Carrying out construction and repair work today almost does not do without applying a plaster mixture to the surface of the walls. Depending on how even the surface needs to be, plaster can be high quality, improved or plain. The last type of manipulation involves the need to level the walls and eliminate chips. Whereas high-quality plaster must be carried out in compliance with increased technical requirements. That's what beacons are used for. These elements are special guides that set a certain level.
Steel plaster beacons
More recently, beacons for leveling walls were made from improvised materials, including plywood, drywall, stretched ropes and threads. Such homemade devices were cheap and affordable. However, the quality of the work carried out suffered, especially in the case when the manipulationscarried out by semi-skilled workers. In the modern building materials market, you can find lighthouses that are made of a light metal alloy. They have an L-shape, among other things, you can find products made in the shape of the letter T. Which beacons should be tightly connected to the surface on which the plaster or glue is applied. When buying these products, you need to pay attention to the rigidity. If a thin sheet of metal was used in the production process, then it can bend, which will create difficulties in the process. Such beacons for leveling walls are fixed on the surface of the wall, which eliminates displacement. Self-tapping screws should be used for fixing.
Master's recommendations for using beacons
In order to most accurately observe the parameters, you should use a laser or water level when placing beacons. After completion of work, the geometry of the wall must be verified using a level, plumb line and square.
Installation instructions
In order for the wall leveling beacons to do their job, fasteners should be used. Experts recommend using a device that not only holds, but also allows you to adjust the position of the product. Such a fastener, best known as an eared one, allows you to install one beacon within 3 minutes. Such fasteners can be used several times, which saves consumables. Forfastening one beacon, seven fasteners should be used, which is true with a wall height of 2.7 meters. It provides excellent quality of plaster works. Beacons for leveling walls using the described ears must be fixed with round-nose pliers. In the store you can buy fasteners made of plastic. They allow you to adjust the position of the beacons by changing the depth of the screw. This does not require any additional tools. If you have to work with a wall that is loose, then tin plates should be placed under the self-tapping screw. Professionals recommend keeping the distance between the beacons within 3 meters, but no more. As for the first fixing point, it should be located from the top and corners of the wall in 300 millimeters.
Features of using steel beacons
If you started a home renovation, then you should use steel beacons to level the walls. This is especially true for those craftsmen who do not have much skill in carrying out such work. The biggest advantage of using metal products is the possibility of a fairly simple installation. Among other things, this method allows you to minimize the thickness of the plaster layer. If you reduce the layer by 10 millimeters, then the savings will be 10 liters of the mixture per square meter of wall surface. After plastering the base, the dimensions of which are 6x3 meters, it will be possible to reduce the consumption by 9 bags of dry composition.
Home renovationit is worth producing with the use of metal beacons also for the reason that they do not warp. This favorably distinguishes these products from wooden ones, which is why they can be used repeatedly. If there is a desire, then they can be completely left in the wall. But it is worth considering that galvanized metal has the ability to rust over time, so such elements should be removed by erasing the resulting traces.
Recommendations for the use of plaster beacons
Alignment of the surface of the walls can be done with the help of beacons, which are made from a plaster mixture. Before installing them, it is necessary to fill a number of nails using a plumb line. Fasteners should be placed around the perimeter of the wall. Nails are installed in the central parts if the length of the wall exceeds 4 meters. After the hats have been set on a plumb line, lime paste or mortar can be applied to them, which will be used in plastering. After waiting a certain time, which will be required for the mass to harden, the excess solution should be removed, reaching the level of the nail heads. After the tubercles harden, a rule should be presented to them, and then the solution should be thrown into the formed space. After waiting for the moment until the solution seizes, the rule should be removed by first tapping along the entire length with a hammer. As a result, a strip of mixture is formed on the surface, which acts as a gypsum beacon. On it you need to eliminate the formed shells using a trowel. This is becausedefects can make it difficult to move the rule.
Features of using plaster beacons
If you decide to align the walls with beacons made of plaster, then the next step is to apply the mortar between the marks. After the rule is applied to the beacons, and then sent from the bottom up. This will get rid of excess mortar, and the result is a flat surface.
It is worth noting that gypsum beacons are much stronger than mortar beacons, and they wear out less in the process of leveling using the rule. Upon completion of work, gypsum beacons must be disposed of, and the formed defects must be smeared with mortar.
Final works
Before you install wall leveling beacons, you should familiarize yourself with the technology. After the above work, the entire wall must be treated with a covering solution. Before this, the surface can be moistened with water, which will facilitate the process. After the coating has been applied, the wall should be rubbed. In order to prevent warping of the rule, it is recommended to cover it with waterproof paint, which is applied in 2 layers.
What else the master needs to know
If you decide to use beacons to level the walls, the price of such products should interest you. A stucco perforated lighthouse, the length of which is 2.5 meters, will cost twenty rubles. You can make lighthouses on your own, but the quality of the work performed may not be so high, thismust be considered.
