing.

4 - Find out if additional processing of the fabric is necessary. The latter is carried out to strengthen the material, prevent its premature fading, facilitate care and even enhance the brightness of the design. Today, most often we find already processed materials, which makes covering walls with fabric much easier and faster.

Prices / Order

Name of works	Unit.	Price rub
Construction of openings for doors, arches, etc.: in brick (1/2 brick)	m²	2300
Construction of an opening in 14 cm thick reinforced concrete	m²	4000
Construction of an opening in 18 cm thick reinforced concrete	m²	5000
Brickwork in 1/4 brick	m²	580
Brickwork in 1/2 brick	m²	740
Brickwork in 1 brick	m²	1100
Display of beacons	m/n	35
Installation of plaster mesh on the wall	m²	50
Plastering brickwork up to 3 cm	m²	530
Plastering brickwork over 3 cm in several stages	m²	690
Plastering wooden walls with pre-upholstery with shingles or mesh	m²	620
Plastering concrete walls up to 3 cm	m²	530
Plastering concrete walls from 3 to 6 cm	m²	690
Plastering concrete walls from 6 cm to 8 cm	m²	750
Plastering walls of non-flat shapes (semicircular, elliptical and other shapes)	m²	900
Plastering door slopes up to 30 cm	m/n	400
Plastering door slopes from 30 to 60 cm	m/n	450
Plastering window slopes up to 30 cm wide	m/n	380
Plastering window slopes from 30 to 60 cm wide	m/n	450
Plastering arched slopes	m/n	600
Gluing rusts and joints of slabs with serpyanka	m/n	80
Gluing walls with reinforcing mesh	m²	100
Prime the walls after each cycle of work	m²	50
Sealing seams on drywall	m²	200
Putty for painting	m²	550
Wall putty for wallpaper (vinyl)	m²	350
Gluing walls with cork soundproofing material for painting work	m²	280
Gluing walls with decorative cork soundproofing material for concrete	m²	340
Pasting with glass wallpaper	m²	300
Pasting regular wallpaper (vinyl, paper)	m²	280
Pasting with embossed wallpaper	m²	320
Pasting with textile wallpaper	m²	380
Wallpapering in two levels	m²	300
Wallpapering border	m/n	80
Spray painting	m²	280
Wall cladding with wall panels	m²	460
Wall covering with polystyrene panels	m²	440
Wall cladding with brick or stone tiles (on a prepared surface)	m²	950
Facing arches with corner tiles	m/n	950
Cladding with ceramic wall tiles: one pattern, with “decors” (on the prepared surface)	m²	1300
Installing a curb	m/n	250
Tiling over 38*28 cm	m²	1200
Tiling size 10*10	m²	1000
Tiling (mosaic)	m²	1500
Washed down the ends of ceramic tiles (porcelain tiles) at 45 degrees	m/n	350
Cutting ceramic tiles (porcelain tiles) according to patterns (cutting on one side)	m/n	400
Cladding with reinforced tile panels	m²	1400
Cutting holes in tiles	PC	150
Grouting joints	m²	80
Installing a protective paint corner	m/n	60
Installation of decorative (protective) plastic corners	m/n	80
Installation of decorative (protective) wooden corners, sanding and varnishing	m/n	260
Laying glass block partitions and windows	PC	340
Installation of plasterboard partitions with preliminary production of the frame in one layer	m²	from 650
Installation of plasterboard partitions with preliminary production of the frame in two layers	m²	from 950
Installation of drywall on a wall with pre-sheathing of the wall	m²	from 600
Installation of drywall on the wall in two layers	m²	from 700
Insulation with mineral wool	m²	100

Firms

How to choose materials for interior decoration of a house

After the construction of the house, the final step is always the interior decoration. Upon completion, the home is finally...

In this article we will not consider issues related to design - this is a separate big topic, but we will analyze the most common materials used for interior decoration walls, and installation technologies for these materials.

Lining
It can be wooden or plastic. The advantage of wooden lining is that it is environmentally friendly, vapor permeable and easy to install. The room, lined with wooden clapboards, looks warm and cozy. Disadvantages - it requires painting or impregnation and is relatively expensive.

Wooden lining comes in several grades (highest, 1st and 2nd) and, accordingly, has different prices. When purchasing, check the boards for curl, the presence of black fallen knots, evenness, and integrity of the tenon and groove. Typically, lining is produced in the form of boards of standard length - 2, 3 or 6 m, the so-called modules. If the length of the wall is more than 6 m, then most likely you will have to make a gap, which can then be closed with a strip.

Also, when choosing a lining, you need to make sure that it is well dried. This required condition, otherwise, over time, as a result of shrinkage, the boards at the joints may separate, up to the appearance of through cracks.

Plastic lining (PVC) is more durable and cheaper than wooden lining and does not require additional processing, but, alas, it is less environmentally friendly (it is plastic after all) and, accordingly, is less suitable for interior decoration.

Any lining is fastened to a special sheathing frame, which can be part of the wall or attached to the surface of the finished wall.

For example, if the lining board is in panel house is mounted horizontally, then you only need to “strengthen” our main frame by adding additional vertical posts made of boards 100✕50 mm or 150✕25 mm, in order to ensure a step between them of no more than 70 cm. For a brick, log or timber house, it is enough will fix vertical bars of 50✕50 mm on the walls (set by level) with the same step of 70 cm and, using pads, place them in the same plane. If the span between the elements of the fastening frame is made larger, then deformation of the installed lining is possible - deflection of the boards and their twisting.

