Aligning walls with beacons with your own hands. How to align walls with beacons. Guarantees of a smooth surface - plaster on beacons

It doesn’t matter what you have in mind for your apartment: redevelopment or just renovation, the “last frontier” before you start decorating the walls is their alignment. Many may say: “They are even!” Have you tried applying a meter ruler to these “flat” walls? Of course, if you're going to do budget renovation and cover the walls with speckled wallpaper, then you can ignore this. But if the renovation is planned to be quite expensive, and you want to paint the walls, then you can’t do without leveling.

Well, what if the walls are like that?

Here there is no need for a line at all.

Tools and materials

So, To align the walls along the beacons you will need the following materials and tools.

Tools:

• plastering spatula (trowel);
• rule (you must remember that the longer the rule, the fewer beacons will need to be installed and the smoother the wall will be. But there should also be a short rule in order to carry out work on a narrow surface (cv third photo below));
• construction level and angle;
• mixer;
• container for mixing the solution.

Materials:

• beacon profiles;
• primer (such as concrete contact);
• wide brush (for applying primer);
• gypsum or cement-sand plaster;
• painting mesh made of fiberglass or metal (which one is for what, we’ll find out later);
• spatula and finishing putty.

Wall cleaning

The first thing you need to do is clean the walls of old wallpaper, tiles or other decorative elements. It is also necessary to clean the walls from peeling putty, plaster, paint, and so on.

The next step is priming the surface

For these purposes, it is best to use “concrete contact”. This soil dries quickly and has pink color, which allows for high-quality priming without gaps.

After the primer has dried, you can proceed to the next step.

Installation of beacons

We set the beacons according to the level,

you need to start from the corners,

To avoid accidentally giving the room a diamond shape, you can use a square. This may not be noticeable to the naked eye, but if you want to hang corner shelf, may have problems. We attach the beacons to the same mortar that we will use to level the walls. Walls in rooms with normal humidity can be leveled gypsum composition.

And the walls of rooms with high humidity (bathroom, balcony, kitchen) are cement-sand. Now it begins

The process of leveling the wall itself

We fill the distance between the beacons with the solution, below the level of the beacons (rough layer) and wait until it dries completely.

If, when identifying the curvature of the wall, you realized that the layer of mortar will be quite thick, it is necessary to reinforce the wall with a metal mesh before placing the beacons.

We use fiberglass painting mesh if you are leveling the wall with a gypsum compound and its layer thickness does not exceed 10 - 12 millimeters. If the curvature of the wall is not large and the layer of applied mortar is not thick, you can do without a rough layer and immediately level the mortar according to the beacons.

After the rough layer has completely dried, begin finishing leveling.

The last stage of aligning the walls according to the beacons

Having finished this work, let the wall dry; to speed up this process, you can use heat gun or household gas heater. After drying, remove the beacons from the wall.

This must be done because during storage and transportation, as well as when exposed to the rule, the layer of zinc that covers the beacon profiles is torn off. In places where zinc has been stripped, rust may appear, which in the future may appear through paint or wallpaper, which can have a painful impact on the family budget. Having removed the beacons, we seal the resulting grooves with the same solution and dry the wall again.

When putting putty there is no point in applying thick layer, since the wall is already leveled. It is enough just to fill in the small irregularities formed during the work with the rule. More such flaws will occur when leveling the wall with cement-sand mortar. Here the wall is ready to be decorated in all ways available to you.

Aligning walls according to beacons is very simple and quick way make their surface perfectly smooth.

The main advantage of this method is that even an amateur who is far from masterly using a trowel and spatula is guaranteed to get an excellent result if all the rules are followed.

The reward for hard work will be the money saved on calling a team of plasterers and an intoxicating sense of personal power.

What is a lighthouse?

The lighthouse is a long perforated strip made of thin galvanized steel, the cross section of which forms the letter “T”.

The upper edge of this letter is the working one and is used as a guide when leveling the plaster applied to the wall.

