Work with a laser level at a construction site. How to make work faster and easier with the help of a modern device? Laser level for leveling the floor - an indispensable tool for large areas How to check the floor with a laser level

A laser level or level is a modern special tool that every builder should have. With its help, you can quickly, and most importantly accurately, beat off the level during the construction of buildings and finishing work. Working with the laser level is simple and straightforward. Modern devices are so easy to use that people with basic theoretical knowledge in the field of construction can handle them. It is enough to turn on the device. The built-in laser at the same time projects a horizontal and vertical axis onto the surface, according to which the level is beaten off. A laser level greatly simplifies the laying of ceramic tiles on the floor, if all the work is supposed to be done by hand.

Types and benefits of laser levels

Today on sale you can find the following types of levels using a laser:

Regardless of the type, a laser level is an expensive piece of equipment. Buying it for a one-time use is an inappropriate waste of money. For example, to level the floor during the laying of ceramic tiles with your own hands or when you need to cut the material, you can rent the device, or you can make it yourself.

Making your own laser level

Making your own laser level is easy. To do this, you need to take the following devices: a laser pointer, a bubble level, a plywood board (dense), a peg of a square or round section with a diameter of 6 cm or more, a piece of rubber.

We make a level for leveling the floor with our own hands. Stages of work:

1. First of all, you need to make a level out of a laser pointer. To do this, take a regular nozzle without a pattern, seal it with cardboard. A hole is made in it with an awl. Thus, we manage to focus the beam of light.
2. We attach the pointer to the building level with the help of clamps. You also need to make your own cushioning layer. To do this, a piece of rubber is taken and placed between the construction tool and the pointer. Rubber will allow you to change the level of inclination of the pointer during floor leveling.
3. We prepare a tripod. To do this, strictly horizontally cut off the upper part of the peg. We attach a plank to it with the help of self-tapping screws. Its position is also regulated by a level. The platform for the level is ready.
4. Construction assembly. On a do-it-yourself tripod, a home-made laser level is installed, turn it on. A projection of a point will be obtained on the surface. We mark its position on the wall. We find the position of the second point and also mark it on the wall. By connecting both points, we get a perfectly flat line, along which the installation of beacons is easily carried out during the laying of ceramic tiles. This level also cuts tiles.

To make the use of a homemade laser level comfortable and correct, the equipment is calibrated.

Laying ceramic tiles on the level

Using a homemade level when laying ceramic tiles on the floor and for organizing beacons is no different from setting the floor level using professional equipment.

Do-it-yourself work is carried out in the following order:

1. We turn on the level, made by hand. Its installation is carried out in a strictly horizontal plane. The correct position is determined by the building level, to which the laser pointer is attached. If it is planned to level the floor for laying ceramic tiles, then the equipment is installed without a stand.
2. After leveling the device according to the level, we determine the position of the first point at which the beacons will be set. We project the device on the wall. In the place where the laser beam meets the wall, we leave a mark. We turn the device by a certain degree, again align its position with the building level, find the second point.
3. The resulting points are connected by a line. The orientation of the lighthouses will be carried out along it, the subsequent laying of ceramic tiles with your own hands.

A homemade level can be used not only during tile laying and for organizing lighthouses. With it, you can make the correct layout of the floor and walls for a rough finish. Also, based on his testimony, cutting of finishing materials is performed.

Benefits of cutting tiles with a laser

You can make artistic laying of tiles on the floor with your own hands, you can perform various shapes on the floor if laser cutting is used during the finishing work. In this case, the processing of the material is carried out using a focused beam of light (laser) in an auxiliary gas medium. Cutting is used in the processing of almost all finishing materials, including tiles. In this case, the thickness of the material lies within 0.1 mm ... 70 mm, the width of the resulting cut is 0.05 mm ... 1 mm. Normal cutting is performed at a speed of 80 m/s...1 m/s.

Laser cutting has a number of advantages:

• is of high quality, it does not require additional processing of the cut edge;
• high productivity and cutting speed;
• narrowly targeted action - the laser has a point effect. As a result, the temperature of the processed material does not rise, and therefore its technical characteristics remain unchanged;
• with the help of laser cutting, it is possible to process materials without fear of their deformation;
• this kind of cutting allows you to make any cut on fragile materials such as ceramic tiles. At the same time, the integrity of the latter is preserved;
• noiseless process;
• process parameters are easily changed and adjusted.

