Beacons for wall leveling. Instructions for use, recommendations

Construction and repair work today is almost complete without applying the plaster mixture to the surface of the walls. Depending on how level the surface should be, plaster can be high quality, improved or simple. The latest type of manipulation involves the need to level the walls and eliminate chipping. While high-quality plaster should be carried out in compliance with increased technical requirements. This is where beacons are used. These elements are special guides that set a certain level.

Steel plastering beacons

Until recently, beacons for leveling walls were made from improvised materials, among which - plywood, plasterboard, stretched ropes and threads. Such homemade devices were notable for their cheapness and availability. However, the quality of the work carried out suffered, especially in the case of manipulations performed by medium-skill workers. On the modern market of building materials, you can find lighthouses that are made of light metal alloy. They have an L-shaped shape, among other things, you can find products made in the form of the letter T. What beacons should be tightly connected to the surface on which plaster or glue is applied. Buying these products, you need to pay attention to rigidity. If a thin sheet of metal was used in the production process , then it can bend, which will create difficulties in the process of work. Such beacons for wall leveling are strengthened on the wall surface, which allows to exclude displacement. For fixing, use self-tapping screws.

Recommendations of the master on the use of beacons

In order to most accurately observe the parameters, you should use a laser or water level when setting up beacons. After completion of the work, the geometry of the wall must be verified by means of a level, a plumb and a square.

Installation Instructions

In order for the beacons to align the walls to fulfill their task, you should use fasteners. Experts recommend the use of a device that not only holds, but also allows you to adjust the position of the product. Such a fastening element, best known as the ears, it allows you to set one beacon for 3 minutes. Such fasteners can be used several times, which saves consumables. To fix one lighthouse, you should use seven fasteners, which is true with a wall height of 2.7 meters. This provides excellent quality plastering work. Beacons for leveling walls with the help of the described ears should be fixed with the help of round-nosed 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. At the same time, no additional tools will be needed. If you want to work with a wall that is loose, then you need to put tin plates under the 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 the use of steel beacons

If you started a house repair, then you should use steel beacons to level the walls. This is especially true for those masters who do not have a special skill in carrying out similar work. As the biggest advantage of using metal products is the possibility of a fairly simple installation. Among other things, this method allows to minimize the thickness of the plaster mortar layer. If you reduce the layer by 10 millimeters, then the savings will be 10 liters of mixture per square meter of the wall surface. After plastering the base, whose dimensions are 6x3 meters, it will be possible to reduce the consumption by 9 bags of dry composition.

Repair of the house should be made with the use of metal beacons also for the reason that they are not subjected to buckling. This distinguishes these products from wooden ones, which is why they can be used many times. If there is a desire, they can be left in the wall. But it should be taken into account that the zinc-coated metal has the ability to rust over time, therefore such elements should be removed, wiping the formed traces.

Recommendations for the use of beacons from plaster

Alignment of the wall surface can be made with the help of beacons, which are made of a plaster mixture. Before installing them, it is necessary to fill a number of nails using a plumb line. Fasteners should be placed along the perimeter of the wall. The central part of the nail is installed if the length of the wall exceeds 4 meters. After the hats have been exposed to the plumb line, they can be applied to the lime paste or mortar, which will be used for plastering. After waiting for a certain time, which will be required to solidify the mass, the excess solution should be removed, reaching the level of the nail heads. After the tubercles harden, they should be presented with a rule, and after that, the solution is poured into the formed space. After waiting for the moment when the solution seizes, the rule should be removed, after having knocked the entire length of the hammer. As a result, a band is formed on the surface from the mixture, which acts as a gypsum beacon. On it you need to eliminate the formed shells, using a half-ruble. This is due to the fact that defects can make the rule move more difficult.

Features of the use of plaster beacons

If you decide to align the walls with beacons made of plaster, then the next step is to apply a solution between the marks. After the rule is applied to the beacons, and then sent from below upwards. This will get rid of the excess solution, and as a result, you get an even surface.

It is worth noting that the gypsum beacons are much stronger compared to solution ones, and they are less worn out in the process of equalization with the help of the rule. Upon completion of works from gypsum beacons it is necessary to get rid of, and the formed defects should be covered with a solution.

Final work

Before installing beacons to level the walls, you should familiarize yourself with the technology. After the above works, the entire wall should be treated with a cover solution. Before this, the surface can be moistened with water, which will make it easier to process. After the covering has been applied, the wall should be wiped. In order to avoid warping the rule, it is recommended to cover it with waterproof paint, which is applied in 2 layers.

What else does the master need to know?

If you decide to use beacons to level the walls, the price of such products should interest you. Stucco perforated beacon, whose length is 2.5 meters, will cost twenty rubles. You can make beacons yourself, but the quality of the work performed may not be so high, it must be taken into account.