Alignment of walls along lighthouses: necessary tools and stages of work. Beacons for leveling walls: design, methods of use Leveling plaster on beacons

What are the types of plaster compositions? The article discusses the technology of plastering walls on lighthouses, the sequence and rules for preparing the base and.

Beacon plaster: pros and cons

Plastering is the most common way to level walls and ceilings. Properly carried out plastering work allows you to get a smooth, perfectly vertical surface of the walls. To simplify the process and improve the result, plaster beacons are used.

Plastering walls on lighthouses: features of alignment in this way

In this way, you can align the walls from various materials: brick, concrete, aerated concrete, plaster and even wood. It is possible to cover technical communications in the plaster layer, for example, electrical wires and low current systems. Walls lined with stucco are solid foundation for fastening, hanging shelves and various household appliances.

Varieties of mixtures for leveling

There are several main types of plaster mixtures:

• plaster;
• gypsum-lime;
• cement-sand;
• cement-lime.

Currently, plaster compositions based on gypsum binder are most often used indoors with a normal level of humidity. They dry relatively quickly compared to cement mortars and are more convenient to use, but more expensive than cement counterparts.

The choice of beacons by size

To form a plane at plastering works ah, a special galvanized beacon profile is used. The most common are 2 profile sizes: 6 and 10 mm high. Using a thinner profile allows you to reduce the layer of mortar applied to the surface, but requires better fixing and more experience in work. The 10 mm high beacon is more bendable, which allows you to mount it less often. For plastering outside corners special corner profiles are used.

What are the plastering technologies with beacons

Wall plastering on lighthouses can be done manually or by machine:

1. At manual way the composition is kneaded with a construction mixer in a container (large bucket) and thrown onto the walls with a spatula or trowel.
2. At machine way 2 options for preparing the mixture are possible: with a mixer manually or in a plastering machine.

The choice of method depends on the type of plastering machine. Next, the plaster mortar under pressure is fed through a hose to the wall. Then, in both methods, the mixture is leveled by the rule.

How to plaster with your own hands with beacons: preparatory work

Before you need to properly prepare the walls. Must be removed old paint, putty, wallpaper, etc. to the base. If the surface is already plastered, peeling, destroyed or weakened areas must be removed.

materials

To carry out the work you will need:

• Plaster composition.
• Primer.
• Beacon profile.

Wall preparation

After cleaning the surface to the base, it is imperative to prime the walls. Before priming, the walls must be cleaned of dust.

The type of primer should be selected based on the surface material.

Installation of beacons for alignment

After priming, a gypsum plaster mortar is thrown onto the pre-marked places, beacons cut to size from floor to ceiling are installed, and pressed into the solution at a certain distance using a long rule. Excess solution is removed with a spatula. With enough experience and high speed work, you can use alabaster for fastening.

Distance between beacons

Beacons are installed at a distance of 150-200 mm from the corners, then every 80-150 cm. The distance between the profiles is chosen based on the length of the rule. With a large distance between the beacons, it is not very convenient to work.

How to display markup

You can mark up in several ways.

• laser level.
• Plumb.
• Regular bubble level.

When labeled with laser level the tool is set so that the beam is projected parallel to the plane of the wall. A line is applied to the rule at a certain distance from the edge, the rule is set on the beacon and pressed into the solution according to the coincidence of the laser line with the line on the rule.

When installing with a plumb or bubble level, set the extreme beacons, set them strictly vertically, pull the thread between them and set intermediate profiles by thread.

On sale you can find systems for fastening the beacon profile. In them, the fasteners are installed on the wall and are adjusted vertically using self-tapping screws. These systems are not widely used due to increasing cost. Supplies and thickness of the plaster layer.

Mixing solution

The solution is kneaded with a construction mixer in a large bucket. The container should be of such volume as to minimize the number of batches, but at the same time, such that it is convenient to move it. Instructions for mixing the mixture are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging.

Water and tools must be clean. The ingress of pebbles into the solution will not allow you to get smooth surface, kneading in a dirty container reduces the pot life gypsum mortar.

How to level the walls in the apartment with the help of beacons

After installing the beacons, the solution to which they are fixed is allowed to dry. Then the solution is thrown with a spatula or trowel, the excess is removed with a trapezoidal rule. In places where there is not enough mixture - add a solution. The rule is carried out, tightly pressing against the lighthouses, from the bottom up with wave-like movements.

The solution remaining on the rule is thrown onto the wall. When the solution begins to dry, moisten the surface with a sponge or spray gun and smooth it with a wide spatula or trowel. This allows you to get ideal, suitable for painting or wallpapering without putty.

Beacons after complete drying of the plaster layer must be removed, otherwise the appearance of rusty spots or cracks.

How to plaster on a plaster wall

Before plastering gypsum or aerated concrete walls they need to be well moistened, because. these materials absorb water well, the solution dries up, which leads to the formation of cracks. To strengthen the plaster, you can use a plastic plaster mesh. It is attached to the wall before installing the beacons in a thin layer. plaster mortar.

On concrete and brick

Concrete walls are treated with primers of the Betonokontakt type to create a rough surface and improve adhesion. plaster composition with a base. The seams between the bricks are embroidered.