Artistic cutting of tiles, setting beacons with a laser will make it possible to make an original and durable floor finish based on ceramic tiles without spending a large amount of money on work.

The laser level, like any complex tool, requires a certain minimum of knowledge to use. Knowing the principles of using the device, you can get the most out of it. Let's start with the classification.

Laser levels (levels) can be divided into three types:

• point;
• prismatic plane builders;
• rotary levels.

Let's start with the most versatile, relatively inexpensive and popular models with a prism beam sweep.

Plane Builders

Most of the tasks that are solved with the help of a level come down to building marks that are on the same horizontal or vertical. This application is best suited for laser planers. Devices of this type produce two or three beams deployed into sectors located in mutually perpendicular planes.

For most of these devices, the sweep angles range from 60 0 to 120 0, but there are models with a circular scan, by 360 0 in each plane. Light sectors draw vertical and horizontal lines on walls, floors, ceilings and other objects that intersect at right angles. These lines become the basic or working markup, which is needed for construction, repair, furniture installation, installation of equipment or communications, for laying tiles, etc.

Beginning of work

We will not dwell on the need to charge the battery, insert batteries, turn on the device or remember to remember it at home.

Before starting work, the laser level is installed on a flat, stable platform, or better, on a tripod or bracket, which are often included with the device or offered with it.

Most modern models are able to independently orient the laser markup vertically and horizontally. But only if the slope of the body is not too great. Normally, the self-leveling range is limited to 40 each way. If the slope is greater, the laser flashes and an audible signal sounds. This means that the light planes are located incorrectly and the device needs to be leveled on the horizon.

It is possible to align according to the bubble spirit level, if it exists, or simply until the signal stops. Some models are equipped with tripod stands, the legs of which have screw adjustments. If they are not there, you have to use manual tripod setup or improvised means. In any case, the initial installation of the laser level in the working position should not cause significant difficulties.

Using light lines

A laser cross drawn with a level on a wall or ceiling can be used in two ways - as reference lines for building a working layout or directly as a working layout.

The first method is better if it is not possible to use the device constantly or quickly move it to the desired position. It is also used in cases where you need to make a common "global" markup with a rigid binding of its various elements to each other or to base objects. In this case, the laser lines are duplicated by clearly distinguishable marks, which are used as a base for further work.

The second method is convenient when laying tiles or other cladding, for orienting and aligning interior details or design elements that are not closely related to each other. This method is good if the level can be easily installed in any convenient position and just as quickly rearranged when changing jobs. With a “floating” markup, the laser level is constantly in operation, so you need to make sure that its battery has a sufficient charge.

Using planes

In construction and building repairs, there are often works associated with the formation of even surfaces. For example:

• wall plastering;
• installation of a frame for a partition or false wall;
• sticking drywall on the walls;
• laying and leveling the screed.

For these tasks, a flat laser scan is suitable. In most cases, the desired plane cannot be aligned directly along the beam. But you can install point beacons, on the tops of which a light line will be displayed. Another way is to use a measuring stick.

An example of using a measuring rod when laying a screed.

• Set the level in a position in which it will remain until the end of the work.
• Make a measuring stick of suitable length, convenient for work.
• Place the measuring stick vertically, with the lower end in the position of the design height of the screed.
• Turn on the level and make a clear mark on the rail at the point where the beam hits.
• Check the height of the screed with a rail: if the mark is above the light line, lower the screed in this place, if lower, add the mixture.

Oblique marking

There are many works that require orthogonal layout, but not vertical-horizontal, but inclined at an arbitrary angle. These are cases of installation or finishing of flights of stairs, diagonal laying of tiles, marking or finishing along the attic roof.

To get an inclined cross, you just need to tilt the level to the desired angle. Before doing this, you need to block (cage) the auto-leveling system in order to firmly fix the laser planes and turn off the tilt alarm. Lines are usually aligned to certain objects (stairs) or to existing markings and complement it.

