Plastering walls and pouring floors in our time is often done using the technology of "lighthouses." This technique allows you to ultimately get the most even and smooth surfaces. One of the tools used in carrying out work on this technology is the rule.
A traditional fixture of this type is a regular long bar with a wooden handle. Such rules in the work are quite convenient. However, they serve, unfortunately, not too long. Plasterers-painters often have to simply throw away such an instrument after just one shift. Recently, a special kind of rules has appeared on the market - h-shaped. Devices of this type are not made of wood, but of aluminum, they can last a long time.
A bit of history
The h-shaped rules were used by plasterers-painters in Russia recently - in the middle of the first decade of the 21st century. Today this tool is very popular among professionals. Of course, amateur finishers who independently repair their apartments and houses drew attention to it.
Initially, trapezoidal aluminum rules appeared on the market. Such tools have been used by masters for a long time. However, the rules of this variety apply, usually only to fine-tune the leveling surface. Actually leveling and redistributing the solution with their use is not very convenient to do.
Performing such operations is much more convenient precisely with the h-shaped tool. A device of this type was developed by the specialists of the Stupinsky Trading House company, after which the company began to supply them to the market. Plasterers-painters quickly noticed that the rules with the h-shaped section are very convenient for the bulk of the plastering work on lighthouses, such devices gained popularity among professionals instantly. Trapezoidal rules are still used by masters today to perform operations such as perpendicular trimming.
H-shaped tools are currently quite popular with both professionals and amateurs. And they are realized, of course, in many cities of the country. If desired, you can buy an h-shaped rule in Vladimir, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and even in small towns.
Design features and types
The main components of such rules are:
At the same time, there is a special seal on the edge of the latter, which makes the use of the tool more convenient and safe. The width of the profile of the devices of this variety can be equal to 10-16 cm, length - 0.5-4 m, height - 2-4 cm.
Tools of this variety are usually made from aluminum of the grade AD31, 6060, 6063. Sometimes light alloys are also used for their production. It can be, for example, duralumin.
Due to its high strength, precise geometry and ease of use, walls using this rule can be made as even as possible. That is, the use of a tool of this variety allows not only to accelerate the process of plastering surfaces, but also to improve the quality of work.
How to work with an h-rule
Finishing with the use of such a device is easy and convenient. After applying to the surface of the solution with this tool, preliminary pulling along the beacons is performed. The master encompasses the rule holder so that:
- thumbs were below;
- everyone else is on top.
Next, the specialist presses the rule with the working part to the still surface, then grout it. If necessary, the master adds the solution to the surface in the right places, that is, such a rule is used in the same way as ordinary wood.
When applying rules with an h-shaped profile, beacons should be installed so that the distance between them is a quarter less than the length of the latter.
Useful advice
Experienced craftsmen advise using such rules only to fill the space between the beacons and redistribute the solution. Exposing surfaces with them is not very convenient, since they, although a little, can still bend. To refine the plaster, the masters most often use nevertheless rigid trapezoidal rules.
Also, experienced craftsmen advise you to carefully select h-shaped tools in accordance with the width of the processed area. If necessary, such a device can be cut to the desired length. When decorating, for example, slopes, some craftsmen separate a small piece from such tools, making a very convenient h-shaped “spatula”.
Filling screeds
In this case, the h-shaped rule is used almost according to the same technology as in the plastering process. The only difference is that the master does not grout them in the vertical, but in the horizontal plane. After leveling the floor, beacons are removed from it. Next, the remaining furrows are filled with a solution and leveled.
Reviews
The opinion of the plasterers-painters about the h-shaped rules was pretty good. Judging by the reviews, working with this tool is actually more convenient than using a standard wooden one. The advantages of the tools of this variety experts include:
- high degree of rigidity;
- wide working part;
- durability.
Rules of this type do not bend during redistribution work. As the masters note, due to the high rigidity of the material used to make such tools, h-shaped devices, even after many uses, usually remain flat.
For work, the h-shaped rules, as the masters point out, are more than convenient. Professionals also attribute to the significant advantages of leveling devices of this variety that a lot of mortar is placed on their shelf when grouting. In this case, the solution is conveniently removed from the sole and applied back to the wall, filling the remaining voids. The same trapezoidal instrument cannot perform such a procedure.
At work, the rule of this variety simply hangs on the fingers. As a result, the master gets the opportunity to freely adjust the "grip" angle. If desired, it can be made practically zero and run parallel to the wall.
The solution is removed from the working sole of such a tool during cleaning with an ordinary spatula in one movement. The configuration of the trapezoidal rules in this regard is less convenient.
disadvantages
The main disadvantage of h-shaped aluminum rules, masters consider the high cost. In principle, the price of such tools is not so prohibitively high, but it still almost doubles the cost of wooden and trapezoidal rules.
Also, some masters believe that such devices have too wide a edge. Among the most significant shortcomings of the tools of this variety, many masters include the fact that with considerable effort they can be bent by the figure eight. You need to work with such a tool very carefully.
Some experts even recommend using these rules only for light gypsum plasters. Finishing the walls and pouring screeds, the masters advise doing with conventional tools. Also, according to experts, it is almost impossible to vibrate the plaster with this rule due to a hard grip.
Conclusion
Despite some of the disadvantages, such tools can still be considered quite convenient and practical for plastering walls and pouring floors. To align the solution with beacons, devices of this type are best, according to professional masters, the best. For amateur finishers, experts are advised to purchase at least one h-rule for themselves. In Chelyabinsk, Vladimir, Moscow, Orenburg and in many other settlements of our huge country, it is not difficult to buy such an instrument nowadays.