The “leg” is used to fix the beacon in the solution.

Today, construction stores offer mainly lighthouse slats of two sizes:

• 21x6 mm (WxH): used for leveling walls with unevenness up to 5 mm in height;
• 26x10 mm: for unevenness over 5 mm.

They come in two lengths: 2.5 m and 3 m.

The number of beacons that will be needed to process one wall depends on the step at which they will be placed (the slats are installed vertically).

The distance between the beacons should be 20 - 25 cm less length the rule being used.

It should be taken into account that the distance from the outermost beacon to the edge of the wall should be about 10 cm.

Thus, a master who plans to work with a 1.5 m long rule on a 5-meter wall can install 5 beacons in increments of 1.2 m (4x1.2 + 2x0.1 = 5 m).

Preparatory work

The most preferable option is to completely remove the old plaster coating, if there is one on the wall, of course.

If for some reason you decide to leave the plaster in place, be sure to clean the swollen and loose areas.

To detect them, the wall should be carefully tapped with a chisel: hidden voids will reveal themselves with a booming sound, and in loose places the coating will crumble.

If the old plaster has been completely removed, and the wall itself is made of concrete, then on its surface, using a hammer and chisel, you can knock out several notches, which will contribute to better adhesion of the new coating to the base.

The next stage is rough leveling of the wall.

Obvious depressions are filled with plaster, the bumps are knocked down.

Part of the wall to be applied plaster mortar, pre-treated with a primer.

As a result of the operation, the wall should acquire a relatively flat surface with the height of individual irregularities within 12 mm.

The primer layer performs several functions:

• improves adhesion of plaster to the base;
• prevents saturation of the wall material with moisture contained in the plaster mortar;
• disinfects the wall surface.

If it is planned to use some kind of wall cladding heavy materials, For example, ceramic tiles, then, before plastering, a reinforcing mesh should be fixed to it.

The same should be done if the layer of applied plaster exceeds 10 mm in thickness, even if the wall is being prepared for wallpaper or painting.

Polyethylene or fiberglass meshes are fixed with a solution, other types - with dowels.

Installation of structures

Before aligning the walls with the beacons, the latter must be installed so that their working surfaces are in the same plane.

To do this, you can use the following method:

• At a distance of 100 mm from the edge of the wall, using a plumb line and chalk, mark a vertical line, and along it, screw several dowels into the wall at equal intervals;
• Next, attach the plumb line to the ceiling so that the thread is a few millimeters from the wall (the distance depends on the height of the unevenness);
• When unscrewing the screws, ensure that the edges of their heads are at the level of the plumb line;
• Apply five or six “blobs” of plaster mortar along the marked line between the dowels;
• Cut one of the beacon slats to the height of the room, and then position it along the marked line so that one of the shelves rests on the heads of the screws, and the “leg” sinks into the solution. To eliminate deflections, walk along the entire lighthouse with a rule, leveling it and pressing it into the solution;
• Check for correct installation with a plumb line;
• A beacon is installed in a similar way on the other edge of the wall;
• In the places where the remaining beacons are installed, draw vertical lines with chalk and screw in several dowels in the same way as described above;
• Stretch several pieces of nylon cord or fishing elastic between the outer beacons so that they pass next to the dowels screwed into the wall. The stretched threads indicate the plane into which the working edges of the beacons should be placed;
• Unscrew the screws “under the thread” and install the remaining beacons on the solution, as described above.

Applying plaster

The walls are finished with plaster after the mortar under the beacons has hardened.

The surface of the wall is moistened with water, after which any in a convenient way pour a cement-sand mixture.

The plaster is leveled using a rule, resting it on adjacent beacons.

The tool should be moved from bottom to top, moving it slightly from side to side.

At the same time, it is important to carefully ensure that it is constantly adjacent to the edges of the beacons.

If the wall surface has significant unevenness in height and the layer of plaster exceeds 15 mm, then the finishing is divided into two stages.

The second layer is applied after the first has dried.