How to align on wood

On the wooden wall before plastering, waterproofing is arranged, for example, from glassine, then a metal plaster mesh is fixed in a thin layer of mortar, additionally fastened with a construction stapler or upholstery nails, after which beacons are installed and the main layer of plaster is applied.

How to install for leveling at corners and slopes

To align the corners, a special perforated galvanized corner profile is used. Attach it to the corner after installing the beacons on both planes. The easiest way to install a corner profile is to apply plaster mortar to the corner and press the profile to the desired depth using a long rule.

How to put beacons under the finish alignment

Beacons must be installed very carefully, because errors in the installation of beacons will lead to uneven walls, which will be very difficult to fix in the future. According to SNiP 3.04.01-87 "Insulating and finishing coatings" at high quality plaster vertical deviations of no more than 1 mm per meter and irregularities no deeper than 2 mm are allowed.

• Carefully prepare the walls before starting finishing work.
• Primer - very milestone works, do not neglect them or save on the cost of the composition.
• The plaster mortar should be kneaded in the largest possible amount that you can slowly work out during the life of the mortar.
• When carrying out work, it is important to avoid drafts and sudden changes in temperature. They lead to the appearance of cracks or peeling of the plaster from the base.

Plastering walls on beacons - enough difficult process requiring great accuracy and speed of work. With insufficient experience, it is recommended to "practice" on the walls, which will then be closed, for example tiles, or in utility rooms where surface quality is not of great importance.

Useful video

Wall alignment can be carried out using several different technologies, all of which have their advantages, disadvantages and tricks. most popular technology is the alignment of the walls along the lighthouses. It is one of the fastest, most reliable and, most importantly, effective load-bearing surface leveling technologies. I will talk about it in this article.

Tools and materials

As with any other stage of repair work, in order to align the walls with lighthouses, you need your own specific set of tools and materials.

Of the tools you will need:

• Trowel - a necessary tool for leveling corners;
• Half trowel - will be needed at the final stages;
• The rule is the main tool for aligning walls with lighthouses;
• Container for mixing the leveling mixture;
• Drill with a mixer - needed for mounting beacons and mixing the mixture;
• Roller and brush - will be needed in the priming process;
• Water or normal levels - are necessary to set the future plane of the wall.

Materials needed to level the walls:

• plaster mixture;
• Primer;
• Beacons for leveling walls;
• 8 mm dowel;
• Screws are self-tapping screws.

Of the plaster mixtures, I can advise two compositions, one based on cement, and the second with gypsum as a binder. The first option, namely the cement-sand composition, is used for significant curvature of the walls, it is cheaper than gypsum plaster, but at the same time its consumption is relatively higher.

Gypsum-based stucco is more expensive, but it also takes much less. Used on walls with slight irregularities. One of the main advantages of this composition can be called fast drying, due to which, the speed of work increases.

The priming of the walls must be carried out so that the plaster mixture adheres better to the bearing surface. There's a lot various formulations, for different surfaces, from concrete to metal and wood. For priming brick and concrete walls, use acrylic primer, its composition is universal, this composition cannot be used only on metal surfaces.

Beacons for leveling walls, 8 mm dowels and screws are used in conjunction. The beacon is needed to set the future level of the plane and serves as a guide when aligning the walls. Dowels and screws are needed in order to fix the beacon and adjust its deviation relative to the wall.

Wall cleaning and priming

This step is the first for any repair work, where the "main characters" are the walls. This is not surprising, because the cleaner the surface, the more efficient the work will be with it, the better any type of cladding will lie.

It is worth starting cleaning the surface by turning off the electricity in the room. This is necessary so that moisture does not seep into the wall and a short circuit does not occur. In addition, the wall will need to be drilled, and if a person accidentally gets into the wiring with a drill, it will not be pleasant.

If you are leveling a wall in a house that already has cladding, after you have de-energized the room, you need to clean the wall of the old cladding and decorative material, pieces of wallpaper, paint, decorative plaster. You also need to tear off all the putty from the wall, and if integrity old plaster is broken and there are voids in it, it is better to remove it as well.

If the old layer of plaster is quite suitable, then it should be checked for serious damage, such as chips, cracks, peeling, which most often occurs in the corners. If such damage exists, they must be repaired using a large number solution. Gently cover all imperfections, and let dry.

After all the shortcomings have been eliminated, the surface has been cleaned of debris and dust, the wall can be pre-primed. To do this, pour the primer into a special bath, moisten the roller in it, and removing the excess, thoroughly coat the entire surface so that there are no dry spots anywhere. In the corners, instead of a roller, use a hard brush, with its help, priming the corners is much easier and more efficient.

For more productive and convenient priming, use a roller with a telescopic handle, so you can cover the entire height of the wall without dragging a stepladder around the room.

Installation of beacons

This is the most important stage in the work of leveling walls using this technology. The final result depends on how well the level of beacons will be set. The first thing to do to install beacons is to mark the wall for future fasteners. After marking, in the corner you need to drill holes for the first rail, in the places where you put the marks.

Make holes with a drill and a drill with a diameter of 8 mm. After that, plastic dowels are inserted into the holes. They should go into the hole completely, if they don’t go in, you can knock them out with a hammer, but gently so as not to break the hat.

Next, you need to screw the screws into the holes, setting the vertical level along their caps, using a plumb line. Install the mounts for the beacon on the hats, and install the rail itself in them. The first lighthouse has been installed. Next, do the same in the opposite corner, but do not install the beacon, leave only the screws twisted in level.

