Making simple, improved, high quality plasters. Beacons for plaster: what to choose from Device inventory beacons

Rules(Fig. 13, a, d) - boards or bars of different lengths and sections, planed or jointed. The rules for checking the accuracy of the plaster made are made from a board 100 mm wide with one or two cutouts for hands. Simple rules are also used when pulling out cornices and rods, finishing window and door slopes, plastering beams, pilasters, pillars, leveling the mortar on different surfaces along beacons. If the working part of the rule is upholstered with strip steel, this will protect the rule from warping, in addition, sharp steel burrs cut the solution better.

steel grades(Fig. 13, b) - thick short steel nails from 50 to 70 mm long, up to 10 mm thick with square or round caps with a diameter of at least 30 mm. They are used instead of mortar grades in the construction of beacons. Steel grades are easily hammered into the seams of brick and other masonry, as well as into slag concrete and other hard-to-nail surfaces.

lighthouses There are mortar, wood and metal. Mortar beacons are the most labor-intensive. (Their device is described in § 16.) Wooden beacons are slats-rules with a section from 40 x 40 to 50 x 50 mm.

Inventory metal beacons (Fig. 13, c) are made from steel, duralumin or other rigid corners with a section of 25 x 25, 30 x 30 and 35 x 35 mm. With their help, plaster is applied with a thickness of 18, 22 and 25 mm, respectively. The working part of such lighthouses is the top of the corner - the mustache. Scarves with slots 60-70 mm long are welded to the ends of the corners, in which a steel pin with a nut moves. The nut can either rotate along the thread on the pin, or move along the pin and be fixed on the pin with a screw. So that the nut does not slip off the pin and is not lost, a broadening or notch is made at its end. The screw is recommended to be riveted so that it does not get out. The slots in the scarves are needed in order to move them along the nuts (up or down) when fastening the pins in the masonry, when the distance between the seams is not the same. The length of the lighthouse should be 100 mm shorter than the height of the walls of the room to be plastered.

Malki(Fig. 13, e) is used to level the mortar between wooden beacons on walls, ceilings, slopes, plugs. To level the mortar between wooden beacons, which are higher than the thickness of the plaster, use simple or sliding beacons with cuts of such a depth that corresponds to the thickness of the mortar. Sliding beacons make it possible to level the solution between beacons located at a distance of 1.2 to 2 mm.

Malki for leveling the solution on slopes and plugs are made small in size with cutouts at one or two ends. To level the solution in the plugs, flat bevels are used for the upper and side sides, and rounded or flat simple ones and with shoulders are used for the lower plugs. Malki can be bound with steel.

clamps(see Fig. 40) are intended for attaching rules to surfaces. Simple clips fasten the rules when pulling rods, finishing window and door slopes. They consist of a pin of square or rectangular section with a length of 150 to 200 mm and a foot with a hole in the shape of a pin, which is put on the pin. Complex clamps consist of a pin, a bracket and two screws. The pin is driven into the surface, a bracket is put on it, it is fastened to the pin with a screw, a rule or a wooden beacon is placed in the bracket and fixed with another screw.

Templates serve for pulling rods (cornices, belts, platbands). They come in different sizes and designs. Template making is described in chap. IX.

Mortar boxes(Fig. 14, a) are intended for the preparation and storage of dry mixtures and solutions. They are wooden and metal.

The most convenient inventory metal boxes-trolleys. They consist of a trolley with a handle, two legs and two wheels, on which removable boxes with a capacity of up to 0.1 m 3 are installed. Box dimensions, mm: length 1000, width 525, height 300. The weight of the trolley with the box is 26.3 kg. The box from which all the solution is taken is replaced by another filled with solution.

If there are no inventory, then wooden boxes of different sizes are used, but with a depth of not more than 200 mm, so that it is convenient to collect a solution from it and prepare portions of a lime-gypsum mortar in it. Boxes are knocked down from boards with a thickness of not more than 25 mm. At the bottom of the box, the boards are arranged along the length. The box is installed on legs 600-700 mm high, and the front ones are made 30-50 mm shorter. The slope in the box is necessary so that the solution flows in one direction.