A space 20–30 mm wide along the lighthouse, on each side of it, is left unplastered.

If you become the owner of a new city apartment, you will encounter such a problem as uneven surfaces ceilings, walls, floors. This is especially true for new buildings, and differences in height can reach 10-25 centimeters. New homeowners cannot carry out a full redecorating until the walls are level.

A similar situation is often with the floor surface, which will also have to be brought into an aesthetic appearance using leveling building mixtures.

If you want to level the walls using your own efforts, that is, without inviting a team professional builders, use this method as aligning the walls with beacons.

Required Tools

We are offering to you detailed instructions for carrying out full leveling of walls. This technology can be used in cases where, after leveling the walls, it is necessary to paint, cladding with ceramic tiles or gluing with any paper or vinyl wallpaper.

Let's start with those important tools, without which it will be difficult for you to perform high-quality wall alignment:

1. Plumb line or building level.
2. Regular chalk or pencil.
3. Construction spatula.
4. Rule (you will use it to level the surface of the wall).
5. Master OK.
6. A special bucket for preparing the solution.
7. Dowels or screws.
8. Electric drill.
9. Screwdriver.
10. Plaster mixture.
11. Construction gypsum.
12. Nylon thread or nylon cord.
13. Latex gloves.

How to choose a mixture for leveling walls?

If you plan to level walls in wet rooms such as bathrooms, shower rooms, use mixtures prepared on the basis of cement of two different types. Walls in dry rooms can be leveled using gypsum or cement-gypsum mixture.

When choosing a mixture option, you need to take into account the surfaces, making a layer 1 millimeter thick, and also carefully study the characteristics that are indicated on the packaging of the mixture itself. Before buying a mixture for leveling walls, consult with the seller.

How to prepare walls for plastering

Before decorative design walls, you need to complete the following step: preliminary preparation walls, the durability of the wall will depend on these actions. First, you need to thoroughly clean the wall surface from dirt, dust, and any remaining old plaster, and remove all flaking pieces.

Then the walls are primed, if the surface is flat, made of dense material, you can use acrylic primer, capable of penetrating the wall and further strengthening it. For porous wall materials, for example, made of expanded clay concrete slabs, use a primer that has little penetrating ability.

Priming the walls will help draw excess water out of the wall, increase adhesion (adhesion) to cement mortar wall surfaces, in addition to preventing the appearance of mold.

How to mark a wall surface

To mark the wall, use electric drill. Make a hole using a drill, secure the first screw, selecting the upper corner. The distance at which the screws should be fixed should be in the range of 10-15 centimeters.

Pull the cord or nylon thread, align the screws along one vertical line, the heads of the screws should touch that thread. Make the distance between the screws slightly smaller than the size of the rule.

How to install beacons?

The glue intended for attaching beacons is gypsum. This material sets quickly, so you need to prepare only such an amount of gypsum mortar that can be quickly used up.

Using a construction trowel and a small amount of gypsum mortar, apply plaster along the lines between the installed screws, remove excess mortar by applying the rule vertically to the screws.

Similar actions must be done with all vertical lines, obtaining beacons from a gypsum solution. Then the screws are removed so that no rust marks remain. The beacon installation process has been successfully completed. Such an algorithm is not the simplest option for installing building structures. plaster beacons.

There is a simpler option for installing gypsum beacons. Using standard beacons (perforated T-shaped metal profiles), sold in hardware stores, can be accelerated.

In several places on a previously made vertical line, a plaster solution is poured, and ready-made beacons are placed in place. Next, all beacons are aligned to the same level, checking the evenness horizontally and vertically.

Preparation and application of the mixture

There are several types of plaster mixtures designed for leveling walls:

• cement-lime mixtures;
• adhesive mixtures;
• gypsum mixtures;
• cement mixtures;
• lime mixtures.

All mixtures are divided into those intended for dry and wet areas. When choosing a mixture for high-quality wall leveling, consult with a professional sales manager.