Pulling a thread between opposite screws, find the most protruding part of the wall, and, by twisting and unscrewing the screws, set the horizontal level. Do the same for the rest of the intermediate screws. Install fasteners and aluminum profiles on the remaining self-tapping screws.

Calculate the distance between the beacons, taking into account the fact that it should be 10 cm less than the length of the tool with which you are going to work, leveling the walls. In our case, this tool is the rule.

The advantage of this method of installing beacons in the speed of installation, ease of regulation required level flatness and strength of the structure.

Applying plaster

The stage of applying the plaster begins with the dilution of the solution. If you are planning to use cement-sand plaster, then you can mix the volume of the solution calculated for one day of work. If a gypsum-based mixture is used, then it must be prepared in portions, at the rate of one portion for one hour of work, since gypsum sets very quickly.

If the final layer of plaster should be more than 10–15 mm thick, then it must be applied in two layers. When applying the first layer, it should not reach the beacons of 5-7 mm, after it sets, you can apply the second layer, without forgetting to apply a new layer of primer before that.

You need to apply plaster on the wall using the rule. To do this, put the solution on the tool, distributing it along the entire length. Take the rule firmly with both hands, attach it to the wall and slide it over the surface from top to bottom. To make the solution lay down more evenly, make small movements to the sides when applying.

An important point. The edges of the rule, when applying plaster, should touch the beacons. That is why they are installed in width, 10 cm less than the length of this tool. After you have applied the bulk of the solution, and it has already dried a little, you can start leveling the corners.

But for this, the melter is no longer suitable, it is ideal for aligning walls with lighthouses, but not for corners. A trowel, popularly a trowel, is ideal for this purpose. Scoop up the plaster and with gentle movements, smooth the surface to the level of the already applied layer.

Wait until the entire wall is dry enough, only after that you can remove the beacons. Just do it very carefully so as not to damage the new wall plane. Cover the remaining traces after removing the rails with a solution and level them.

Final stage

At the last stage, it is necessary to carry out work on the final alignment of the walls. After the plaster dries well, you need to walk on it with a trowel, bringing out the ideal plane of the plastered wall.

Next, you need to putty the wall. Putty follows approximately the same algorithm as wall plaster. Also in two layers, only in the place of melting, wide and medium spatulas will be used. Before applying, a primer must be applied to the wall again.

The first layer of putty, called rough, it has a relatively greater thickness than the second one. Need to put it on wide spatula semicircular movements. After the first one dries, you can apply the final thin layer of putty. And when it dries out, the wall needs to be processed sandpaper to bring the plane to its final level.

In conclusion, I would like to say that aligning walls with lighthouses is one of the most popular ways to correct the curvature of load-bearing surfaces. Other methods are also good and bring the same result, but the price of this is time and, of course, more high costs for materials.

Video "Let's align the walls with lighthouses"

The video clearly shows how to install beacons, how to display the horizontal and vertical plane, and also how to find the largest wall curvature.

Beacons - tools for leveling walls before applying plaster or other finishing material. To use them, it is not necessary to have serious building skills, working with them is simple.

Beacon for leveling walls - a long rail made of galvanized steel or aluminum with perforated holes. It is preferable to use a galvanized beacon profile in work, since it does not lend itself to rust, it can be left in the plaster for a long time. Holes in the beacon are needed to better fix the profile.

In cross section, the rail resembles an inverted letter "T", its upper face serves as a guide when applying plaster, and the legs are used to fix the beacon in the solution.

Types of beacon profiles

The length of the beacons varies from 250 to 300 cm, width - from 20 to 22 mm, height - from 6 to 10 mm.

The size is selected depending on how strong the differences in the walls are. The greater the height of the rail, the more plaster will go to finish the wall.

Preparatory work

Before installing the beacon, it is necessary to prepare the concrete walls for applying plaster. The remains of the old coating are cleaned off, all surface flaws are removed (the chips are filled with a plaster solution, and the protruding elements are knocked down). Cover the wall with a primer.

Tools for work:

• level (hydraulic level);
• roulette;
• metal scissors;
• a hammer;
• putty knife;
• kapron thread;
• rule;
• pencil.

Using a tape measure, measure the height of the wall, trim the profile to the desired length with metal scissors.

The level determines the most protruding point of the wall. The greater the difference between the main plane and this point, the more plaster will be needed for alignment.

Via building level mark with a pencil for beacons: 10 cm recede from the corner, mark the location of the first, the next should be slightly less rule(about 15 cm).

Before you set the beacons, you need to choose a method for fixing them. You can use special fasteners or fix them with plaster mortar.

Installation of beacons on fasteners

Beacons for leveling walls are installed in increments of 20 - 30 cm. Future fixation points are marked with a pencil, and then holes are drilled for installing dowels.

The first beacon must be placed on the initial marking line, 10 cm from the corner. Self-tapping screws are screwed into the upper and lower dowels, a plumb line is pulled between them to align them. It is better to tighten the screws at this stage with a screwdriver, so you can achieve greater accuracy. Next, the installed profile is fixed along the entire length.
Similar actions are performed with the lighthouse at the other end of this wall. After that, threads are pulled between the beacons, which will serve as a guide for installing profiles in the middle of the wall. They should be stretched in at least three places: top, middle and bottom. They fix the threads not on the profile, but on the dowels, so as not to knock down the beacon; pull hard enough.

