Plaster beacons

When applying plaster to walls or ceilings, plaster beacons are a basic yet crucial tool for anyone hoping to achieve an exact even surface. These instructions can be used by both experienced professionals and do-it-yourselfers to guarantee that your plaster is applied evenly, smoothly, and without any dips or bumps.

Plaster beacons provide a framework that makes it simple to monitor the proper plaster thickness over the whole surface. This not only saves time but also produces a much more polished finish that gives the impression of clean, professional work.

This post will explain plaster beacons, their installation, and their importance for any plastering project. Great results can be achieved even by beginners with the right approach.

Why do you need guides?

The construction base is leveled with the aid of a plaster beacon profile. This is the product’s primary objective. Guides establish a firm foundation for slicing the rule. This contributes to the creation of a smooth, uniform surface.

Another aid in cutting down on material usage is a plaster beacon profile. The composition’s thickness does not need to be "eyeballed" by the master. Most of the time, even professionals miscalculate and end up spending more money than necessary. Guides precisely identify the product application’s boundary. This leads to a decrease in the product’s consumption.

Types of beacons

You can make your own plaster beacon profile or buy one from a store.

Factory profiles

These are regular perforated guides, with a 2.6 or 7 m length. Several materials are used to create these materials:

• plastic;
• galvanized steel;
• aluminum.

There are various ways that factory plaster profile beacons are made:

• Straight guides. These are flat profiles with a V-shaped protrusion. The height of the product is in the range of – 3 – 30 mm. This parameter helps to determine the thickness of the plaster layer. If there are large differences on the base, then it is necessary to apply a thick layer of material. In this situation, profiles with a height of 30 mm are suitable. For thin-layer plaster, 3-millimeter guides are suitable.
• Corner profiles. They are beacons with a V-shaped protrusion and strips at an angle of 90 0 . These products are used to decorate internal and external corners.

Reusable products are another category of factory-made guides. Enhanced strength, which enables multiple uses of the material, sets these beacons apart. The products’ principal benefit is their increased rigidity. This enables you to fix profiles less meticulously than other kinds. The material’s high cost and potential for deformation despite its strength are drawbacks that prevent it from being reused.

Homemade guides

You can use DIY beacons in place of factory profiles:

• Identical wooden slats. Such products are most often used for a wooden building base. Guides are fixed to the surface using self-tapping screws.
• Beacon plaster profile is also made of self-tapping screws. Fasteners are installed at the same distance along a straight horizontal line. Self-tapping screws are not screwed in all the way. A distance equal to the thickness of the plaster layer is left between the cap and the surface. When applying the material, they are guided by the caps. Such guides are not removed, which reduces the finishing time.
• Guide made of fishing line. For such a beacon, two holes are made at the bottom and top of the building base on the same horizontal line. Another hole is drilled between them. Then dowels are inserted into the holes obtained and screws are fixed. A distance equal to the thickness of the plaster layer is also left between the cap and the surface. A fishing line or thick thread is fixed on the caps. The distance under the guide is filled with mortar. Then the fishing line or thread is removed, the fasteners are removed and the voids are filled with plaster.

Types of profiles

Other kinds of guides exist as well, and each has pros and cons of its own.

Metal strip

This is a metal strip, also known as a factory beacon for plaster. Benefits of the product:

• immediately ready for use;
• quickly mounted;
• if the product was installed on screws, plastering is performed immediately after fixing the guides;
• the size of the strips can be reduced by trimming the material.

Additionally, these plaster beacons have drawbacks:

• during installation and use, the product is deformed due to lack of rigidity;
• non-professionals may have problems with the installation of products;
• after the plastering is completed, the beacons are dismantled, and if you ignore this stage of the work, then rust will appear on the decorative coating over time.

Metal pipe

These plaster beacons are made of metal, square guides. Benefits of the merchandise:

• increased strength, which prevents deformation of the profile during installation, use and dismantling;
• convenience of leveling the plaster with a rule;
• cutting to the desired size.

• after applying the material, the profiles are dismantled;
• high cost;
• during dismantling, the product may deform, which will make the material unsuitable for further use.

Guides made of mortar

These guides are little mortar sections, like the one in the picture below, that are set at equal intervals apart along a horizontal line. Benefits of the profile type in question:

• do not require additional costs;
• used in areas of different sizes;
• After applying the plaster, the material is not dismantled.