When diluting the mixture, it is important to fully comply with all the instructions indicated on the product packaging by the manufacturer of the mixture:

1. The dry mixture is diluted with water, carefully mixed, after a while it is mixed again, and only after that it can be used for its intended purpose. There are dry mixes on sale that contain special additives Therefore, such mixtures require prolonged stirring so that the additives can be evenly distributed throughout the solution.



2. To apply the mixture to the wall surface, use a special spatula. You need to throw a small amount of mortar onto the spatula, then press it firmly against the surface of the wall, and then rub it into the wall.
3. Then, using the rule, the gypsum layer is leveled along the beacons, making smooth movements from bottom to top. By moving the rule in this way, you will remove all excess plaster mixture from the wall, and you will also be able to smooth out the unevenness of the wall.



4. When the procedure for applying the mixture is completed, you can proceed to leveling the wall, sanding it with an abrasive material, that is, sandpaper. To internal corners were beautiful and smooth, take advantage special rule having an internal angle.



5. Wait a couple of minutes after applying the working solution to the corner of the room, and only then begin the procedure for leveling the corner. If you plan to install ceramic tiles on top of a layer of plaster, you can skip the grinding procedure. Instead, before starting plastering, we recommend installing a special reinforcing mesh on the wall surface, ensuring the strength of the resulting coating.

Note. When all the work related to leveling the surface of the wall along the beacons is completed, you may see some flaws. If there is a significant amount of a binder component in the working mixture, small cracks may appear on the wall after completion of work. When leveling walls with open windows, drafts, high temperatures inside the room, the size of the cracks will be significant.

With the advent of new building materials, exterior and interior walls using cement-lime mortar or gypsum-based mixtures has become extremely popular, solving not only the problems of heat conservation and moisture protection, but also leveling the surface and maintaining the geometry of forms. In construction, “wet” and “dry” (factory-made) plaster is used. “Wet” - based on solutions from ready-made mixtures, accounts for up to 80% of all finishing work.

Guarantees of a smooth surface - plaster on beacons

To improve the quality of the surface leveling process, it is used plastering walls on beacons.

Lighthouse- this is a wall marking element protruding into the thickness of the plaster layer, a guide for leveling the mortar. For this they can be used:

• auxiliary materials (cords or slats secured with glue);
• cement or plaster ledges;
• pipe or square profile;
• factory-produced lighthouse profile (lighthouse strip);
• plastic mount for installing a beacon.

Plaster beacons can be installed on any type of surface: walls, columns, beams, ceilings, etc. In this case, the time spent is fully compensated by subsequent accelerated process application and leveling of the plaster layer and the quality of the result.

Video: aligning walls using beacons.

Tools and equipment for plastering on beacons

For plastering with preliminary marking and installation of beacons you will need:

• bubble level 2 meters long or laser level;
• lighthouses;
• grater;
• roulette;
• plumb line;
• metal scissors;
• Master OK;
• rule (2 meters);
• dowels or screws;
• perforator with a nozzle for mixing mortar;
• cord;
• latex gloves;
• solution.

Installation of beacons. Algorithm of actions

The technology of work largely depends on the quality of the surface and the expected thickness of the applied layer. In any case, it requires complete cleaning of the walls from old coatings and applying a primer, of course, only after completing electrical installation work. The installation of beacons begins with the longest wall, 30 cm from the corner. A vertical line is drawn on it using a level or plumb line, at the ends of which screws or dowels are attached to tension the marking cord. The height of the tension of the cord will determine the height of the beacons and the surface of the plaster layer itself.

Along a given vertical, “slaps” are thrown with a solution from the end of a spatula at intervals of 25 cm. A beacon made of galvanized metal is placed on them L-shaped profile, the height of which is selected in accordance with the planned layer thickness (from 6 to 10 mm). The lighthouse slats are cut in accordance with the markings made. The beacon is pressed into the solution with a level or rule strictly vertically, which is checked, again, with a level. The force is limited by the screw caps, which ensures perfect installation of the beacon. Excess solution is removed with a trowel.