Rotary level

Devices of this type are intended primarily for building a horizontal plane. It is formed by rotating a horizontal beam around a vertical axis at a speed of about 10 rpm. In addition to the plane, such devices also indicate the “zenith” points on the ceiling and “nadir” on the floor, forming a plumb line passing through the center of the device.

The use of a rotational level generally differs little from the use of sector builders, but there are some differences. This is a larger working radius and work with only one plane. Some professional models are able to tilt the leveling plane to a given angle. The rotation of the beam, unlike the sweep, does not scatter it, so the light mark remains noticeable at a distance of up to 200-600 m. This range allows you to mark the horizon on the scale of the construction site.

Beam (point) levels

There is a family of laser levels that do not have a beam sweep into a plane. With their help, you can make markings in the form of individual points. The use of a tripod with a turntable expands the capabilities of these devices. The advantages of point levels are simplicity, which means low cost and long range.

Inexpensive models do not have an auto-leveling system and the accuracy of their work is limited by the accuracy of a conventional bubble spirit level. In fact, this is an ordinary level, but with a long "shoulder" in the form of a beam.

Checking the accuracy of the laser level

The passport error of laser levels is usually within 0.2–0.5 mm per 1 m, depending on the class of the model. But the actual deviation may be larger. Before work, it is useful to check the accuracy of the device. Here are the algorithms for the plane builder below, but the principles of verification are the same for levels of all types.

Range check

It is convenient to check the horizontal along the axis of the laser sector in a room at least 4–6 m in size. The greater the distance between opposite walls, the higher the measurement accuracy. The procedure includes several steps.

• Set the level near one wall (No. 1), "facing" to it, and make a mark along the light line.
• Turn the device to the opposite wall and make a mark on it.
• Move the level to the opposite wall (No. 2) and set it in height so that the beam points exactly to the mark on it.
• Turn the device towards wall No. 1 and compare the illumination position with the previously made mark.

For example, the distance between the walls is 5 m, and the deviation of the beam from the mark was 3 mm. In this case, the error is 3 mm per 10 m (twice the distance between the walls). For most models, this is quite acceptable. Larger deviations require adjustment of the instrument.

At the second stage, you can not set the level at mark No. 2, but simply put a new one (No. 3). In this case, when measuring the deviation, it is necessary to take into account the vertical distance between marks No. 2 and No. 3.

Front horizontal check

Let us estimate the difference in the height of the right and left edges of the laser horizontal scan. To do this, perform simple steps:

• set the level to the working position at a measured distance from the wall or other object that is used for the test;
• point the right edge of the laser sector at the test object and make a mark;
• turn the device to the right, so that the left edge of the sector is near the mark.

The distance between the position of the beam and the mark made earlier will be the absolute level error. To calculate the relative error, use the formula: Δ = d / (2∙l∙sin (ϕ/2)), where:

• d is the absolute error obtained during measurements;
• l is the distance from the rangefinder (sector top) to the object;
• ϕ is the beam sweep angle.

Checking the vertical

To check the vertical sector of the sweep, a longer room will be required than to check the horizon. The required length depends on the width of the development. Verification is performed in several steps.

• Install the level at one of the walls so that the vertical sector gives the longest possible lines on the floor and ceiling of the room.
• Make two marks along the line on the ceiling at least a couple of meters apart, then make the same marks on the floor, below them.
• Rearrange the level to the opposite wall and set it so that the line on the ceiling passes through both marks.
• Measure the deviation of the line on the floor from the marks.

The relative error is equal to the deviation divided by the height of the ceiling.

Accuracy Improvement

The data obtained by the methods described above can be used to improve the accuracy of markup. To do this, you need to know the relative error and introduce appropriate corrections during operation.

This technique can only be used if several identical checks gave close results, without a strong spread. To take into account the spread of readings, averaged data (average error) should be used to calculate the corrections.

Before proceeding with leveling the floor surface, it is necessary to beat off the horizontal level of the room. In other words, draw perfect horizontal lines on the walls that you can navigate when leveling. Today we will analyze how this can be done the easiest way using traditional and modern devices.

What tools are there to beat the level?

In order to beat off the level of the floor, you can use:

• hydraulic level;
• laser level;
• level.

