The design of the room largely depends on the quality of the plaster. All further work to give the house a look will be based on leveling, so this process is given special attention. Any master knows that the quality of work depends on the preparation of surfaces, and one of the important steps in this case is the setting of beacons.
Lighthouses are exposed after removal from the bases of old plaster coatings. Even if the old plaster adheres well and is not coated with adhesion impairing compounds, such preparation is still worthwhile. There should be no cracks on the surface before the beacons are installed. If they are, you should find out the cause of their appearance and eliminate it. After this, the cracks are repaired by the repair compound. If necessary, it is possible to reinforce such defects.
Technological openings and large depressions, as well as gates for laying engineering systems, must be sealed. For this, mixtures are usually used, with the help of which plastering is subsequently carried out. Strongly protruding areas are removed whenever possible. This should include mortar slaps, pieces of reinforcement or wire, as well as a solution protruding from the masonry joints. If defects of the masonry surface are defects, then they should not be removed; in the process, you will hide them under a plaster layer.
How to prepare the walls
If you plan to carry out plaster with a mixture based on cement, which will be applied to a concrete base, work should be done on a cleaned and primed surface. In the process, a metal plaster mesh is strengthened. Surfaces that you plan to plaster should be primed in two layers or more.
Beacon Installation Instructions
The installation of beacons on the wall involves the installation of elements in one plane. If two lighthouses are placed vertically on the wall, this does not mean that the lighthouse in the gap falls into one plane to the first two. Lighthouses should be stiff and strong enough so that during work they do not bend under the pressure of the rule.
Distance between lighthouses
Neighboring elements should be located at a convenient distance from each other, which should be less than the length of the building rule. Usually the step is a meter, and the rule of 1.5 m is used in the work. Removal of beacons should be carried out after the mixture has not fully grasped and will not gain strength. This will happen in 2 days. If you do not remove the beacons, you may be faced with the fact that they will cause rust spots on the wallpaper or plaster.
Ways to install beacons and the basic rules of the work
The installation of beacons on the wall can be carried out in one of three known ways. The first technology involves mounting on tile adhesive or plaster mortar. Plaster beacons should be cut according to the height of the ceilings. Then a small amount of solution is prepared. As it can be ordinary plaster with alabaster, which will accelerate the hardening.
Methodology
If you are interested in the question of how to quickly install beacons on the wall, you should know that you can use tile glue or gypsum mixture. Every 15 cm a small amount of the solution is applied along previously drawn lines. After that, taking the lighthouse profile, you must attach it to the line and push it into the solution. If self-tapping screws were used, the lighthouse should stand on one level with them.
Using the “spider” method, you can check the verticality of the lighthouse with a level, while the distance from the wall is checked with a tape measure. If the solution gets to the surface, it must be removed with a spatula, and then strengthen the next beacon.
Installation without solution. Work Rules
Installation of beacons on the wall can be carried out without a solution. In this case, plastic fasteners are used. On the caps of self-tapping screws, special-purpose plastic products should be installed. Self-tapping screws are pre-screwed into the walls. The latch is removed, after which a beacon is inserted into the part, and the latch is put on again. This method has one advantage, which is the simplicity of the work. But the amount of mortar for decorating the room may increase.
Details have a six-millimeter thickness, which means that it is by this value that the layer thickness will be increased. In this case, for a wall finish of 50 m 2, you will need 150 kg more dry mix than using other methods of attaching lighthouses. The final value may increase to 300 kg. The installation of lighthouses on the wall using this technology can be carried out using fasteners called ears. They were previously made by specialists on their own, but today they can be found on sale.
A narrow strip with a hole is cut from the legs of the drywall fasteners. A self-tapping screw is threaded there, which is screwed into the dowel with a fastener. The lighthouse profile leans against the fasteners, after which it is fixed with steel legs and pressed with pliers. This allows you to ensure a tight pressing of the beacon to the surface, so an additional layer is not required.
If you decide to install beacons using this technology, you should be prepared to make it harder to remove them from the wall. And if you leave foreign objects under the coating, they can shorten the life of the plaster layer.
Installation of beacons from the solution. Work Rules
Plaster beacons are usually exhibited by specialists. Additional fasteners are not needed here. But this method usually involves the presence of skill and experience, therefore, for beginners, the technique is not suitable. If you are interested in how to install beacons to align the wall, you should know that at the first stage you need to mark and determine the thickness of the layer. Then a small amount of solution is mixed. Work should be carried out in a short time, then the mixture will not have time to set.