Installing profiles on mortar

The second method of fixing beacons involves the use of cement or gypsum mortar. This is a budget option.

You can use ready-made putty mixtures or cook them yourself. To do this, to 10 parts cement-sand mortar add one part of gypsum. If you add more, the solution will dry faster.

A small amount of the mixture is applied to the wall surface every 10-15 cm along the pre-planned beacon location line at a distance of 10 cm from the corner. Attach a profile. Press gently. Align so that there are no kinks.

Excess solution from the side surfaces of the profile and from the wall is removed. Again, they check how even the exposed beacon is.

The same actions are done from the other corner of the wall. Wait until the solution dries, securely fixing the profiles.

Threads are stretched between two lighthouses located at different ends of the wall. Next, you need to, focusing on the threads, install the rest of the beacons. Excess plaster is removed.

Plastering process

Leveling the walls with the help of beacons begins with surface treatment with antiseptics and a primer. After the walls are dry, a rough layer of plaster is applied. At this stage, the task is to close up all the bumps. The solution is left to dry until the next day.

The second layer is leveled using the rule - it is applied to the two nearest beacons and carried out from the bottom up. The areas along the profile itself are not closed up, so that it would be more convenient to dismantle the beacons after the work is completed.

If after that pits are formed on the surface, they are filled and the rule is used again. So they act until they achieve a perfectly smooth surface.

Plastering corners is carried out using a corner trowel. They proceed to the processing of corners when the main surfaces have already been processed, and the solution has already dried up.

Removing beacons

When the work is completed, the lighthouses need to be dismantled.

To do this, use pliers and a figured spatula. The profile is picked up with a figured spatula, taken with pliers, pulled. While the plaster is still fresh, this is easy to do. The beacon should be pulled carefully, without sudden movements, otherwise significant damage may occur along the entire wall. You can learn more about the process of extracting beacons from the applied plaster by watching the video.

Holes from under the dowels are closed, plaster is applied to the place of the profile and leveled, focusing on the main surface of the wall.

"I told you what it means to level the walls and how plastering differs from puttying. Now, understanding the difference and determining that your walls need to be plastered, you will ask yourself one more question - what type of plaster to choose: "under the rule" or "according to lighthouses"?

To answer this question, you need to figure out what exactly we are achieving when leveling the walls in one way or another. Let's look at illustrative examples.

By by and large, the unevenness of the wall can be classified by three parameters:

1. Deviation of the wall from the vertical
2. The absence of a common plane of the wall (the presence of waves, fractures, bends)
3. The presence of local irregularities (small depressions, cavities, ledges)

How it looks schematically in section.

1. Deviation of the wall from the vertical.

A) The wall can be strictly vertical (we conditionally consider a wall with a deviation of no more than 3 mm per floor height to be vertical), which practically does not occur in construction. B) It can be tilted in one direction or another. C) The wall may have different thickness below and above, thus its sides are littered in opposite directions.

A) The wall can have an ideal plane (we conditionally take such a state of the wall as ideal, in which, under the rule of length 3 m, the clearance does not exceed 1 mm). B) The wall can be unevenly curved, and the curvature can be either smooth or sharp. C, D) The wall throughout its entire length can be in the form of a convex or concave lens, gaps when measured as a rule exceed 3 mm.

3. Local irregularities

The wall may be vertical, have a fairly even general plane, but it may contain defects in places: bulges, deep cracks, cavities, dents, etc.

With what defects can be, we figured it out. Now let's figure out what they affect and why and how they need to be removed.

Wall collapse. Many people think that it is not necessary to level the walls. Like, it is enough to make it even, plastering "under the rule", and there will be happiness. As a rule, the main motivation for customers not to level the walls is the high cost of work and the large volume of bulk materials needed. But what happens if the walls are made even in plane, but not made vertical?

For clarity, let's take a bathroom in which renovation is planned. Suppose, in the left corner of the room, one of the adjacent walls is vertical, and the other has a blockage upwards, while both walls have a flat plane.

What will happen if we take and overlay these walls with tiles?

First, let's take a look at the wall, which has a blockage in level. Since the plane of the wall is even, the tile lays down perfectly, already the eye rejoices.

But now let's turn our attention to the adjacent vertical wall. And what do we see?

And we see a depressing picture: the entire row of tiles, laid in the corner, is cut with a "carrot", and it looks, to put it mildly, not at all as we expected. Important note: the narrower the trimming will be and the smaller the dimensions of the tile, the more this ill-fated angle will be striking. It would seem elementary geometry, but, unfortunately, not all customers understand what the end result will be, and then they grab their heads and start looking for answers to the question "who is to blame and what to do?".

I will disappoint: the one who did not obey is to blame professional advice and decided to save money, and if the tile has already been laid, then nothing will be done - you will either have to put up with what you have, or redo everything so as not to shudder nervously every time the ill-fated corner comes into view.

Now let's see what happens if we pre-plaster a wall with blockage along the lighthouses and make it vertical?

As you can see, even with a very narrow pruning, the angle looks quite aesthetically pleasing. And if we take and make the pruning symmetrical, then the bathroom will become simply amazing.