The last option, that is, a level, is difficult to work with and requires knowledge, therefore it is rarely used for these purposes.

Using the water level for marking

Most loved by builders is the hydro level (water level) - a transparent flexible tube (like a dropper, but with a large diameter) at both ends of which there are two control flasks with digital markings. They make it easier for beginners to level up, but for experienced builders they are practically useless. Often these flasks are even removed as unnecessary. So, in fact, any transparent hose with a length of 3 - 25 m can be considered a hydraulic level. The accuracy of the level reading will not suffer.

The hydraulic level consists of a hose and two transparent flasks, which, when used, must be tightly closed with lids.

The principle of operation of the hydraulic level is based on the properties of communicating vessels, in which any homogeneous liquid (for example, water) is always set clearly at the same level. If the hydraulic level is filled with water, and then both ends are lifted vertically upwards, then we will get just such communicating vessels. And the surfaces of the water columns in both parts of the hose will necessarily match.

The principle of operation of the hydraulic level: water in communicating vessels is set at the same level

How to beat off the horizontal level with the help of a hydraulic level?

Working with a hydraulic level involves the participation of two people, therefore, if you carry out repairs yourself, then you will have to invite an assistant during the leveling process.

The steps for leveling are as follows:

1. Filling the hydraulic level with water, lifting the ends of the hose up and bringing them together. When the tool works properly, the water in both parts should be combined. If this does not happen, then most likely there are air bubbles in the water. They need to be driven out by shaking the hose, tapping on its walls. This will allow the liquid to become homogeneous, then the hydraulic level will work correctly. Due to the reluctance to mess around with bubbles, some builders prefer to pour boiled water into the tube. But not at all objects it is possible and convenient.

Another reason why the hydraulic level may refuse to work is pinching and creases in the hose. It must be ensured that the central part of the hose, which remains lying on the floor during measurements, is not pinched at any point. That is why the hydraulic level must not be stepped on either during measurements or after (creases may appear).

2. At the edge of the wall (usually near the very corner), the first person from the brigade applies one end of the hydraulic level.

3. On the other edge of the wall, a second person at any distance from the floor makes a mark (usually at eye level) and applies the second end of the hydrolevel to it. The main task at this stage is this: to combine the water level in your tube with the mark on the wall. This can be done by moving the tube up and down, naturally, without sudden movements, carefully. After the water level coincided with the mark on the wall, the same level should be established at the first end of the hose, which, as we remember, is motionless in the hands of the first person from the brigade.

4. After about 20 seconds, the first person draws a mark on the wall at the level of the water in their tube.

5. The transfer of the same label in exactly the same way is carried out on all walls of the room.

6. Beating (applying) horizontal lines along the marked marks using a chopping cord (sold in hardware stores, resembles a tape measure).

Through such simple actions, you can make a level beating throughout the apartment.

Laser level - a new generation tool

Working with a laser level (laser level) is even easier, one might say - a pleasure. However, such a pleasure costs a lot, so this tool is purchased mainly by professional builders.

The laser level draws vertical and horizontal lines on wall surfaces.

A laser level is a small device (it usually comes with a telescopic tripod or stand) capable of emitting a laser beam. This beam draws an ideal horizontal line on the wall (in most modern models, it also draws a vertical line).

The laser level emits a laser beam in several projections

Stages of beating the horizontal level with a laser level

1. Installing the laser level on the floor or on a tripod.

2. Leveling the instrument. In expensive models, an automatic leveling function is often provided, which allows you not to worry about the evenness of the installation. Otherwise, you will have to align the bubble in a transparent flask (located on the surface of the device).

3. Turning on the device and getting a perfectly horizontal line on the plane.

Focusing on the horizontal line of the laser builder (level), you can level floors and ceilings, build podiums, nail shelves and perform many other repairs

4. Drawing this line with a chopping cord.

5. To obtain a horizontal line on another wall, the laser level must be turned in its direction and perform the same steps. This principle of operation is typical for positional laser levels, which belong to the budget line. More expensive models are rotary. They don't need to be rotated. When turned on, they immediately give a projection around the entire perimeter of the room.

