Wall levelling in Batumi: plaster, plasterboard or skim coat

How we measure the walls before choosing a method

The site foreman measures each wall separately, placing a two-metre straightedge vertically, horizontally and diagonally, while a laser level shows which way the wall leans over its height. The deviations are written in marker straight on the wall and photographed. The result is a deviation map, and it shows where the layer will be a centimetre thick and where it will be five.

We tap-test the base. In a new build, a concrete column and blockwork often meet in one wall; in a resale apartment, the old plaster holds in some places and sounds hollow in others. Whatever is coming away we take back to a sound layer: a new layer won't stay on a weak one and will come off together with it.

The third question at the measurement is what will go on the wall. Paint and wallpaper need a smooth, flat surface, while for tiles plumb walls and square corners matter more. Large-format porcelain tiles need the flattest wall of all: on a 60×120 slab, any bump leaves a lip at the joint.

Skim coat, plaster or plasterboard

We choose the method by the largest deviation and by what will end up behind the wall or on it. One apartment usually has all three: gypsum plaster in the rooms, cement plaster for tiles in the bathroom, and lining on the wall with the pipes.

The technique for each method is described on its own page: how plastering to guide beads is done and how long it takes to dry, and how walls are skim coated for different finish levels.

When plasterboard is better value than plaster

Plaster gets more expensive with every centimetre of thickness: more mix goes on, and a thick layer takes weeks to dry. The price of lining hardly depends on the deviation, as the frame stands on hangers at the required distance from the wall anyway. So on a wall that leans badly, plasterboard often works out both cheaper and quicker.

There are other reasons to choose a frame. Pipes and cables can run behind the lining without chasing the concrete. On a wall shared with the neighbours, the same lining is built with mineral wool and fixed on anti-vibration hangers, and then it becomes soundproofing against neighbours, with its own thickness calculation.

There are drawbacks too. Lining takes at least 4–5 cm off each wall, and in a narrow corridor or a 4 m² bathroom that is noticeable. The positions of the TV, shelves and wall cabinets have to be known before the frame is closed: the backing for them goes inside, and it can't be added later. Boxing, niches and ceilings are covered on the page about plasterboard structures.

How much wall levelling costs in Batumi

Levelling with plaster to guide beads costs from 39 ₾ per m² of wall, with the usual range up to 60 ₾. That is the price of the labour. The mix is priced separately, from 10 to 14 ₾ per m², and more of it goes on a leaning wall; primer adds 4–7 ₾ per m². Plasterboard lining on a frame costs 45–54 ₾ per m² for the labour, and the boards and profiles are also charged separately.

The cheapest wall is one that only needs a skim coat: skim coating for painting costs from 23 ₾ per m². A thick layer, different bases on one wall, lots of reveals and short stretches of wall between openings cost more. If an old wall is cracked and we reinforce the whole of it with fibreglass mesh, that adds another 26–30 ₾ per m². Large flat walls without openings, where a plastering machine can be used, are closer to the lower end.

We send a preliminary estimate from photos and a plan within 24 hours on business days. The final cost is set after the site measurement and once the estimate is agreed, and each wall has its own line in it, with the method and the area.

What we check when signing off levelled walls

We sign off a wall against the same marks as before the work started. The foreman puts the straightedge where the deviation map showed the largest figures and films it, and a laser line shows the plumb from floor to ceiling. Our tolerance for paint and tiles is 2–3 mm under a two-metre straightedge, and for large formats closer to 2 mm. If you are not in Batumi, the foreman will repeat the measurement on a video call at any point you name.

Besides flatness, we look at the places where a mistake would show up later. Corners for the kitchen and wardrobes are checked with a square, and door openings for plumb, so that the door frame goes in without wedges. Lining is checked by hand: the board mustn't flex between the profiles, and the board joints must sit on a profile. Plaster is tap-tested. A hollow sound means the layer has come away, and that area is redone before the skim coat.

What to decide before levelling and what comes after

Levelling closes up the wall, so before the guide beads and the frame go up, we need answers from the owner:

• where the kitchen, wardrobes and bath will stand, because there we bring the corners to 90 degrees;
• which walls will be tiled and which painted, since the mix and the tolerance depend on it;
• what will hang on the lining, so that we fit backing for it.

By this point the runs and back boxes are already in the wall; we have described the order of rough work before the guide beads together with the plastering technique.

A flat wall is not yet ready for finishing. Plaster dries until the moisture meter gives the right reading, the joints on plasterboard are filled, and only then comes the skim coat for paint or wallpaper. For tiles, the wall is only primed after plastering, and in a bathroom waterproofing goes on top. We measure for a custom kitchen on the finished walls: measurements taken from bare concrete are no good for it.