Major repairs in houses of the old stock or finishing of apartments in a new building is difficult to imagine without leveling the walls. To make the surfaces look as aesthetically pleasing and even as possible, they are pre-plastered. With minor flaws, alignment occurs along the plane, and large defects are eliminated with a thick layer of mortar, which requires the installation of beacons.
For professional craftsmen, this process does not cause difficulties, but ordinary homeowners do not always know how to set beacons for plaster. To make it easier for you to complete the upcoming work, we examined this issue in detail in our article.
What is a plaster beacon?
Alignment of walls with lighthouses has been practiced for several decades. Previously, wooden glazing beads, nylon cords, thin boards and metal corners were used as control guides. Recently, special strips - metal beacons - have been used. Their use has resulted in high qualitywork performed and reduce the timing of finishing.
Control strips installed on the walls help builders with the following tasks:
- in determining the degree of curvature of the base;
- in choosing the optimal layer of plaster;
- in identifying places with excess mixture;
- in assessing the complexity and duration of work.
The lighthouse itself is a metal L-shaped bar, which is attached to the surface on the plaster composition or with special self-tapping screws. Today, three-meter products with a width of 3, 6 and 10 mm are available to us. The choice of a suitable option is based on the expected thickness of the plaster layer.
The verticality and correct installation of rails is controlled by a laser level. Before setting up beacons for plaster, some preparatory work should be done. Let's take a closer look at each stage.
Stage 1: preparing the necessary tool
If you decide to make repairs on your own, check if you have all the materials and tools available. To put the beacons under the plaster walls both on mortar and on self-tapping screws, you will need the following items:
- building level or plumb line;
- stucco mix (beginners should use gypsum compounds);
- wide spatula;
- trowel or spatula;
- beacon profiles;
- brushes;
- primer composition.
To apply plaster, purchase a trowel,wide rule, coarse sandpaper, mixing buckets and a drill with a mixing attachment.
If you have to level a large area of walls, use a capacious trough. It will significantly reduce the time of work by reducing the number of mixing of the working mixture.
Step 2: work with the base
Understanding the question of how to put beacons under the plaster walls, pay attention to the preparatory work. They include the removal of old cladding, paintwork, and a layer of plaster. If you do not want to completely clean the walls, visually inspect them for significant defects. If there is a flaking of the composition somewhere, clean this area first.
Large depressions in the wall should be covered with plaster immediately. Before setting up beacons for plaster, the surface needs to be slightly smoothed. The curvature of the prepared wall should not exceed 12 mm. Convex areas, various sagging and bumps are compared with the rest of the surface using a perforator.
Stage 4: preparing the base for work
After preliminary alignment, the walls are prepared for work. You need to sweep dust off them, remove all interfering elements, and, if necessary, lay electrical wires.
To achieve maximum adhesion of the base and plaster, treat the walls with a deep penetration primer. Howeverpay attention to how to set plaster beacons on smooth concrete walls.
For such a base, an ordinary primer will not be enough, the composition will simply slide off the surface and quickly disappear. To prevent this from happening, treat smooth slabs with the Betonokontakt primer. It creates a roughness on the wall, which guarantees reliable fixation of the plaster mixture. This completes the preparation for the installation of beacons.
Pay attention! "Betonokontakt" is much more expensive than a standard primer. Keep this in mind when budgeting for repairs.
What if the wall is painted?
The most difficult preparation for installing beacons will be for those homeowners whose walls have previously been painted. In such situations, the condition of the entire foundation should be assessed. It is possible to dismantle the paintwork layer only in cases where the wall is strong enough. In other situations, frequent notches are made.
To remove old paint from the walls, determine its composition. If a water-based composition was previously used, the surface should be thoroughly moistened. Under the influence of water, the paint will peel off the base, and it can be scraped off with a spatula.
Oil coatings are somewhat more difficult to remove. To do this, the wall should be covered with a special solvent and the softened layer should be cleaned with a spatula. Notches are made on the resulting surface.
Marking the base
It is possible to correctly set the beacons under the plaster walls (both on mortar and on self-tapping screws) only if preliminary marking is applied. For these worksyou will need:
- laser level;
- construction pencil;
- self-tapping screws;
- screwdriver or puncher (depending on the type of wall).
