ALIGNING WALLS IN BEACONS – TECHNOLOGY AND FEATURES OF WORKS
The issue of alignment of the walls is relevant for anyone who is faced with repairs. This problem concerns both old houses and new buildings, since at the present time ideally smooth surfaces are extremely rare. This is due to the fact that color wallpaper or tile was used to decorate earlier, but today decorative plaster and the use of dyeing technology are becoming popular, which further emphasizes unevenness.
Align the walls of the beacons
Plastering works are quite expensive, so the most acceptable option for the family budget is to align the walls with beacons. In this article you will find detailed answers to all questions related to the application of this method.
Preparing walls for leveling
First of all, you must first prepare the wall surface. In apartments, there is often a phenomenon when one of the edges of the wall is slightly below its remaining parts. This problem is easy to solve, it is enough to bring the problem areas to a general level. It is much more difficult to level the surface with many different defects – cracks, gouges, depressions and bumps.
Preparation of leveling mortar
Preparation of the wall is carried out in several stages:
Determination of unstable places and voids with a chisel.
Removal of old paint and treatment of problem areas with antiseptic.
Grouting all chips and large cracks.
Cleaning the wall from debris and dust.
Applying a primer, which is a binder for the upper layers of the old coating.
Thorough drying of the wall surface.
What are lighthouses?
Lighthouses, designed to align the walls, are a kind of zero level, which must be reached upon completion of work. They may have a different appearance, with the most often used:
Aluminum or galvanized perforated profile.
Gypsum cakes.
Lighthouses from alabaster mixture.
Using steel beacons to align walls
Before starting work, it is necessary to lay a zero line with a plumb line. As a rule, it is outlined near the internal angle, from which it is necessary to measure 10–20 cm in advance. After that, self-tapping screws or dowels are screwed into the wall surface with a step of 15 cm.
Next, a nylon cord is fixed on the ceiling with a weight slightly touching the heads of the screws. With respect to caps, a certain amount of gypsum mix is applied. After checking the level of the line on the beacons should be strictly vertically.
Installation of metal beacons
A simpler method is the installation of metal profiles with a length of 250-300 cm. They are placed in a solution previously deposited on the surface. It is best suited for this product of aluminum T-shaped, which are not susceptible to rust and, therefore, can remain in the wall after its plastering. In the case of galvanized profiles, they are recommended to pull out after the completion of plastering.
How to apply plaster?
The finished mixture is distributed between the pre-installed beacons. It is most convenient to plaster the plaster with a trowel on the wall. Each smear is fixed on the wall surface, for which the solution is slightly rubbed with a spatula.
The process of aligning the wall surface
In the process of work you need to constantly check the flatness of the resulting coating. Aligned areas should serve as a guide for the rest of the wall. For finishing door and window openings, it is recommended to use special metal corners, which will make the surface more durable.