To work with a liquid lime-gypsum mortar, the box is blocked with a board so that the solution does not flow down and there is room for the preparation of windings. In a wooden box, the board is fastened with nails, in a metal box - with a wedge.

sita(Fig. 14, b) are used for sifting bulk materials and filtering solutions. The sieves can be stretched onto a round clip (shell), or stuffed onto a rectangular wooden frame with handles, or simply tie the ends of the mesh, tie them with matting or cloth.

Here are two more ways to install beacons:

Rice. 42. Beacon rail

First way- Hanging the walls with strips of dry plaster. I am sure that at any construction site today, even if the walls are not finished with dry plaster, it will not be difficult to acquire its waste. And the benefits will be significant.

For beacons, strips of dry plaster 4 cm wide are cut. In small living quarters (up to 12 ... 15 m 2), where 2 ... 3 beacons can be installed, we proceed as follows. From the corner at a distance of 20 ... 30 cm vertically, a continuous layer of gypsum sawdust mastic is applied (read about it in the chapter "Substitutes for monolithic plaster"). A strip of dry plaster is applied to it, pressed with a large rule with a plumb line. The second lighthouse puts through 2.8 m from the first, the third - between them.

The horizontality of all three beacons in relation to each other is checked by a three-meter rule.

In large rooms, the walls are first checked with a cord diagonally. Then beacons are installed at the corners at a distance of 20 ... 30 cm from the corner. They put a cord on these control beacons below, near the floor, and install marks from dry plaster scraps 3X4 cm in size along the cord on the mastic. The distance between the beacons is 1.5 m.

The same operation is repeated at the top, near the ceiling.

After that, beacons are placed from strips of dry plaster flush with the marks, pressing them with a rule.

After applying the soil, the beacons remain in it. Then, together with the final finishing of the plane, they will be covered with a covering layer.

When lighthouse strips are applied to the mastic, it is necessary to smear the edges of the strips with the same mastic on both sides. If this is not done, cracks in the plaster may appear. The fulfillment of the above requirement guarantees the integrity of the plaster layer, and the beacons will be completely invisible on the wall.

The method of installing dry plaster beacons speeds up this operation by 8...10 times.

Second way of hanging the planes - the use of inventory marks-beacons (fig. 43), At the same time, both nails and dry plaster beacons become unnecessary.

Rice. 43. Inventory mark-lighthouse:
1 - dowel; 2 - metal plate

The brand is a dowel welded to a metal plate 4 ... 5 mm thick, 40X30 mm in size.

Unlike a nail, a dowel is known to easily enter any wall, even concrete.

Stepping back from the corner by 30 ... 40 cm, they hammer the first mark into the upper part of the wall. The second brand is placed below and both are checked with a plumb line. After checking the wall diagonally with a cord, they put two marks at the top and bottom at the opposite corner. Then they proceed in the same way as with dry plaster beacons: they pull a cord on the marks below, near the floor, put intermediate marks on it at a distance of 1.5 ... 2 m from each other. Repeat the same operations at the top, near the ceiling. Pulling the cord alternately over the control marks, put the required number of intermediate marks along the plane of the entire wall.

After applying the primer, the metal brand is easy to remove and use again in another area.

Using inventory marks, armed with a metal stepladder and a control rail with a plumb line, a worker can easily and quickly hang walls. Labor productivity is tripled.

With large volumes of monolithic plaster, metal inventory beacons are also used, they are very convenient. These beacons are made of steel or duralumin corners with a section of 20X20, 25X25 or 30X30 mm, they are attached to the wall using special pins with a nut. First, they put, align and fix the extreme beacons. Then between them, intermediate cords are placed along tightly stretched cords.