To control the level of the beacons, you will need a building cord or any even rope, fishing line, wire.
To put the beacons under the plaster (both with a laser level and a plumb line), do the work in the following sequence:
- When using a laser, position the device so that its beams are directed to the corner of the room. On its vertical line, evaluate the unevenness of the base.
- Stepping back a little from the corner, screw a self-tapping screw into the wall. The place of its installation must correspond to the vertical line of the laser. At the other end of the wall, screw in the second self-tapping screw.
- Tighten the cord between the two fasteners. It will indicate the location level of all beacons.
If you use a plumb bob, use it to install a beacon from both ends of the wall. Pull the thread between the guides. Be guided by it when installing the remaining metal rails.
How to set beacons for plaster: work technology
After installing the control thread, you can proceed to the installation of beacons. To do this, mark the location of the vertical rails. The width between the beacons is determined by the length of the rule. If you are using a 2 meter tool, install rails every 1.5 meters. The first bar is located 20 cm from the corner of the room.
In the places where the beacons are installed, drawvertical line. If you chose to fix with a mortar, make "patches" of the plaster mixture along the given line. The step of their location is about 25 cm.
Install a metal beacon on the prepared solution. Check the correctness of its location using the building level. Also pay attention to the fact that the metal rail does not extend beyond the stretched cord. Press the beacons against the wall and apply another layer of plaster over them.
In this way install metal elements all over the wall. Plaster the walls the next day. During this time, the solution will harden, and the beacons will hold strong enough.
Installation of beacons on self-tapping screws
As you can see, the installation of planks with mortar is quite simple. And now let's talk about how to correctly set the beacons under the plaster using special fasteners.
If you do not want to waste the time required to set the mortar, purchase self-tapping screws and do the work in the following sequence:
- On each vertical line indicating the location of the beacon, drill about six holes. They should be 50 mm deep and 8 mm in diameter.
- Drive the dowels into the prepared holes, insert the screws into them. The length of the screws depends on the thickness of the plaster. Most often, elements with indicators from 50 to 80 mm are used. The depth of the screw is controlled by a plumb line or a stretched thread.
- Plastic or metal fasteners for lighthouses are put on the installed screws. Further met althe rail is fixed in their sockets and is adjustable for plumb or level.
If errors are found during the work, they are eliminated by screwing or unscrewing the fixing bolts. Thus, the master manages to perform the most even installation of beacons.
Pros and cons of fixing with self-tapping screws
Understanding the question of how to correctly set the beacons for plaster, novice masters cannot decide on the method of fixing the rails. To make the decision as simple as possible for you, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of fastening with self-tapping screws.
The positive aspects of this method include:
- reduce time;
- the ability to set the bars as accurately as possible;
- facilitate the application of the composition;
- improving the quality of leveling work.
The disadvantages are the increase in costs due to the purchase of special fasteners and the complexity of work for beginners.
Some experts prefer to dismantle the beacons after the plaster has been applied and hardened. This is because the metal element can start to rust, ruining the look of the wall. When using special fasteners, it will be quite difficult to dismantle the rail, which can also be attributed to disadvantages.
Finishing work
Before setting up beacons for plaster walls, decide whether you will get the guides after applying the mixture. If you want to be sure that in a few yearsyour walls will not show rust, use mortar mounting. In this case, after the plaster has dried, you can pull the beacon out of the wall.
The resulting voids will need to be filled with a plaster mixture. For this, a small spatula is used. After the composition has dried, the walls are sanded with sandpaper. If in the future the surface will be faced with tiles or decorative stone, the wall can be left in this form, and simply primed before starting work.
For all other types of finishes, it is necessary to smooth the surface with putty. For these purposes, use one of the finishing compounds offered on the market.
Summing up
We looked at how to properly set beacons for plastering walls. The methods described in the article can be used not only for vertical, but also for horizontal surfaces. You just have to decide which option will be used in the process of work.
If this is your first time doing this leveling of the walls or your budget is too limited, fix the beacons on the plaster "blotches". This method is time consuming, but easier to perform.
For those who value every hour of their lives, it is recommended to use special fixatives. However, for inexperienced craftsmen, such installation will take no less time than when installed on a solution. The rest is up to you.
