Installation Methods And Types Of Beacons For Leveling The Base Of The Floor With A Cement Screed

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Lighthouse material
• General installation rules
• Preparatory activities
• Zero level
• Installation options
• Advice
• Video on quick ways to install beacons

Any subfloor must be leveled before the flooring is installed to obtain a perfect surface to match the horizontal level. For this purpose, a cement screed is being arranged through a series of measures. Any unevenness in floor slabs and other subfloors will be corrected. But for this you need to know how to set up beacons for floor screed. They will make it possible to level the mortar over the surface. In addition, floor screed beacons can significantly reduce labor costs. For their installation, there are certain requirements, which cannot be deviated from if there is a desire to get the ideal option.

Lighthouse material

Floor screed beacons can be made from completely different materials that can be purchased at a hardware store or made yourself. The main ones are rack options. They have their own classification:

1. Wooden. It is one of the earliest ways to build beacons. A wooden block with a cross section of 3 cm stands out as the main component. In the future, you can adjust the distance on your own by placing wedges of various sizes. The same is achieved by screwing in screws of different lengths. So that moisture from the floor screed does not get into them, the bars are pre-moistened in water for a certain time. But they have their drawbacks. The main one is that they should be removed from the screed after pouring. Otherwise, over time, they will begin to decompose.
2. Metallic profile. They are popular now and are suitable mainly for rooms with a small area. They can also accommodate height adjustment bolts. Suitable for screeds with a layer thickness of 3 cm. If it is larger, the profile will begin to bend under the concrete. All work will go to waste.

3. Steel pipe. It is rational to use such structures in large premises (warehouses). They have the ability to preserve their original state even in the presence of serious external loads. As for the section, they can be not only round or square, but also rectangular.

   

4. Solution. Screws are screwed in at the same distance from each other, on the heads of which a steel wire is screwed. After that, a solution is placed under the stretched wire so as to obtain structures that subsequently protrude after drying as guides.
5. Slides of solution. The laid mortar along the perimeter of the room is adjusted to the previously set zero level.

Any of these options will give you an answer on how to set up beacons to fill the floor. You need to choose the most suitable option that is suitable for the room, base, type of screed and other factors.

General installation rules

Installing a lighthouse floor screed requires attention and accuracy. There are several very important requirements and rules for it, the main ones of which are:

1. Defining and plotting the zero level.

2. Equal distance between adjacent guides.

   

Correct installation of beacons for floor screed will be carried out only when all the necessary tools and knowledge are used in the work. Compliance with the technology will allow you to get the desired result.

Preparatory activities

Before starting work on the installation of beacons for screed, the base should be prepared. At this stage, measures are taken to clean the floor from the old screed, any other type of topcoat. Existing skirting boards are removed. They will be superfluous and will interfere with the work in the subsequent pouring.

The surface may contain dirt, oil stains, paint, weasel and other materials. You should also get rid of them. All protruding fragments are sanded as far as possible. If they are significant in size, then it is best to knock them down immediately.

The crack on the surface is closed with a working solution. In necessary cases, the floor screed is repaired. When everything is done, you can start priming the base. The next step is to create a waterproofing layer. For this, special materials are used in rolls, liquid form or ordinary plastic film. In any case, in addition to the floor, the waterproofing material should also extend onto the walls by about 10-15 cm, depending on how the zero level is set. It is to this action that it is worth going after all types of work have been carried out to prepare the basis for further activities. Including beacons are installed from the floor screed solution.

Zero level

Before installing the floor screed beacons, you should think about the marks around the perimeter of the walls in the room. Such tools as a laser level or construction are actively involved in the work. Each of them has its own characteristics and positive features. More frequent marks will allow you to get the most accurate result. All these lines are subsequently connected by a straight horizontal line. That is, the horizon is initially drawn, which will be located about 100 cm from the base of the floor. This line will be called the flat reference (baseline).

After that, the highest and lowest points in the room are determined. A distance is drawn from the highest point equal to the thickness of the future screed. Next, the length is measured from the standard to the mark with the thickness of the screed. A similar distance from the standard is marked around the entire perimeter of the room. If we connect these points to each other, then we get a zero level. It will serve as a guide for the subsequent installation of beacons for pouring the floor screed.