If the lining is sewn vertically, then it is necessary to install additional horizontal sheathing, for example, from a 150✕25 board - in case panel house, or the same board or beam 50x50 horizontally along the walls in increments of 70 cm - in the case of a log house, timber and stone house.

When positioned horizontally, we start sheathing from the bottom. The bottom board is installed on the frame with the tenon facing up, adjusted strictly to the level and secured. The next board is placed with a groove on the tenon of the previous board. The tenon does not always fit into the groove easily. This may be hampered by manufacturing defects or deformations from improper drying. Typically, the longer the board, the more difficult it is to “put” it evenly and tightly onto the one below. Therefore, the lining is usually “settled” - finished off through a wooden spacer in those places where a gap occurs.

Then the board is secured. Usually they use nails, driving them into the base of the tenon, but not perpendicular to the surface, but with a slight slope. Then the next board will cover the head with its groove and the wall will be “clean”. It is preferable to use galvanized nails with a reduced head 50–60 mm long.

You can also fasten the lining using clamps - specially shaped steel strips. They are put on the clapboard tenon and secured to the wall with nails or self-tapping screws. The point of using clamps is the same - to get a “clean” wall.

Levelness is checked with a level every 2–3 boards. It is necessary to achieve the tightest possible fit, since over time, as the wood dries out, the gaps between the boards will increase noticeably.

Vertical cladding is done in the same way, with the exception that the boards should be installed perpendicular to the floor.

Plywood
For internal lining usually sanded moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of at least 8 mm is used. It is installed on a frame similar to the frame for installing lining with a step between elements of 60 cm. The joints between the plywood sheets are covered with flashings, finished wall covered with varnish or paint. The decorative qualities of plywood are low, so this finish is used mainly for utility rooms or serves as a basis for wallpapering.

Plaster
This type of work is usually carried out on stone walls, e.g. brickwork or surfaces of wall blocks. For ease of application, as well as reliability of fastening of the plaster layer, it is often pre-installed plaster mesh. The optimal thickness of the plaster layer is 1–2 cm. Plastering walls is a complex job that requires a certain skill, so we recommend entrusting this work to professionals - you will save time and effort.

A separate class is plasters with a top (front) textured layer. Textured plaster contains particles of a given size, for example small stones or plastic balls up to 3 mm in size. When applying textured plaster, a certain texture and pattern is formed.

To apply such plaster, a flat “base” is required - as a rule, this is a layer of ordinary plaster or any other flat surface. A special reinforcing mesh is glued onto such a base. To Work with textured plasters even more difficult than with ordinary ones - as a rule, this requires taking a special training course.

Decorative panels
Such panels are expensive finishing material, but this is a real find for the designer. They are very beautiful, environmentally friendly and easy to install. They are commercially available in elements of various shapes, lengths and widths. Panels and solid ones are available on the market. different varieties wood, and from chipboard covered with veneer, and from plastic of a wide variety of textures, including “stone-like”, “granite-like”, “marble-like”. We can also include ceramic wall tiles, porcelain tiles, and so on among decorative panels.

To install decorative panels, you need a flat, smooth surface; in this option, they can be installed with glue. If the walls are uneven and not covered with a leveling layer, for example, plaster, then a lathing frame is needed to attach the panels. The pitch and location of the frame elements are selected based on the size and shape of the decorative panels.

Drywall, gypsum fiber
These are the panels different sizes 9–12 mm thick with gypsum filling, covered on both sides with special cardboard or fiberglass. Their use makes it possible to obtain smooth, lightweight walls at minimal cost. In addition, gypsum fiber has an increased fire resistance.

You can install plasterboard panels yourself. The basis for installation is a frame made of light metal profiles, less often wooden blocks. The metal profile frame includes a rack profile, a ceiling profile, connection profiles etc. To connect individual elements of the metal frame, standard connecting parts are provided - crosses, extensions, as well as brackets for fastening to walls.

The frame is installed as follows: in the plane of the future wall, a rack profile is placed vertically in a level with a pitch of 60 cm and attached to the floor and ceiling. Horizontal profiles are “cut” into it and fixed with self-tapping screws. The pitch of the horizontal profiles is 60 cm. To further strengthen the structure, whenever possible, the frame is attached to the rough walls using brackets.

Drywall panels are mounted on a finished frame using self-tapping screws. The joints of the panels are sealed with a special tape, after which the entire surface is puttied, primed, and then painted or wallpapered.

In what cases does it make sense to use plasterboard walls?

● When it is necessary to hide defects in an existing wall with a curved or untreated surface, with which nothing can be done.

● If you need to mount a partition that does not load the structures located below, since plasterboard partitions are very light.

● If necessary, make a complex design solution with a large number of shaped elements, complex surfaces, protrusions, niches, etc.

Finishing touches on the wall
After the main surface of the wall is covered, all that remains is to install the final finishing elements. These include corners, baseboards, platbands, flashings, etc. These elements, in addition to their main function - hiding joint errors - give the room a finished look. There is a wide variety of such elements on the market, from the most different materials and for every taste. Finding something to realize any design ideas will not be difficult.