The horizontal is marked using a level at an angle of 90 degrees to the vertical. The following verticals are set 1.5 meters apart from each other so that the plastered surface can be leveled as a rule. If the wall has irregularities that exceed the height of the beacons, then a rough base is made under them using a piece of drywall glued or tacked with mortar, which must dry before installing the beacon.

In the most difficult places, intermediate beacons are usually installed. As a result of marking the wall, you will get a grid of beacons, the top points of which will indicate the plane of the wall after laying the plaster.

How to plaster walls using beacons

Drying time of the solution depends on the thickness of the layer, physical properties mixture used, room temperature. In the absence of unforeseen circumstances, the beacons are ready to apply a plaster layer within 30-40 minutes, which is applied - for better adhesion - with a trowel and pulled up from the bottom up using a rule. If the solution gets on the beacons, it is removed with a float or a sharp edge when smoothing.

To distribute it evenly, the rule also moves left and right alternately. After a quarter of an hour, having slightly moistened the surface of the freshly applied plaster, it is smoothed as usual a second time.

After the mixture has hardened, to avoid high humidity rusting finishing materials, used subsequently, the beacons are removed by picking them up with a screwdriver, and the deformed surface is sealed with mortar or putty and ground in. Gaps near the floor, ceiling, window and door openings are also sealed. From the rough plaster under the tiles or tiles, the beacons do not need to be pulled out.

Video: plastering walls using lighthouses.

Machine plastering method

Volumes and tempo construction work in our time has created the conditions for mechanization plastering works in all types of premises, for outdoor and interior decoration. This doesn't mean that plaster coating completely dispenses with manual labor. Installation of beacons precedes machine plastering work. The most labor-intensive processes have been mechanized: making the mixture and applying it to the surface. As a result, the time required to complete the work is reduced by 4 times.

What should you pay attention to when plastering walls under a lighthouse?:

• the room in which work is carried out must be warm;
• plastering of facades - at temperatures above 0;
• installation accuracy is determined by skills;
• the first beacon is placed in the upper left corner;
• beacons must be shorter than the building regulations;
• beacons are attached to the same plaster mixture, which is intended for the entire wall;
• mortar must be placed on red brick in small areas, and with silicate, you can immediately cover the entire wall;
• the thickness of the layer determines the consistency of the solution (the thicker, the thicker);
• it is necessary to take into account the likelihood of the beacons being torn off during operation;
• check the beacon profile before use for bending, which is possible during transportation;
• improper removal of the beacon can severely damage the plastered surface;
• on walls with windows and doorways it is necessary to correlate the thickness of the coating on the right and left sides;
• plastering process wooden houses requires complex preparatory work;
• If you have experience, install beacons on a wall of 18 square meters. meters will take only 20 minutes.

What are the material costs?

To determine the cost of plastering work, you should take into account what type will they be classified as?:

• simple plaster (for laying tiles);
• improved (with surface preparation, according to beacons);
• high-quality (for beacons, in 2 layers of soil and with a covering layer).

Accordingly, the cost of the work will vary (from 200 rubles per square meter - simple; from 300 - improved). Improved machine plastering for new houses will cost 250 rubles. per sq.m., in secondary residential premises - 350 rubles.

The thickness of the plaster layer will also affect the cost: if up to 1 cm - 300 rubles / sq.m, then at 7 cm - 460 rubles. Complexity will also affect the price. architectural details(cornices, pilasters), work at height - where the ceilings are higher than 3 m, the work will be more expensive.

If plastering is done independently a craftsman with good construction skills, then, of course, he will experience savings on building materials and long-term use of equipment for installing beacons under the plaster layer.

Achieve perfect look walls after facing them is possible only if their surface is initially well prepared and leveled. The only normal way to get the right result is to align the walls according to the beacons. For all its simplicity this process has a number of nuances that you should familiarize yourself with.