• installing beacons for plastering mortar walls requires some experience in finishing;
• it takes a lot of time to install the guides and dry the composition.

Methods of marking for profiles

Markings are made to identify areas for product fastening before the guides are fixed. Various techniques are applied in this.

Easy way

Plaster mortar is used to fix profiles. Installation guidelines:

1. Step back 15 cm from the floor and ceiling and 30 cm from the corners and draw a straight line, then repeat the manipulation on the other side of the wall.
2. Draw parallel lines along the perimeter of the building base at a distance of less than 1.5 m.
3. At the top and bottom of each line, make a hole with a drill and fix the dowels.
4. Install screws in the dowels so that the distance from the base to the cap is equal to the thickness of the plaster layer.
5. Pull a fishing line over the screws – this is the marking for the guides.

Using a laser level

Professionals typically mark using a laser level. But even a novice can use this method to indicate the locations for the guides:

1. Place the device at the opposite wall and turn on the cross-level, which will not only indicate the marking, but also help calculate the thickness of the plaster layer.
2. Draw vertical lines along the laser marking, stepping back 30 cm from the corners and 15 cm from the floor and ceiling.
3. Move the device to the corner, install it at a distance of 40 cm from the wall and turn on the vertical marking.
4. Choose the place of the minimum distance from the wall to the line.
5. Take the profile and draw a point on the guide at a distance equal to the length from the laser line to the wall + 1 cm.
6. Draw along the lines with glue and press the beacon so that the drawn point is level with the line.

Installation of guides

There are various methods for installing beacons under plaster. Let’s examine each of them in more detail.

For glue or mortar

Technology for using glue or a solution to fix profiles:

1. Knead the product according to the instructions indicated on the packaging of the material.
2. Apply the solution strictly according to the markings. To do this, form small tubercles at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other.
3. Attach the guides to the wall and press the profiles so that the products are immersed in the solution.
4. Remove excess product with a spatula.

For fasteners

The fasteners that are sold with the guides are not the simplest way to fix the beacons. Installing profiles involves removing a portion of the fastener and fixing it to the head of self-tapping screws that are pre-installed along the marking line, spaced 30 cm apart. The second part of the part is then used to attach the beacon. Plastering is done along the beacons following the installation of the guides.

The simplicity of installing profiles is a benefit of this fixing method. One of the drawbacks is that the plaster layer gets 5 mm bigger.

Plaster beacons are a necessary tool when applying plaster to walls in order to achieve an extremely smooth finish. They facilitate the application of plaster at a uniform thickness by serving as guides, which facilitates the process and produces a smoother, more polished finish. Knowing how to set up and use plaster beacons correctly can make all the difference in your wall finishing projects, whether you’re an experienced DIYer or a novice.

Installing beacons from mortar

Plastering the surface can be done by creating profiles out of the mortar itself. The following will be the algorithm used to create beacons:

1. Fix the screws at the top and bottom of the wall at a distance of 15 cm from the floor and ceiling and 30 cm from the corner.
2. Pull a thread between the fasteners so that there is a gap for plaster.
3. Fix the screws along the length of the rope at a distance of 30 cm from each other.
4. Put a small mound of plaster on each fastener.
5. Put a rule between the upper and lower mounds and fill the voids with mortar;
6. Remove the thread and plaster.

Type of Plaster Beacons	Description
Metal Beacons	These are sturdy and easy to install, providing a reliable guide for plastering. However, they can rust if not properly protected.
Plastic Beacons	Lightweight and rust-resistant, these beacons are easy to cut and install but may not be as durable as metal options.
Wooden Beacons	A traditional option, wooden beacons are affordable and easy to find, though they can warp over time if exposed to moisture.

A straightforward but crucial tool for attaining a flawlessly level and smooth wall finish is a plaster beacon. They direct your work so that the plastering is uniform throughout the surface, which simplifies the process and produces a more polished end product.

Plaster beacon installation can save you time and aggravation in the future, regardless of the size of your renovation or home improvement project. They assist in removing uncertainty so you can finish with greater quality and less work.

Plaster beacon use ultimately comes down to efficiency and accuracy. You position yourself for success by including them in the plastering process, guaranteeing that your walls are both aesthetically pleasing and sound structurally. This simple step has a significant impact on how your wall finishing project turns out in the end.

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