Plasterers and horizontal beacons are used from mortar and plasterboard strips.

On the rice. 39 wooden horizontal beacons are presented. According to the same principle, other horizontal beacons began to be made, considering them more rational, progressive. They begin the wiring in the following order: first, you need to check the walls with a control rail with a plumb line, determine the vertical deviations, then prepare a solution of a thick consistency and set marks. They need to be made in each corner of only two - at the top and bottom, stepping back from the corner by 30 ... 40 cm, and from the floor and ceiling - by 50 ... 60 cm. For faster setting, you can add 5 ... 10% plaster. You should try to throw the solution so that the brand has a high cone.

A piece of dry plaster measuring 5X4 cm is placed on the mortar, the wide side should be vertical.

With a plumb line, the marks are slightly pressed, setting them strictly along a plumb line in one and the other corner. Then the cord is pulled along the corner marks at the top and bottom, intermediate marks are placed every 1.5 ... 2 m, depending on the length of the wall, and the upper and lower beacons are rubbed.

Horizontal beacons have their own advantage in mechanized wall cohesion. One worker, using a rail of 2.5 ... 2.7 m, easily levels the mortar over the entire wall. A second worker follows him and picks up the fallen solution with a trowel or bucket, again putting it into action in separate areas and immediately leveling it with a trowel. Just do not forget to clean up before scoping so that there is no debris on the floor.

If there is no dry plaster on the site, pieces of broken glazed tiles can be used for stamps. The form can not be selected - if only there was rigidity to support the rule.

You can also use wooden marks - use boards from boxes from under the tiles. The planks here are thin and unplaned - just the way you need them.

Inventory metal beacons designed by engineer A. M. Shepelev (Fig. 127) are distinguished by their relative simplicity of design and the speed of their installation. Labor productivity when installing these beacons is three times higher than when installing mortar ones.

Lighthouses are made from precisely straightened corners with a section of 25x25, 30x30, 35x35 mm. These beacons give respectively the thickness of the plaster 18, 22 and 25 mm. For the manufacture of beacons, corners are used from steel or duralumin, as well as from various alloys that do not have residual deformation. In the manufacture of beacons from alloys, they are given the shape of a triangle, with the obligatory precise chipping of the working edge.

The working edge of these lighthouses is a narrow edge of the corner, which makes it possible to install them accurately and obtain an exceptionally even plaster.

Rice. 128. Leveling the solution on metal beacons

The length of the beacons is determined by the height of the room. They should be 20-30 cm lower than the height of the room. Scarves are welded at the ends of the beacons, in which there is a permanently fixed nut. The nut is free to rotate and move in the gusset. This is necessary in order for the nut to wrap on the pin and move along the length of the scarf. All this is very important for the installation of beacons, in particular on brick surfaces, so that the pin falls exactly against the seam. The length of the hole in the scarf is 50-70 mm.

Beacons are installed as follows. Beacons attached to the wall are firmly attached with pins. The nut is rotated around the pin with a key, due to which the nut, screwing onto the thread of the pin, moves the beacon to the wall, or, conversely, moves it away from the wall. First, install the extreme beacons, checking their verticality on the walls, or horizontality on the ceilings, by level. Then the intermediate beacons are pressed against the surface itself, and two cords are pulled tightly along the extreme beacons at the top and bottom. Each intermediate beacon is precisely installed along the stretched cords, moving its edge to the cords by turning the nut.

Recently, changes have been made to the design of lighthouses. The pin is made without thread. The nut does not rotate along the thread of the pin, but moves and is fixed with a screw. The end of the screw must be riveted, which prevents it from completely turning out and prevents it from being lost. To prevent the nut from jumping off the pin, its ends should be slightly flattened.

If the installed beacons do not reach the surface and do not rest on it, then a solution must be applied under them or wedges must be placed to protect them from bending. The solution is leveled by the usual rule, which creates much greater convenience than when leveling with small pieces (Fig. 128).