Surface preparation

For the best possible result, the technology involves the complete removal of the old layer of plaster right down to the base. If for some reason it is decided to leave old plaster, tap the entire wall with a hammer to check for obvious defects or places where the plaster is peeling off from the base of the wall. In such places, remove the old coating.

Determining the scope of work to prepare walls for plastering

Carefully inspect the surface of the wall. If there are deep depressions, they should first be sealed with a layer of plaster, leveling them with the rest of the wall surface. Height differences should not exceed 5-12 mm. If there are small protrusions, they should be trimmed off.

It is better not to rely only on visual inspection. Take advantage laser level or more simple method using threads. On the two extreme sides of the wall, screw screws into the wall from above and lower plumb lines from them to the floor. Between these plumb lines, stretch a horizontal thread with slip knots at the ends. Draw a horizontally stretched thread from top to bottom and mark all sections of the wall that are recessed or protrude more than 1 cm above the level. This option is easier to implement when you level the walls yourself.

Preliminary work

The rough work of preparing the wall has been completed. Carefully sweep the wall with a dry broom to remove dust and dirt or use a vacuum cleaner. Next, treat the entire surface of the wall with primer. It will protect the wall from excessive absorption of moisture from the plaster solution and prevent the formation of mold and mildew. The primer is selected depending on the material from which the wall is made.

In some cases, reinforcing mesh should be used for plastering. This need usually arises during the renovation of walls in the bathroom or kitchen, where ceramic tiles will subsequently be laid, or when the average layer of plaster over the entire wall exceeds 10 mm. The reinforcing mesh can either be secured with dowels or secured with a small layer of mortar (fiberglass mesh, polyethylene mesh).

Beacon placement

Try and try to build lighthouses using cement-sand mortar or plaster is not worth it. It will not be possible to create a sufficiently even and level strip of them, and subsequently the junction of the beacons and the main mortar will be subject to peeling.

Start installing beacons from the corners and with a distance between them less than the length of the rule by 10 cm. In order to maintain the correct installation level, it is best to use screws that are screwed into the wall up to the top along the line of the beacon profile. A plumb line is hung on the top screw, the rest are unscrewed until their heads are level with the plumb line thread. Do not forget that you should align the screws at the same level along all profile installation lines, and also draw a right angle between the plane along the screw heads and the surface of the adjacent walls in the room. Next, the profiles themselves are installed and secured.

Apply a small amount of solution along the edges of the lines and in several places in the middle. Place the beacon profile along the line so that their base rests on the screw heads and goes slightly deeper into the mortar tubercles. When the solution has dried, you can proceed directly to plastering.

Applying plaster

If the final layer of plaster exceeds 10-15 mm, then the process of applying it should be divided into two stages. The first time, throw the solution on the wall and level it so that its level does not reach the plane of the beacons by about 5-10 mm. When the first layer of mortar has dried, you can begin the final application of plaster.

The solution is applied with a slight excess and leveled with a rule, which rests the ends on the beacon profiles. You should guide the tool from the bottom up, slightly rocking it from side to side, in no case lifting it from the beacons. It is best if you get a smooth surface after the first passes.

Remove the corners between the wall and the floor/ceiling when the bulk of the mortar has stuck a little, but is still wet. For this operation, a special trowel is used to create internal corners.

When the entire wall has dried normally, you can begin to remove the beacons. Seal the stripes remaining after them with a plaster solution, using already ready plots like a level. Only if it is expected further installation ceramic tiles, you can leave the profile in the wall.

The final part of the work

As a result of the work carried out, there is already a smooth surface of the wall. However, no matter what materials were used to level the walls, in this form it is only suitable for laying tiles; even in this case it should be primed. For everyone else facing materials You should grind the surface of the wall and finally level the surface of the wall to a smooth state. The starting putty is first used. Apply a layer of putty in accordance with the requirements of the mixture manufacturer. For wall painting or sticker thin wallpaper also use finishing putty, which is subsequently rubbed with a special mesh until it is perfectly smooth.

Video: correct alignment of walls according to beacons