Installing beacons for plaster with your own hands: photos and videos

Plaster beacon installation is an essential step in ensuring even and smooth walls. As guides, beacons enable you to apply plaster precisely and consistently achieve a perfectly level finish.

Regardless of your level of experience with do-it-yourself projects, installing beacons may seem difficult at first. However, you can master the procedure and produce results of a professional caliber with a little guidance and the appropriate equipment.

The installation of beacons will be demonstrated in detail in this article, along with videos and pictures to make the process easy to understand. You will discover all the starting point advice you require to tackle your plastering project with assurance.

What kind of installation is this?

The primary function of these unique, shaped guides is to set the proper level for the upcoming plaster. Craftsmen can save time by using these slats instead of constantly checking the plane and the quantity of building materials needed.

The maximum layer of the mixture when placing beacons for plastering walls will match the guides’ height.

By the way, you can save 10 liters of mortar per square meter by just trimming the plaster layer by 10 mm.

Furthermore, by installing a beacon guide, even an inexperienced specialist can handle the task and achieve flawless smoothness. Reusable specialized guides offer an additional benefit: once an even layer of plaster has been applied, the beacons can be carefully taken out and the holes can be sealed using the plaster. Later on, the beacons can be reinstalled.

What are they.

Generally speaking, plastic and steel beacons for plaster are different. For these uses, either material works perfectly. Wooden planks or bars were utilized as reference points prior to their appearance, but it was discovered that these materials rot inside the screed over time and can cause the screed to collapse. For this reason, the decision was made to install beacons composed of stronger, more stable materials.

The flexibility of a plastic beacon for plaster is its lone disadvantage. As a result, beacon installation for plastering walls may take longer. It may distort and droop if you apply pressure to it with a ruler. This characteristic has an adverse effect on the surface’s perfection.

In this sense, metal beacons for plaster are far more useful. Galvanized guides are the preferred tool of many craftsmen. You must experiment with each type of beacon and select the most practical one in order to determine which plaster beacons are best to install. There are beacons that are T-shaped and L-shaped in terms of profile shape. The goal and primary responsibilities of the profile will dictate which section is selected.

Furthermore, there is a large range of beacon sizes. The plaster beacon profile has a width of 3 mm and a length ranging from 2.7 m for residential buildings to 6 m for large industrial premises. The width of the profile reaches 30 mm. The most widely used beacons are 3 mm ones since they require the fewest consumables. The typical height of the ceiling in most apartments is 2.7 meters.

T-shaped profiles are available in widths of 18 mm and 20 mm and heights of 6 mm and 10 mm.

If you install beacons for plastering yourself, you can guarantee even and smooth walls and give your house a professional look without hiring a contractor. Anyone can produce a high-quality result with basic tools and simple instructions.

Fastening for beacons under plaster.

It is worthwhile to focus on beacon fastening beneath plaster separately. Profiles can be installed in two different ways:

• Using a solution. This method involves planting guides on a cement-gypsum mixture. In order to improve the adhesion of the solution and the profile, its entire surface is dotted with a whole series of small holes. The mixture is applied to the wall or directly to the guide itself. Then, using a level, the height of its installation is adjusted and additionally secured with mortar. The remainder of the mixture must be removed.

This method does have some drawbacks, though: mixing the solution takes time; the mixture takes longer to dry; there’s a chance the profile will fall off during installation; there are particular temperature requirements for the work (dryness); using gypsum means the method cannot be used in bathrooms or other high-humidity areas; there’s a lot of dirt and cleaning is therefore necessary.

The low cost of installing beacons for plaster is a major benefit of this method.

• With the help of special fasteners. This method involves fixing the beacons with screws and dowels. An even simpler and more convenient fastening for beacons under plaster is the so-called "ears". They allow you to very quickly (in just 3 minutes) install the entire profile. For one profile 2.7 m long, you will need about 7 "ears" (it is advisable to place them every thirty cm from each other). However, do not be upset – their cost is not so high, besides, they can be used several times. In addition to metal assistants for fastening, there are also plastic fasteners. The principle of their operation is based on the depth of screwing in the screw. This method is distinguished by the speed of work and extreme accuracy.

How to set up beacons for plastering.

Take a look at how to calculate and set up beacons to learn how to set them correctly for plastering walls. Beacons can be installed for plastering in a variety of ways. The task is made much easier if you have a laser level or level. These tools will make installing screed guides simple and quick for you. If these miraculous gadgets aren’t available, you can use the following two widely used techniques:

Homemade method.