With this design of lighthouses, the details are completely connected with them and it is impossible to lose them. With proper operation, the service life of beacons reaches several decades.

The nails remaining after hanging the surface show the thickness of the plaster layer in different places on the surface. It is inconvenient to install a rule on the nail heads to check the evenness of the surface, therefore mortar platforms called marks are arranged around the nails (Fig. 1). The nails are coated with gypsum mortar, cut flush with the caps so that the plane of the mark is parallel to the plane of the surface. The sides of the solution are cut off. The solidified solution should take the form of tetrahedral truncated pyramids. The plane of the brand is cut off evenly so that the rule stays stably on it.

Figure 1. Mortar marks

According to the established brands, beacons are arranged in different ways. Lighthouses are mortar, wooden, inventory metal.

Lighthouses from mortar arrange with the help of the rule (Fig. 2): To do this, hold it with your hands, fix it with nails, clamps, or “freeze” it with mortar or plaster on the same line of marks. For “freezing”, the stamps are coated with a thin layer of liquid solution or gypsum milk, and a rule is pressed against them. The solution or gypsum milk hardens and sticks, as if freezing, usually to the brand.

Figure 2. Arrangement of mortar marks and beacons on the walls: 1 - rule; 2 - space between the rule and the wall; 3, 4 - marks; 5 - lighthouses

A solution of the same composition as the future plaster is applied to the gap between the rule and the surface. Excess mortar from the sides of the rule is cut off at a slight angle. After setting the solution, the rule is carefully removed. To do this, you can lightly hit it with a hammer and separate the rule from the stamp by sliding upwards along the stamps. The voids in the lighthouses are covered and overwritten.

It is much easier and faster to rub the beacon on the marks. To do this, a groove of the solution is applied between the beacons slightly above the beacons. A rule is attached to the marks, they are pressed on it and the solution is rubbed up and down to the level of the marks with up and down movements. The solution should not get on the marks, as this will reduce the accuracy of the beacon.

In addition to mortar, wooden or metal beacons are also used.. Wooden beacons are wooden smooth and even bars with a section of 40x40 mm, and as a metal beacon, you can use a metal pipe with a diameter of 40 mm of the desired length. They are installed on a plumb or level at a distance of about 1.5 m from each other. Such beacons are fixed with nails, clamps, and metal ones are most often frozen with mortar or gypsum. The solution between such beacons is leveled with small beacons (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Installing wooden beacons under the beacons: 1 - wooden lighthouse; 2 - small

The height of the gap between the surface and the small one is equal to the thickness of the plaster layer.

When plastering, inventory metal beacons are also used. They are simple in design, quick and easy to install. Such beacons are fixed with pins with a nut and a screw. The position of the beacon is adjusted by turning the nut (Fig. 4).

Beacons can be placed not only vertically (along the height of the walls), but also horizontally (along the length of the walls). To do this, two parallel beacons are installed: one at the top - closer to the ceiling, the other at the bottom - closer to the floor. Horizontal beacons are installed in the same way as vertical beacons. When leveling the solution with horizontal beacons, the rule is carried out vertically.

Figure 4. Inventory metal beacon: 1 - pin with nut; 2 - metal corner

Plastering on the lighthouses begins only after all the lighthouses are installed.

After applying and leveling the soil, mortar marks and beacons are cut down, wooden and metal beacons are removed. The places under them are covered with a solution, leveled and rubbed. Then the surface of the applied solution is checked by the rule, inaccuracies are corrected, a covering layer is applied, leveled and overwritten.

If you need to carry out plastering work, then the use of beacons will make the process much easier and faster. In addition, you can achieve a smooth surface, even if you have never done such activities, this is a very important factor for those who decide to do the work themselves. Let's figure out what types of beacons are, and what advantages and disadvantages are inherent in each of the solutions.

Main types of products

Standard metal beacons

This is the most widespread and most demanded group of products, which is due to the following reasons:

• The democratic price of the elements, they are inexpensive and are sold in any building materials store. Accessibility should also be noted as an advantage, as some of the options described below can be difficult to obtain in small towns;

• A simple instruction on the use of such products allows you to do the work yourself. Moreover, if you follow all the recommendations for the process, you are guaranteed to get a good result. Below will be a diagram of the work, so that you understand them as best as possible;
• The dimensions of the beacons for plaster are as follows - 3 mm, 6 mm and 10 mm, and the smallest beacons are not so common, but six and ten millimeters are used very widely. The choice of a specific solution depends on how uneven and what layer of mortar is planned to be applied;

• Due to the fact that the elements already have the desired configuration, the work time is reduced. In order to cut the elements, you will need metal scissors. This allows you to finish even small surfaces very high quality, because you can cut beacons into pieces of any size.

This option also has its drawbacks:

• When buying, be sure to check the geometry of the elements, very often the products are crooked, and marriage can occur both due to a violation of the production process, and due to improper storage. In addition, you should be careful about the transportation of these elements, since you can bend them during transportation;
• It should also be noted that beacons of this type are quite flexible. Therefore, when installing them, a practical solid base should be made of mortar to ensure the rigidity of the guides;
• The zinc layer on the metal surface inevitably breaks down over time, for this reason, after plastering the surface, it is best to remove the beacons from the wall in order to avoid the appearance of rusty stripes after a few years.

plastic beacons

This option is in many ways similar to the one described above, with the only difference being that the material of manufacture is not galvanized steel, but high-strength plastic.

In this regard, this group of products has its own characteristics:

• The weight of the elements is very small, they are very easy to carry and install. But at the same time, the strength is almost the same as that of standard steel guides;
• Unlike metal, plastic does not bend after deformation, but retains its original geometry. This is a very important feature that allows you not to worry about the fact that the beacons will lead during storage;
• Plastic is not susceptible to corrosion, so even if you do not remove the beacons from the plaster, you should not worry about rust spots appearing on or on the walls later.

As for the disadvantages, they are:

• Plastic is a material that does not withstand strong impacts and breaks. In addition, the material becomes very brittle at low temperatures, so these options are not recommended for outdoor decoration;
• If you do not secure the guides properly, they will sag when pressed by the rule.

Reusable steel elements

This option is most often used by professional specialists, since the cost of this type of plaster beacons is ten times higher than that of conventional disposable options.

As for the main features, they are as follows:

• Very high strength and rigidity of products, they do not need to be carefully fixed, it is important to level the guides and fix them in several places.
• Products can be used many times, which is very convenient for those who are constantly engaged in plastering walls;
• In the process of work, you do not have to worry about bending the element, since its rigidity is very high.

As for the shortcomings, there are few of them:

• As noted earlier, the cost of products is much higher, so it is not advisable to purchase them for a house or apartment;
• If you overexpose the beacons in the wall and start removing them after the solution has completely solidified, then the elements can be deformed and they will become unsuitable for further use.

Talking about this option, one cannot help but describe such a solution as home-made beacons for plaster.

The following information can be provided about them:

• For work, a pipe, a metal corner or other elements that are suitable for configuration are most often used. Previously, a wooden lath or bar was very often used, but due to the fact that wood deforms from moisture, and it is difficult to find even elements, this option is less common nowadays;

Advice! A rectangular profiled pipe is best suited for use as homemade beacons; it most often has a perfectly even shape and provides high system rigidity.

• Another option that is used quite often is a metal profile for drywall. Often a narrow UD profile is used as it is much cheaper.