When drawing the markup, you should pay attention to the presence of exposed doors. If they are absent, then the level of the screed is made so that it is not higher than the future threshold. Consequently, the beginning of the rebound of the zero level and the level of filling the solution is the doorway.

No one should think about how to set the floor level for pouring. This is all done in the shortest possible time. The main thing is to use the right tool for the job, to have accurate results.

Installation options

In order to level the subfloors for any kind of future flooring, you need to know how to expose the beacons to fill the floor. For this, several variants of beacons are used in the work:

1. Profile from solution. Usually a plasterboard profile is used. Turning it over, it is attached to wooden supports. You can also use bricks, mortar mounds and other media as an alternative. In order for the profile to be securely fixed, a strong cement-lime mortar is used. Replacing it is a plaster base. Everyone recommends to do without a cement-sand mortar, as it sets and dries for a long time. To continue the work, you will have to wait about 2-3 days. Instead of a profile, a pipe is suitable. They are subsequently removed from the screed anyway.

2. Self-tapping profiles. On the basis of the future floor, dowels are initially driven in at a distance of 0.2-0.3 m from each other. Then self-tapping screws are screwed into them, which fix special beacon profiles. By screwing or unscrewing the screws, you can adjust the distance for future beacons. This will allow you to set the level and horizontal without much difficulty. Not everyone knows how to put beacons under the floor pouring in the presence of a soil base. Here it is first necessary to nail wooden bars around the perimeter, and screws are already screwed into them.

   

3. Combined option. You can also use self-tapping screws, but in combination with a solution. Dowels are hammered into the base, into which self-tapping screws are screwed. Subsequently, a solution is poured over them and removed to the level of the cap. After drying, the slides will serve as the basis for the subsequent leveling of the floor. Installation of mortar beacons is carried out in almost the same way.
4. The oldest option is to lay wooden blocks on the surface of an old screed. They are adjusted to the zero level by placing various elements under them (can be wooden wedges). But for a cement screed, the bars are moistened in water so that they cannot absorb liquid from the poured solution. Subsequently, they should be disposed of, since during operation they will begin to lose their qualities, rot and crack.

More options for beacons will be for other options for floor screed (semi-dry, self-leveling method). Each of them is selected individually and subject to the availability of appropriate materials and equipment for work. If there are any doubts about the quality when installing beacons in a room for leveling the floor for subsequent flooring or finishing, it is best to seek professional help.

_TITLE_

WordPress Image Carousel Plugin

Advice

You should know the subtleties that allow you to give an answer on how to correctly install the beacons for filling the floor quickly and efficiently.

Lighthouse solution will dry faster if you add a certain amount of alabaster to its composition. The readiness process will be reduced to about half an hour and it will be possible to start pouring the floor and leveling the base.

A solution may appear on the surface of the lighthouses during pouring. It should be removed immediately, as it can cause an increase in the level of the future floor. This will immediately cause a surface defect, which will take time and effort to eliminate.

The places where the floor screed beacons are located must be pre-moistened before pouring. Such actions will allow the prepared solution to grasp better.

After pouring until the mortar has completely set, self-tapping screws, wooden blocks, and other types of beacons should be removed. Movement can only be carried out on a wooden flooring. These areas are immediately sealed with mortar. It is better to do the work as a team, so that everyone is responsible for a specific amount of work and area. So the filling will be much faster and better. Floor leveling will be carried out as soon as possible.

The screed thickness can be up to 100 mm. In this case, an additional layer of reinforcement is arranged, or a filling of expanded clay. Some of the profile beacons can bend at the same time due to the load. To avoid this, about one and a half to two hours before the start of pouring, all the voids under them should be filled with a solution. By the time the leveling begins, he will grab and evenly hold the entire load.

Placing beacons takes a certain amount of time for the pouring process. But it is very important if the result is needed. It is much easier for them to level the mortar in strict accordance with the horizontal lines.

Video on quick ways to install beacons

Video:

Video:

Video:

Video: