How to align walls without beacons: do-it-yourself rule-leveling (video)

It is believed that quality stucco wall alignment only possible with lighthouses. Indeed, this method of plastering with proper execution allows you to get a perfectly flat surface, but its use is not always justified. If the walls do not have a significant slope and you do not need to level them, you only need to remove the defects in the form protrusions and recesses, you can simplify and reduce the cost of the process by abandoning beacons and using the alignment method "under the rule. " We will find out how to properly align the walls without beacons and how realistic it is to do it yourself.

When you can plaster without beacons

The method of plastering walls without the use of beacons - the so-called visual alignment - relevant in the following situations:

• The wall does not have horizontal and vertical deviations, but there are potholes, protrusions, shells and other defects on its surface.
• The plane of the wall is flat, but there is a slope in one or more corners.
• The main plane of the wall and its lower part, where the wall is adjacent to the floor, do not require alignment, and its upper part, adjacent to the ceiling, is littered or “went in waves”.
• The wall has defects and a slight slope that is not visible to the naked eye.

The advantages of leveling walls without beacons:

• Time saving. Since it is not required to use beacons when leveling the walls with this method, there is no need to additionally prepare a solution for them and wait until it fixes the landmarks. In addition, a small layer of the solution dries faster.
• When using beacons, the plaster layer cannot be less than the thickness of the beacon profile. If beacons are not used, the thickness of the applied layer is minimal, due to which the solution consumption is significantly reduced.

It should be borne in mind that to achieve the desired result and make the walls perfectly smooth without lighthouses with your own hands is quite difficult, which can be considered a key disadvantage of the technology.

The main nuances of the process will help to find out the videos presented on the site.

Tools and materials

For work you will need special tools and materials. You need to get these tools:

• a mixer for kneading or a drill with a nozzle;
• large rule 2 m long;
• hammer;
• file;
• grater;
• bucket;
• spatula for 8-10 cm and 45 cm;
• primer paint brush.

The following materials will definitely be needed:

• gypsum plaster;
• water.

For thin layers, we recommend using gypsum mixtures. They have more high adhesion (the ability to stick to the wall) and it is more convenient to apply and spread on the wall. When using gypsum mixture, it is much easier for masters without experience to get a high result the first time.

Wall preparation

Preparation involves the removal of old finishes, exfoliated parts, dirt and dust. Depending on the materials for each type of surface, certain work needs to be done:

• In brickwork, the seams are best deepened by 1-2 cm.
• Notches must be made on the concrete surface, for which a file and a hammer are suitable.
• Large protrusions must be knocked down, because they will have to spend a larger amount of plaster, cracks - to repair.
• Apply the mortar to the wooden walls only after installation on them wood shingles at an angle or plaster mesh with cells no more than 4 cm. In the presence of mold, the surface must be treated with antiseptics.

Important! Regardless of the material, it is necessary to treat the walls with a primer, having previously eliminated oil stains, dirt and dust.

• In places where the surfaces are adjacent to the floor, it will be necessary to remove all debris, so that it will be possible to collect and reuse the solution.
• After applying and drying the primer using the rule, you need to identify areas with recesses and mark them with a pencil. This also applies to areas of the baseboard and ceiling.

The procedure for plastering lighthouses

Dry before starting gypsum mixture is bred according to the instructions in such a way that it was enough for about 20 minutes of work. After 25-30 minutes, the gypsum mortar will begin to set, and it can no longer be used.

If you want to align the wall with defects without deviations from the vertical and horizontal plane, you must perform the following steps:

• Depths are filled with plaster in excess, going beyond the boundaries of the marked areas.
• The solution is stretched by the rule, which is placed in an upright position. Thus, the recesses are filled with plaster, and on the protrusions its layer remains minimal. If the solution is not enough, you need to add it.

• Actions are repeated until the next corner.
• After the solution has set, a clean 45-centimeter trowel cuts off and corrects irregularities.
• A new solution is diluted, slightly more liquid than for the first layer, applied to the wall and stretched along the surface, but in a different direction, the rule is held horizontally.

If there is a slope in the corner or in the area of ​​the ceiling or floor skirting, you can do the following:

• Apply a solution to a small area of ​​the sunken part of the wall.
• Based on the rule on the basic flat plane of the wall, stretch it through the solution, cutting off the excess.
• Wait until the tubercle of the solution dries. Thus, you will get a kind of beacon on which you can rely, aligning the problem area. If the zone of the wall that will be aligned has a large length, several such beacons can be made from the solution.

Technology with stucco control beacons is used when one part of the wall is flat and the other has deviations in level, or when the main plane of the wall does not require adjustment in level, and the corners are “sunk”.

Wall alignment costs without beacons

Work will cost less than wall decoration on lighthouses with gypsum mortar. In Moscow and Moscow Region, the cost of visual alignment as a rule is on average 300-350 rubles. for 1 square. m., and in St. Petersburg from 280 rubles. for 1 square. m ..

Plastering surfaces in this way will allow the owners to create a basis for applying a decorative layer, with which you can make your apartment more beautiful and comfortable.

Video instruction