It is necessary to apply a solution to the line at the top of the wall, next to the self-tapping screw. Mixtures give a rectangular shape and bring the height to the level of fasteners. According to this technique, it is necessary to act, advancing to the bottom self-tapping screw. Once the solution has set, check the beacon with a building level. Lighthouses should be exposed over the entire surface to be treated. Plaster beacons do not require removal from the coating, but the technology is complex.
Installation procedure
In order to level the walls without overrunning the solution, you should determine the highest possible area, which will become the starting point for a new level. Using a plumb line and a building level, markings should be made for lighthouses. This stage is especially important, this applies to both surfaces that are simple in geometry and complex sections of architecture.
The rule needs to be strengthened, which will facilitate the process of horizontal marking. The installation of beacons for wall plastering is carried out with a deviation from angles of 20 cm. From this value, you can subtract or add 5 cm to it. On straight sections of the wall, the distance between the beacons can reach 2 m. which will form the basis of the lighthouse. Typically, the latter is based on a mixture that hardens faster than a plaster mortar.
Not so long ago, an alabaster compound was used, today gypsum-based glue is used. If you are mounting on the mixture, then the adjustment can be made quite simply. To do this, you need to press harder on the protruding sections that go beyond the specified level.
If the installation of beacons for wall plastering is carried out using metal elements, this method is not suitable. In this case, it is better to use self-tapping. Gypsum beacons are valued for their quick fixation. After applying the plaster layer, there is no need to remove them.
The adhesive composition is applied in small lumps. The distance for the first in a row lighthouse should be 15 cm from the corners. A distance of 30 cm should be maintained between the reference points . Among the methods of installing beacons on the walls, it is necessary to highlight the level marking with tape elements from gypsum plaster. In this case, the solution is not applied until the fastening of the tapes is completely dry. They can be set according to a pre-installed formwork. It is mounted on dowels by pouring. The material is steel rails or wooden slats for reusable use.
In order to apply the solution on the beacons, you should gain the skill by throwing. So you eliminate voids and omissions. The rules for installing beacons on the walls imply the creation of a homogeneous and durable element that can be relied upon to align the bulk. If you decide to use metal beacons, you should choose dowels whose thickness is 8 mm or less. If you choose large dowels in size, then if you want to remove them, you may encounter the problem of strong fastening. In this case, the lighthouse cannot be removed without destroying the plaster and deforming the element.
Layout of the room for self-tapping beacons
In order to determine the level for installing beacons on the walls, it is necessary to prepare:
- rule
- self-tapping screws;
- plastic dowels;
- level;
- hammer drill;
- fishing line;
- a simple pencil.
Step away from the corners of 400 mm, using the rule and level, you should mark the vertical lines. The distance between them can be equal to the limit from 1 to 3 m. It is important to remember that the step between the beacons should be 30 cm less than the rule. Having selected points A, D, F and M, you must drill holes in them, and then drive in the dowels and insert the screws. Their position is controlled in the vertical plane using the level and rule.
The installation of lighthouses for wall plastering on self-tapping screws will ultimately provide for the creation of direct J and MA, which will be perpendicular to the floor. Self-tapping screws are connected by a stretched fishing line, which will allow you to get the boundaries of the wall plane.
Definition of the acting level. Wall hanging
At this point, you should not run into difficulties. It is necessary to evaluate how smooth the walls are, noting the most protruding sections and depressions on them. To do this, use the long rule, which is applied in different places horizontally and vertically. The tool can be applied diagonally. Between the rule and the wall, you should appreciate the gaps and bumps. They are marked with colored crayons. The depressions, for example, may be white, and the protrusions may be blue. This should subsequently help put up the lighthouses.
Finally
The success of the work will depend on your skill, as well as the correct choice of beacons. For example, metal beacons are most preferred for unskilled workers. With this method, you can minimize the thickness of the applied layer. If this value decreases by 10 mm, the savings will be about 10 liters of mixture per square meter. This indicates that when plastering a standard 6 x 3 m wall, you can reduce the consumption by 9 bags of dry composition. Metal beacons are also good because they do not warp, which distinguishes them from wooden ones, so you can use them repeatedly.