What kind of flooring neither considered, in almost any instructions for laying it, the first section is always devoted to the preliminary preparation of the base. And one of the key points in it, in addition to the integrity of the surface, is its evenness and compliance with the horizontal level. You can achieve the required parameters only by using beacons to level the floor.

The importance of their correct exposure cannot be overestimated. The decorativeness of the created interior, in which the floor is always of key importance, and the performance of the coating, including the durability of its use, directly depend on this.

There is only one categorical answer to this question - NO. When installing a screed of any kind, wooden coatings and even some self-leveling floors, which, it would seem, have the property of self-levelling, without a system of beacons it is not possible to perform the work qualitatively. Judge for yourself:

• No matter how accurately the builders work when installing the floors, it is simply impossible to achieve their ideal horizontality - certain differences in level always or immediately occur, or they occur during the shrinkage of the building.
• Reinforced concrete structures (floor slabs), in most cases, due to their external texture, may also not have an absolutely smooth surface, which is required for laying many finishing coatings.
• Very often, floors require mandatory hydro, sound and thermal insulation, heating devices (“warm floor”), which, according to many technologies, must also be covered with a screed.

Relying on your own eye, deducing both the desired thickness and the level of the screed is at least naive. The work will only be done with high quality if a system of beacons is installed. Moreover, in most cases, it will simultaneously play two important roles:

• will become a visual reference point for both the required amount of work and the displayed floor level;
• will greatly facilitate the laborious work of pouring or backfilling the floor simply from a technological point of view.

The most important task is to draw a "zero" line

All subsequent work will only take on some meaning if the zero level is very accurately derived, corresponding to both the horizontal and the required thickness of the future screed.

To work, you will need a water or laser level (the second, of course, is preferable - it will greatly facilitate the process).

You can, of course, use the building level, but in this case it should be long enough (1.5 - 2 m), very accurately verified, and the worker himself should have an excellent eye, since an error with this method is most likely.

• So, on the wall of the room, in the corner, which, according to a preliminary visual estimate, is located above the others, a mark is placed. Its height from the floor can be arbitrary, but it is better to choose, firstly, a multiple, and secondly, such that it is more convenient to work - for example, 1.5 m.

• With the help of the mentioned devices and tools, the level of this mark is transferred along all the walls, in order to connect the received marks with a solid straight line along the perimeter of the room. If everything is done correctly, then the line should close at one point, without the slightest difference in height. This reference line can then come in handy not only for pouring the screed, but also for some other finishing work.
• The distance from the reference line to the floor surface is carefully measured every 0.5 m. The values ​​obtained are recorded on paper or simply on the wall surface (if possible). Now, by simply comparing the results, the highest point of the floor along the perimeter of the room is determined - this is the place where the value obtained is the smallest.

• If you have already decided on the minimum thickness of the future screed, then you can proceed to beating the so-called zero level. At the highest point, mark the required height from the existing base with a risk. Let, for example, it be 30 mm - this is the minimum thickness that a concrete screed should have to ensure its strength and solidity.
• Next, you can do two things. So, you can apply the technique already described above and draw a zero line along the floor surface in the same way. This is not very convenient at such a height. Therefore, you can do it easier - measure the distance between the marked mark and the reference horizontal line. Then transfer this value strictly vertically at several points on the walls, so that the distance between the risks allows you to draw a line using the existing ruler. The resulting line, which completely outlines the room along the perimeter, will be the zero level.
• It's too early to limit it. In construction practice, rarely, but still there are moments when the floor level in the center of the room is slightly higher than near the walls. It's easy to check - you need to stretch the cord between opposite walls along the drawn zero mark, and check the distance between it and the floor in the center of the room. This check is done in several places. If the distance between the cord and the surface is less than the required minimum thickness of the screed, then you will have to slightly move the zero level up - to the height required to ensure the desired thickness.

If everything is fine, the zero level beating can be considered complete.

Linear parameters of the created system of beacons

What rules should be followed when placing a system of beacons on the floor surface:

• First of all, direction. As a rule, always (with rare exceptions) the direction of the lines of beacons or installed guides is parallel to the long side of the room, i.e. exactly how it will be filled. If the configuration of the room requires changes in the direction of pouring at its final stage, then the beacon system can repeat this scheme.
• The distance from the end rail to the parallel wall must not exceed 250 ÷ 300 mm. If this is not observed, when pouring along the wall, areas with a lower level may appear - dips that will have to be added additionally.