The disadvantage can be considered the fact that the thickness of the solution will be much larger than when using special beacons, so the consumption will increase significantly. If the surfaces are more or less even, then it is better to choose inexpensive metal elements.

string beacons

A very interesting solution that has a number of advantages:

• You practically do not incur costs, since for work you need several screws and a piece of strong wire. You will also need a puncher to drill holes in the wall and hammer dowels into them;
• First, you need to screw the screws into the prepared places so that their hats are at the same level. Next, a wire is stretched between them, so clear guidelines are obtained, along which the surface will be leveled;
• Then a solution is applied under the wire so that the upper part protrudes a little higher. After the plaster has set, the upper part is carefully cut off with a spatula along the string to get a plane along which plastering will subsequently be carried out.

There are also disadvantages to this option, they are as follows:

• If you incorrectly set the position of the screws, then the plane will turn out with deviations, it is important to carefully control the plane on which the wire is stretched;
• When removing excess solution at the level of the wire, you need to do it carefully, if your hand trembles, then the beacon will turn out to be uneven.

Lighthouses by brand

This option is the least expensive, so if you are short on funds, then it is best to implement this particular solution:

• To work, you will need a puncher with a drill and dowels. First of all, you need to draw lines vertically and drill holes along them in increments of 40-50 cm;

• Next, screws are screwed into the holes. Then they need to be set so that they are all located on the same plane. To do this, you can use a long rule, to which the level is screwed with tape;
• When the position is adjusted, a vertical line of plaster mortar is applied with a slight excess. Then, using the rule, you press the composition until the surface rests on the heads of the screws, everything is quite simple and fast.

Of the minuses, there are a couple of factors:

• Firstly, if you do not set the screws correctly, the surface will turn out to be uneven;
• Secondly, you need to carry out the work carefully so that the surface is as smooth as possible. After the composition has set, you need to finally level the surface with a spatula.

Advice! When you press the solution with the rule, then wrap it with polyethylene so that later you do not waste time cleaning the tool.

Description of the workflow

Now let's figure out how to install beacons for plaster. We will describe the process using conventional disposable beacons, since this is the option most in demand these days. First, let's figure out what tool you need for work:

As for the work, the process is described in detail in one of the reviews on our website, and here the main stages and their features will be listed.

For clarity, a diagram with explanations will be presented first:

• The process begins with the preparation of the surface, if there were remnants of the old coating on it, then they must be removed. Next, the entire area is checked and, in the presence of cracks or significant level differences, it is necessary to repair all problem areas with cement mortar, so as not to subsequently apply the plaster with too thick a layer;

• Further, using the level, the lines of the future location of the beacons are marked, the distance from the walls should be 30 cm, and the distance between the elements on the wall is calculated based on the width of the rule. You should be comfortable leveling the mortar, using the guides in order to perfectly level the surface. For work, you can use a level or plumb;

• Two holes are drilled along the line with an indentation of 5 to 20 cm from the floor and ceiling, and it is important that the distance between the screws is slightly more than the length of the lighthouse, it must be cut with metal scissors. The dowels are driven into the surface with a hammer, this should be done very carefully so as not to damage the plastic and break it;
• Next, a very important stage is carried out, you need to unscrew or, conversely, tighten the screws so that their caps are at the same level. This is controlled by the level with the rule, it is important to take measurements very carefully so that the plane is as even as possible. Cords are pulled diagonally between the screws, after which you need to check whether the beacons fit, if everything is fine, then you can proceed to the next stage;

• As for the fastening of beacons, first of all they are cut into pieces (if there is such a need). Next, a small amount of mortar is prepared, after which it is applied along the line either in a continuous strip or in separate sections, but it is important that the beacon remains rigid. The guide sits on the mortar, after which it is pressed using the rule, it must rest against the caps of the self-tapping screws, after which the alignment can be considered complete.

The height of the elements is selected depending on the specifics of the work performed, if the differences are small and you want to save the solution, then the best solution would be 3 mm plaster beacons.

Conclusion

The choice of the optimal variant of plaster beacons is no less important than their correct installation. The quality of the surface plastering directly depends on this stage, so pay close attention to it. The video in this article will clearly show some important points of the process, and if you have any questions, ask them in the comments.