The question of "How to properly install beacons for plastering walls" will be helped by it. It is not feasible to depend on its accuracy 100 percent, though. Thus, the following steps can be used to break down the entire process:

1. Cutting 3 mm beacon profiles for plastering. Having measured the height of the room, you need to cut the guides of the required length.
2. Fixing the extreme profile beacons. Using the selected fastening method (mortar or self-tapping screws), it is necessary to fix the beacons along the edges of the wall at a distance of 100-150 mm from the corners. Using the level, you need to set the beacons under the plaster with the maximum permissible accuracy. It is these beacons that will subsequently be responsible for the degree of smoothness of the wall.
3. Tensioning the threads. In the case where a cement mixture was used, you need to wait a certain amount of time until it dries completely. Then you need to stretch the threads between the installed beacons. As a rule, three threads are stretched – at the top, bottom and in the middle. Now these threads will create the plane of the future wall. Therefore, the threads need to be pulled tightly enough. That is why the beacons must hold tightly to the wall.
4. Fastening intermediate beacons. Now it remains to install beacons between the extreme guides according to the created plane. The main principle in this matter is to maintain the level of the stretched threads. Another rule, effective for all methods of installing beacons – the distance between them should be 20 cm less than the length of the rule. That is, if the rule is 2 meters, then the gap between the beacons is 1.8 m.
5. Directly plastering the walls.

The "Spider" method.

This method’s name comes from the created plane’s external resemblance to a web. Plastering beacons using this method is distinguished by maximum accuracy and doesn’t require the use of any auxiliary devices, such as a level.

Furthermore, by using this technique, you can determine the smallest possible ideal distance between the wall and the plane, which enables you to use less plaster. Because nothing is dependent on skill, mistakes, or the human factor, this method is more accurate. The principles are entirely predicated on the laws of physics. The following is the "web" creation algorithm:

– setting up the bases for the plumb lines. It is required to drill two holes on each side of the wall at a small distance from the ceiling, approximately 100-150 mm from the corner. After inserting plugs, you must secure dowels in those locations. The dowel needs to be at least 50–55 mm out of the wall.

Take note! Electrical wires are typically found in the ceiling area, so proceed with extreme caution. Having knowledge of the precise location of the wiring is advisable.

– the fitting of plumb line clamps. The clamps are installed in the same manner as fasteners for plumb lines. Precisely beneath the fasteners, they ought to be situated nearer the floor. Although accuracy is crucial in this case, a half-centimeter retreat won’t significantly degrade the image.

— fastening the plumb line. We tie the plumb lines at a distance of approximately 20 mm from the wall and wait for them to cease swinging. tension in plumb lines. Mark the precise location of the plumb lines’ stop on the lower clamps using a marker. After that, the thread needs to be pulled and fixed at the mark at the bottom.

— tension in the horizontal thread. The fixed vertical threads and the horizontal threads must be tied together. In this instance, accurate beacon installation along their full height should be possible thanks to the transverse threads’ ability to slide along the longitudinal ones.

Upon stretching the "web," the smallest distance between the wall and the resultant plane must be determined. Its value must not be less than the beacon’s width. This structure can be moved closer to the wall to find the necessary distance. Therefore, the question of how to install beacons for plastering walls can be readily answered with the aid of a basic device called a "spider."

It is advised to adhere to the following additional guidelines when attaching beacons:

1. The surface must be absolutely dry and not frozen before starting work.
2. It is advisable to remove the remains of the previous coating and dirt from the walls.
3. The surface must be carefully treated with a primer.

As previously stated, the beacons can be taken out once the plaster has dried. It is necessary to level and seal the resulting holes. Expert builders advise against leaving metal beacons in the wall because of the risk of oxidation.

Plastering requires a simple procedure that can greatly enhance the quality of your work: setting up beacons. Plastering will be much simpler and more effective if you take the time to install them correctly, ensuring that your walls are smooth and even.

Whether you’re a novice do-it-yourselfer or an experienced professional, learning this skill can save you frustration and time. The secret is to take precise measurements and adhere to every step exactly. You don’t need to hire outside help to get professional results if you have the right tools and a little perseverance.

After learning the fundamentals, you’ll be ready to take on any plastering project with assurance. Always keep in mind that practice makes perfect, so don’t be scared to try new things and get better at what you do on each project.

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