• The distance between adjacent lines of beacons is, in principle, arbitrary. They are approximately evenly distributed across the width of the room, but taking into account that the rule by which the screed will be leveled protrudes on both sides of the beacon lines by 150 ÷ ​​200 mm.

There are, of course, exceptions to this issue. So, for example, for laying a dry screed, 6 ÷ 7 support rails per 3 meters of room width may be required, regardless of the length of the existing rule.

From what and how beacons are installed

There are a lot of ways to set up a beacon system for leveling the floor, for example, here's an article about. They differ both in the materials used and in the technology of their installation. Some systems are designed for specific types of screeds or flooring, and are used only with them.

Consider the most common methods:

Wooden logs

Yes, wooden logs used for laying boards or laying OSB, plywood and other sheet materials on them can also be safely classified as lighthouses. Setting them strictly at zero level will eventually give the required evenness and horizontality of the finish coating.

It is clear that lags require an even beam without geometric deformations. Its fastening to the floor can be different - it all depends on the surface material. It is convenient in this case to use screws or long self-tapping screws - their rotation in one direction or another, you can accurately derive the upper bound at the zero mark. At the same time, of course, boards or wedges are placed under the logs along the entire length in order to prevent sagging or deflection under mechanical load from above.

This is one of those exceptions when lags-beacons are most often located not along, but across an elongated room.

Wooden beacons for screed device

The installation of such beacons differs little from the above method. This technology has a very long history, but, to tell the truth, it is far from ideal for several reasons.

• Firstly, to find technical wood that would not be a pity for these purposes, but at the same time, that it is distinguished by evenness along its entire length is not an easy task in itself.
• Secondly, the beams for the construction of such beacons (with a cross section of at least 30 × 30 mm) must be thoroughly soaked in advance in water so that they are completely saturated with moisture. If this is not done, then when pouring the screed, the tree will begin to actively absorb water from the concrete solution. Little of what these places can form a kind dips - wrong water balance etc and leads to the fact that the screed in these areas will not receive the required strength properties.
• Thirdly, after setting the screed, it will be necessary to remove such beacons from its thickness, since the tree will decompose over time, and voids will appear in these places, the solidity of the coating surface will be broken. This means that it is necessary to remove the bars (and therefore, this must be immediately provided for when installing them), dilute the concrete solution again in order to seal the resulting cavities. This is extra, unnecessary labor costs.

The only time this option can really be justified is when installing a dry screed. In this case, even dry wood can be used.

Use of metal profiles

To date, this is the most common way to install the beacon system. One of its main advantages is that the metal profile serves as an excellent guide for moving the rule when leveling the screed, without any possibility of surface abrasion, hooks, etc.

What metal profiles can be used for this:

• U-shaped galvanized profiles are widely used, usually used for the installation of plasterboard structures. They are light, they “keep” the line well even under load, and if necessary, if a particularly heavy concrete mortar is used for screeding, it is very easy to make a more durable box-shaped structure with a rectangular section from them, simply by folding two profiles together, one into the other.

• With screeds of insignificant thickness, they often resort to the use of plaster beacon profiles. This method has the right to exist, although it is criticized by experienced builders. The point is that even though what such profiles are equipped with a stiffener, with large thicknesses of the screed or on large areas of the floor poured with concrete, their strength may not be enough. Under the influence of large loads, they can begin to bend, bend in a plane or spring. This means that they will need to avoid this, many more reference points - and this is extra work.

• When pouring screeds in technical rooms, often as guide beacons even unnecessary round or rectangular pipes are used. In some cases, they are even welded to the reinforcing structure of the future screed at the required zero level along their upper edge.

exhibiting guide beacons zero level

There are many ways to carry out this operation. The simplest the technique is to simply pull a strong cord between the lines on the wall and insert beacons along it. However, such simplicity is fraught with serious errors - the cord or fishing line sags quite strongly, not giving the required accuracy.