Approximately similar situation will be, for example, with wallpaper, the only difference is that you will not see any "carrot", however, the pattern on the wallpaper will be more and more sloping to the side in each corner. What is the conclusion? It's simple - when the walls are blocked, they must certainly be leveled. One of better ways to do this is to use plaster "by lighthouses".

Let me give you another common case. Very often, after the apartment is handed over by the developer, it turns out that the walls are not only littered vertically, but also do not form right angles. The gap can be very large: I personally observed in one of the apartments of the Solnechny residential complex (the one near the Devyatkino metro station) a deviation of 13 cm from a wall only 3 meters long. What is the risk? Let's look at the example of the same bathroom.

Let's say our walls are flat and vertical. However, they do not form a 90⁰ angle.

What happens if we close our eyes to this fact, lay the tiles and install the bathtub?

Everything seemed to work out well. The walls are even, the bathtub is white. But there is one small nuance.

Yes, yes, you understood correctly: the bath is not adjacent to one of the walls. Moreover, the more obtuse the angle between the walls, the wider the gap between the bathroom and the wall and the more difficult it will be to eliminate. Yes, of course, someone will say that you can apply decorative corner or a curb, you can go into the wall and get a bath under the tile, however, with a gap of 3 cm or more, this will be very, very problematic. Decision? It, as someone may have already guessed, is - to plaster the walls along the lighthouses and bring out the desired angles. As a result, it will turn out as we did when repairing a turnkey two-room apartment:

Agree, looks much more aesthetically pleasing?

So, with the deviations sorted out. We pass to the plane of the wall.

Suppose we decide to hang such a shelf on the wall (ignore the design, I drew it from the bulldozer):

We lean it, everything seems to be fine:

We see large gaps between the plane of the wall and back wall shelves. This is because the wall has the shape of a convex lens. The larger the radius of this lens and the longer the wall, the less this defect will be noticeable. Therefore, when the walls are leveled according to the rule, it is often called "visual alignment" - when viewed with the naked eye, it seems that the wall is even, but as soon as you start attaching long and dimensional objects to the wall, it turns out that not everything is so great. The fact is that often the rule is pulled from the bottom up, and if the wall has a similar curvature, then small irregularities will be removed when leveling, but the rule will move in an arc, repeating the bend line, and as a result, a carefully smoothed radius surface will be obtained. To avoid such an effect, the wall must be plastered along the lighthouses - so we will not only make it vertical, but also create a perfectly flat plane. For clarity, I will give a link to, in which I talked about poor-quality bathroom renovation. It's right there during installation. interior door the problem of poor-quality alignment of the walls was clearly revealed.

I think there are quite enough examples to understand that plastering on lighthouses, as one of the ways to level walls, is a necessity. Neglecting the alignment of the walls on initial stage repair, the customer risks getting a whole set of problems at the stages of finishing. And to redo something "later" is much more difficult ... Make good repairs, take care of your nerves, do not save on the right things, and everything will work out.

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When arranging an apartment in a new urban building, during the rough finishing of facades and premises in an erected private house, or even just during overhaul in their old home, the owners almost always have to deal with a rather complicated operation. The curvature of surfaces manifests itself in different ways - it can be a blockage of the plane from the vertical, curvilinear curvature, and often - with a change in the direction of the bend ("propeller"), or pronounced unevenness, relief of the wall, with the presence of dips, protrusions, bumps, which is typical, for example , brickwork. In any case, such walls are not yet completely ready for decoration - alignment is required to bring them into a verified vertical plane and ensure, if not perfectly smooth, but flat surface.

One of the most commonly used leveling methods is wall plastering. It is this technology that allows correct application, cope with almost any, large and small surface defects with minimal loss of space in the room (unlike, for example, the use of drywall). But in order to achieve the output of the created even surface into a single vertical plane, without its bends and fractures, some “landmarks” are needed, and this function is performed by a system of beacons set in advance.

So, in this publication we will consider how you can do it yourself. This process includes many stages, but some of them are already covered in detail on the pages of our portal. Therefore, in order not to repeat too much, individual steps will be considered only in passing, but with the obligatory attachment of links to more informative articles. In the same publication, it is planned to place the main emphasis on the technologies for creating a verified and convenient for further work beacon systems.

The preliminary stage includes a number of activities. But always start with the readiness of the tools.

Tools for the job

First of all, you need to prepare a set of tools that will be needed for various operations. Most of them are shown in the figure below.

1 - as a rule, the main tool for leveling plaster on beacons. The length may be different, but for a novice master, the size of 1500 mm will be optimal.

2 - the building level necessary for marking, placing beacons and monitoring the quality of work.

3 - spatula. A whole set of spatulas with different widths of the working part can be used. Multi tool applied at all stages of work.

4 - ironing board. In terms of its functionality, it is not much inferior to spatulas, plus it allows for a fine smoothing of the surface with a freshly applied mortar.

5 - plaster shovels and trowels. Convenient when mixing plaster solutions and when applying (splashing) plaster on the wall. They are also multifunctional tools.

6 - falcon. Handy Tool for collecting a large amount of solution at once from the mixing container, for removing excess when handmade above the surface with a spatula or float.

7 - hatchet. Allows you to knock down protruding irregularities in preparing the wall for plastering.

8 - scoop. No good master does not clean up debris or fallen blobs of mortar from the floor with quality tool- spatula or trowel. To do this, it is better to have a scoop on hand. In addition, it is convenient for them to type from paper containers. required amount dry building mix.

9 - grater. It is applied for final alignment, eliminating defects in the plastered surface, grouting it to the smoothest possible state after the mortar has set.

10 - trowel. It can be convenient for the primary distribution of slides thrown on the walls plaster mixture, removing excess, as well as for preliminary smoothing the surface after setting the solution.

11 - angle spatula. Serves for exact removal of the plastered corners. Can be used for external or internal corners.

Preparing the wall for plastering

In order for the wall to be leveled with high quality, the plaster stably kept on it, without peeling off or becoming covered with cracks, but finishing served for a long time and did not require a radical update in a year or two, the surfaces must be prepared in the most thorough way. If the wall is old, then often the preparatory stage becomes one of the longest and most laborious. But this is not at all a reason to ignore it or simplify it according to your own understanding - without comprehensive preparation, the expected result cannot be achieved.

The preparatory stage includes the following mandatory operations:

• Cleaning the wall surface from all old coatings - lime, paint, ceramic tiles showing even the slightest signs of instability of the plaster.
• Carrying out a thorough inspection of wall surfaces, identifying defects that may affect the quality of future plaster and finishes. First of all, this concerns cracks and crevices, areas of erosion wall material or crumbling mortar between masonry elements.
• If such shortcomings are identified, the wall is repaired.
• At the same time, all clearly protruding bumps or influxes are cut down, which will prevent further plastering of the wall.
• Often, signs of damage to it or other "representatives" of microflora are revealed on the wall. So, it is necessary to carry out "treatment" special formulations followed by treatment with an antiseptic primer.
• The surface must be as clean as possible from dirt and dust.
• Final operation preparatory phase should become complete, over the entire area of ​​​​the wall, its processing primer composition at least two layers. The composition of the soil may vary depending on the material of the wall.

Only after the last layer of the primer has completely dried, you can proceed to the stage of leveling the wall with plaster

heavy but required process- preparing the wall for finishing

In this publication, all the steps of the preparatory phase are only listed. But this is not due to underestimation, but, on the contrary, due to the need to cover such an issue with all the details. And for this - follow the recommended link to the article of our portal.

How to level the wall with plaster

We proceed directly to the technology of leveling the wall with plaster. And the most responsible, perhaps, in this process is the stage of installing the beacon system. It is from him that the quality of the entire surface leveling depends. Therefore, this topic becomes the key one for this publication.

How to correctly and accurately install beacons on the wall for further plastering

I must say right away: there are many ways to set up a system of beacons, and each experienced craftsman has already developed its own approach to this issue. Of course, each of them believes that his method is the best and most accurate. We will not impose this or that opinion, we will simply offer for consideration several methods that are quite accessible for independent implementation.

As already mentioned, the optimal tool for such purposes is a laser plane builder. However, given the fact that this is not yet such a common device in the standard instrumental "arsenal" home master, ways will be shown how you can, without loss of accuracy, do without it.

A few words about the arrangement of lighthouses. Most often they are installed vertically, with a step that provides convenient work with the existing rule. So, for example, if a beginner plasterer has a rule 1500 mm long (and with more long tool, due to inexperience, you can be terribly tormented), then the distance of 1000 ÷ 1200 mm is seen as the optimal step of the beacons.

The last beacons on the wall on the left and right should be located at a distance of about 200 mm from the corners. If there are door or window openings on the wall, then they should also be vertically framed on both sides with beacons, which are located at a distance of 100 ÷ 150 mm from the edge of the opening.

Thus, the recommended installation step for vertical beacon profiles is not a dogma, since in some cases it can be compacted. For example, from the corner to the edge of the doorway, the distance is 3100 mm. If you subtract 200 mm from the corner and, say, 100 mm from the door, a section 2800 mm long will remain uncovered. Installing one beacon will divide it into two sections with a width of 1400 mm, which is still too much for successful plastering, especially without accumulated experience. This means that the installation of two beacons with a pitch of approximately 1400 / 3 = 933.3 → 930 mm seems to be optimal.

There is a method for installing beacons along horizontal lines - however, it will require special skills in working with the rule, since the distribution of the plaster mixture will be carried out parallel to them. This approach will also be discussed below.

Let's start with one of the most convenient ways beacon installations.

A simple and accurate way to set up beacons using a laser plane builder

Any installation of beacons involves bringing them into one plane. And this plane is given by two lines. The first is a line that defines the thickness of the plaster layer. The second is a strict vertical line.

The advantage of a laser builder is that it immediately sets both lines, that is, it builds a plane, after which it becomes easy to install beacons.

Illustration
	So, we have a wall in front of us that requires leveling with plaster. First of all, after all preparatory work, it must be marked out - to determine the lines along which beacon profiles will be installed.
	From the corner line to the first beacon, 200 mm is measured. The wall is marked with a pencil.
	Further, along the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe wall, installation lines for subsequent beacons are outlined, in increments of 1200 mm (pencil marks are made). It may also be necessary to compact the step (these cases were discussed above), but you should not increase it. The last beacon on the wall should also stand at a distance of 200 mm from the corner.
	A laser level is set, and a vertical line is beaten off with a beam through the risk on the wall - this is the axis of the future lighthouse. In principle, this operation is easy to do with the help of a conventional building level, a long ruler (rule) and a pencil.
	A series of holes for the dowel-plugs are drilled along the intended line. Large ones are not required, usually a diameter of 6 mm and a depth of 40 mm for a cork are sufficient. The bottom hole is approximately 50÷100 mm from the floor level.
	And then along the line - with a step of about 500 mm. The upper opening is approximately 50 ÷ 100 mm from the ceiling level.
	If the drill is good, and a drilling depth limiter is installed on the puncher (drill), then the work will not take much time. Such drilling is performed along all vertical lines of the beacons.
	Next, take plastic dowel-plugs ...
	... and gently curled into the drilled holes with a hammer ...
	... in all in turn, along all the lines of the lighthouses on the wall.
	The next step is to set the auxiliary plane, which will be parallel to the level of the wall after plastering. To do this, a distance of, for example, 100 mm is measured on the adjoining wall.
	A well-marked vertical risk is placed. You can additionally circle it so as not to lose it during further marking. Exactly the same operation is carried out at the other end of the wall.
	A laser plane builder is installed.
	Its rays are directed along the wall, so that they fall exactly on the risks just applied, with the obligatory coincidence on both sides of the wall. Thus, the auxiliary plane is set, and you can move on.
	The next step is to find the most protruding section of the wall: it is here that the plaster will lay down with a minimum layer. It is not difficult to carry out a check - a ruler, or, to be more precise, a square is alternately applied to the points where the dowel plugs were clogged. According to the trace left on the scale by the laser beam, readings are taken. They, if the spread is large, can be written on the wall or on a diagram drawn up on a piece of paper. The point at which they will be shown minimum values, and is the highest. It is desirable to immediately highlight it, mark it in some way - from it we will “dance” further.
	For further action you will need self-tapping screws and a screwdriver (screwdriver) with a long sting. If the difference is small, then the length of the self-tapping screws of 51 mm will be enough.
	A self-tapping screw is screwed into the dowel plug closest to the most protruding point.
	How far it protrudes from the wall surface will ultimately determine the thickness of the minimum plaster layer on the wall. Let us explain: for example, a layer of plaster with a thickness of at least 10 mm is planned (this is how it usually happens). A beacon profile 6 mm high will be pressed tightly against the self-tapping screw. This means that in order to set a total thickness of 10 mm, the self-tapping screw must protrude 4 mm above the wall level. This distance in this case will have to be set using a square or ruler. Measurement is carried out at the end of the cap of the self-tapping screw. Such a fuss will be only with the first point - then it will go much more fun.
	A curly screwdriver rests against the slots of the exposed self-tapping screw, and on its tip, in the area of ​​intersection with the laser beam, a belt of masking tape is glued.
	Now it remains to draw a circle with a well-sharpened pencil that exactly matches the trace of the laser beam.
	Further - everything is generally simple. A self-tapping screw is screwed into each of the dowel plugs ...
	... and screwing is carried out until the circle printed on the tip of the screwdriver coincides with the trace from the beam of the laser builder. The end face of the cap of this self-tapping screw will stand exactly in a given plane. If necessary, make adjustments by slightly turning the self-tapping screw clockwise or counterclockwise to achieve maximum accuracy.
	This operation is carried out along all lines of beacons at all points where the dowel-plugs were hammered. Believe me, this is done very quickly and gives excellent result. As a result, all control points along the lines of future beacons (end faces of self-tapping screws) are set exactly in one plane.
	The next step is to measure the height of future lighthouses.
	Beacon profiles are cut according to the measured size. This can be done with metal shears.
	The profiles are cut and placed in the places of their installation.
	On the wall, just along the lines of the lighthouses, drilling was carried out, which means that dust must remain on the surface, which can interfere with good adhesion of the solution. Therefore, for greater reliability, it makes sense to once again walk with a primer exactly along the lines of the lighthouses. In the example shown, the master uses a spray gun for this operation - quickly and conveniently. Now you have to wait for the primer to dry.
	Further, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, a plaster mortar is prepared. Ideally, this should be the same one that will be used for the general alignment of the walls.
	The solution for attaching beacon profiles may be slightly thicker, similar in consistency, for example, to curd mass. True, it must be remembered that the life of such a solution may be less than stated by the manufacturer. Therefore, it is best, of course, to work together - one exposes the beacons, and the second at this time prepares the necessary portion of the solution.
	On the vertical line of the lighthouse, they begin to lay out a slide of mortar. Its height should be slightly greater than the level of the caps of the screws screwed in.
	The self-tapping screws themselves should not be closed with a solution - it will be easier to carry out visual control over correct installation profiles.
	After that, the cut-off beacon profile is taken and sunk into the applied slide, exactly along the line of self-tapping screws.
	Now you need to make sure that the profile of your back side securely rested on the caps of all screwed screws, from top to bottom. Enough frequent installation(with a step of 500 mm) of these reference points completely eliminates the possibility of profile deflection.
	Having achieved the required position of the profile, it is necessary to "ennoble" the entire lighthouse. Using a spatula, carefully remove excess solution.
	Neat slopes are formed on both sides of the profile. At the same time, it is important to control that the beacon profile does not change its position.
	Convinced of correct position profile - in its emphasis on the caps of the screws, these remaining areas are also completely covered with plaster. At the end of work on the lighthouse, its protruding top must be cleaned - the rule will subsequently move along this metal guide, and there should not be any interference.
	Having finished with one beacon, they move on to the next, where the operation is completely repeated.
	And so on, until the beacons are lined up along the entire wall to be leveled. After the solution on the beacons has completely hardened, it will be possible to proceed to plastering the surface.