It is worth considering one of the most, probably, simple, and at the same time - accurate technological methods. Long screws are used for this purpose.

• It is assumed that a preliminary marking of the lines of future guides has already been applied to the floor.
• In the most remote corner on the marking line, indented by 250 ÷ 300 mm from each wall, a self-tapping screw is screwed into the floor. To do this, if the base is concrete, you will have to first provide a hole with a polymer dowel inserted into it or a wooden chop.
• The upper cut of the screw head is inserted flush with the zero mark on the wall - this is controlled using the building level. Adjusting the height is very simple - screwing in or, conversely, unscrewing the screw with a screwdriver.

• A similar operation is carried out at the opposite end of this line.
• Now the self-tapping screws are connected with a strong thread (fishing line) in tension, without sagging, so that it passes along the cut of their caps.
• At a distance of 300 ÷ 400 mm from each other, the same self-tapping screws are screwed along this line, and same way their height above the floor is adjustable.
• Now the thread can be removed and carefully controlled by a single horizontal level of the caps of the self-tapping line using a level or rule. If necessary, you can correct them by turning them slightly with a screwdriver.
• They do the same with the next rows, simultaneously conducting scrupulous control in all directions - along and across the room, diagonally.
• As a result, the entire room should be covered with a similar "network" of self-tapping beacons. You can proceed to the installation of guides.
• Small slides of concrete mortar are inserted near the screwed screws. The U-shaped profile is put on top of a row of self-tapping screws, pressed down until it stops in the caps and at the same time pressed into the solution. The main thing is to avoid skewing the upper plane of the profile, so that it sits evenly on both sides of the lighthouse.

• After a reliable setting of the solution, the beacon system is ready for pouring the screed. Sometimes, to speed up the process, for example, tile adhesive is used as a fixing guide solution - it hardens much faster.

The technique may be different, but this one is distinguished by both simplicity and accuracy, it has been tested by masters and has earned only positive feedback.

Features of the installation of beacons on some types of floors

1. If a “floating screed” is arranged, that is, it is poured over the insulation layer, then the installation of beacons will have its own peculiarity.

Features of beacons for "floating" screed

• Self-tapping screws are screwed in and set to zero level before laying slabs or mats thermal insulating material.
• In the insulation, holes are made in the right places through which the beacons "look" out.
• Further - everything is the same as described above.

2. The self-tapping method is not suitable for dry screed. It requires a mandatory waterproofing film layer from below, and its integrity cannot be violated.

• In this case, they often resort to the same profiles (best of all - wide, 60 × 27 mm), but turn them upside down with their hollow part and fill them with a filling mixture. They acquire the necessary weight for good fixation in place.
• The height of the profiles above the floor level is regulated by placing fragments of unnecessary ceramic tiles, bricks or wooden spacers under them.

3. Some craftsmen prefer to do without any guides at all, simply “making” them from cement mortar. If it was not possible to acquire profiles, then you can resort to this approach.

• The exposed pin beacons (self-tapping screws) are interconnected with a thin wire, creating a kind of structure reinforced along the lines.
• A slide is created along the entire row, rather even a wall of mortar, so that it is slightly above the zero level. The mortar must be sufficiently dense - it will play the role of a guide in a frozen form.
• As soon as the setting of concrete begins, the formation of the upper level of such a beacon begins. This is done using the rule - the top of the wall is leveled and smoothed down to the level of the caps.

• When the solution acquires the required strength, you can proceed to pouring the main screed - the created "walls" will perfectly cope with the role of guides and organically enter the overall structure of the floor.

4. There are special beacons for filling, self-leveling floors. They are called benchmarks, and have a completely different principle of operation.

• They represent a tripod, in the center of which there is a pin adjustable by a screw connection in height. The benchmarks are pre-arranged around the room, usually in a checkerboard pattern, with an interval of about a meter. In this case, the bottom lines serve as a guide for filling. pin cuts, which pre-set exactly at zero.

• After pouring the composition, rolling it with a spiked roller, the benchmarks can be removed by putting on the feet for this purpose. Small marks from their legs will be covered with a leveling compound.

And finally, a small video tutorial on some ways to install beacons:

Video - how to install beacons for leveling the floor