No laser level - we work with plumb lines

The principle of operation is in many respects similar to that described above. The only fundamental difference is that in the absence of a laser builder, you will have to independently create a base plane for measuring level differences and accurately setting self-tapping screws. For this, two plumb lines are enough.

Illustration	Brief description of the operation to be performed
	The wall on which beacon profiles are to be installed.
	At first, everything is exactly the same. With the help of the rule and the usual building level, vertical lines are drawn along which beacons will be placed. In addition, it makes sense to spend a little time and outline the horizontal lines - along them (at the points of intersection with the vertical ones) holes will be drilled and dowel plugs will be driven in. Why it is more profitable to arrange rows of self-tapping screws exactly along horizontal lines - it will become clear from the following presentation. The gap between these horizontal lines, that is, the installation step of the screws, is the same as in the previous example, that is, about 500 mm.
	On one side of the wall, from above, as close as possible to the surface of the ceiling, and at a distance of about 100 mm from the corner, a hole is drilled into which a metal pin is driven horizontally. You can also use a dowel-plug, into which you can screw a long, approximately 150 mm hairpin. A plumb line is suspended on this pin, which should not reach the floor level literally 15 ÷ 20 mm. The suspension point on the pin is located, for example, at a distance of 100 mm from the wall, as shown in the illustration.
	When the plumb line "calms down", in the lower part of the wall, closer to the floor surface, a vertical line is projected onto the wall, and at this point a hole is drilled for the second pin. After hammering (screwing) the pin, having achieved the exact position of the plumb line vertically, this position is fixed by making several turns of the cord around the pin. It is desirable that the maximum possible tension is created on the cord stretched between the pins. That's it, we have one vertical line fixed in space.
	Exactly the same operation is carried out on the other side of the wall. Here it is - the upper pin, with a suspended plumb line at the same distance from the wall surface ...
	... and here is the plumb line after acceptance vertical position fixed on the bottom pin. Two vertical lines set the auxiliary plane. Now it remains to come up with a device that would allow projecting the surface of this plane at any point on the wall.
	The solution is very simple - another cord, the so-called slider, is pulled between the stretched plumb lines. It is tied so that the knots can slide, that is, move along the vertical cords. Here is the slider on one side.
	It easily moves along the vertical cord with the force of the fingers.
	And here he is on the opposite side. The fact that the plumb lines are slightly bent towards the center is not at all scary. This does not affect the position of the specified vertical plane.

Further - everything is very simple, in fact, exactly the same as in the previous example. The thread of the runner in this case performs the same function as the beam of the laser builder. The only difference is that this slider will have to be manually periodically rearranged from place to place. That is why it is more profitable to place holes for self-tapping screws on horizontal lines common to all lighthouses.

• First, the position of the thread of the slider from the wall is also measured in all its sections in order to determine the highest point.
• Then, at this point, a self-tapping screw is screwed in, the level of its cap is set from the wall, and you can make a mark on the tip of the screwdriver in the same way according to the position of the thread of the slider.
• Then, sequentially moving the slider along the horizontal lines of the clogged dowel plugs, the screws are screwed in so that the mark on the screwdriver coincides with the thread of the slider.
• Well, the further installation of profiles - everything is unchanged.

mortar beacons

It cannot be denied that the use metal profiles for the device of plaster beacons is very convenient. However, it must be borne in mind that after applying and leveling the plaster, after it hardens, these profiles must be removed.

This is due to several reasons:

• Firstly, even a galvanized profile, due to microscopic damage protective coating, may begin to rust, and this will be manifested by the appearance of a characteristic color stripe on the finish.
• Secondly, metal and plaster mortar have completely different indicators of density, thermal conductivity, and linear expansion. With temperature or humidity fluctuations, they react differently, and cracks can appear along the line of immured beacons.
• Thirdly, the installation site of the beacons, after the completion of the decoration, will quickly be forgotten. And in the case when, for example, when drilling a hole for hanging a shelf, the drill hits metal lighthouse, it is quite likely that a noticeable crack will form, and sometimes even a whole piece of plaster turns out along the profile line.

In principle, there is nothing difficult in extracting beacons - they are hooked, removed from the plastered layer. The “ditches” remaining after this are simply sealed with mortar, and in this case, the wall surface that has already hardened and gained strength becomes the basis for work as a rule.

However, some master finishers, in order to avoid such an operation, prefer to form beacon guides directly from the plaster. This practice, however, is often criticized: it is much more difficult to work with a rule on such mortar guides, doubts are expressed about the accuracy of the resulting plane, simply because of the abrasive abrasion of the beacons when leveling the plaster.

However, such an approach still has the right to exist, and some plasterers even consider it the most perfect. In addition, one cannot discount the situation when it is necessary to work, and for one reason or another, beacon profiles are not available, and there is no possibility to urgently purchase them.

In addition, it is very difficult to textually describe the verified movements of a real professional finisher when performing plastering work. It's probably better to look at this:

Video: wall plastering master class