In our time, coffered ceilings received a rebirth. In modern architecture, caissons no longer play the role of a supporting structure, but they have been used as a decor element for quite some time. So, in many historical films in ancient castles, ceiling cassettes are found with carved wooden beams that form rectangular sections and cells. If you like this design of the premises, then at home you can try to revive the coffered ceilings.
Key Features
The coffered design for the ceiling is also called lacunar. It is a surface of beams that form recesses and cells. Such ceilings are called decorative, and in shape they can be not only square, but also round. Caissons are transverse and longitudinal, they often provide for the presence of ornaments, profiled transitions to the walls, a border and painting on the surface.
In ancient Greece, such structures performed a practical function - they reduced the weight of the plates and made it possible to remove the load from the beams. For beauty, they were decorated with molding and drawings. This technology is ancient, as evidenced by the findings of archaeologists. Coffered ceilings can give any room an attractive look. You can arrange them in the bedroom, living room, library or billiard room. Such decoration is appropriate in a prestigious office, because it expresses the status and power of the company.
Designs of this type look good in cottages and country houses, which are decorated in a classic style. Using this technique to decorate the ceiling, you will create the impression of a huge space. However, such a technique can only be applied in a room where the ceiling height is 2.5 m or more. In a small room, the ceiling will not look so impressive.
It should also take into account the architectural style. But if you prefer to experiment, you can choose caissons of different styles and forms. This solution will be excellent for old-style buildings, where the height of the walls is close to 3 m. Caissons can be used not only for decorating ceilings, but also for arranging the arch, as well as decorating the surface of arches. The design will hide the unevenness of the floors and eliminate the need for leveling work. In this design, you can hide the ventilation ducts, electrical wiring and pipes of the air conditioning system.
What material to choose
Before you start working with coffered ceilings, you must choose the material for them. The most common solution will be wood, which looks beautiful, and also has the quality of practicality. It will create an impression of coziness and luxury in the house.
Wood is an environmentally friendly material that does not harm human health. For the manufacture of ceilings are mainly used:
An unusual pattern can be achieved due to the natural beauty of the material and texture. Such a ceiling will hide all the bumps and communications, as well as serve as a unique decoration. However, the cost will be quite high and will depend on the breed and the complexity of the work.
If you prefer inexpensive wood, you can add expressiveness to the texture and reveal its beauty by applying stains or varnishes to cassettes. When registering the surface, you can also use the lining. Such processing will give inexpensive wood grades an elite and presentable appearance.
MDF or drywall ceiling
Wooden coffered ceilings are expensive. If you want to save, you can choose MDF. The design is cheap, but it is an excellent alternative to natural wood. Another advantage in this case is the ease of installation, which cannot be said about wooden cassettes. But MDF coffered ceilings have some disadvantages, which are expressed in high combustibility, moisture exposure and low resistance to deformation and mechanical damage.
If you want to save money, then you should install a plasterboard ceiling. It is suitable if the house is decorated in the Baroque or Empire style, has large windows and high ceilings. The coffered ceiling made of drywall provides for the formation of a frame, which is decorated with a plaster cornice.
You can provide sockets as additional decorative elements. This design is easy to install backlight. Today, another technique for creating such a ceiling is known, it consists in the absence of a frame, as well as in the manufacture of drywall caissons. In this case, the parts of the system are joined according to the principle of a puzzle, the elements are stacked closely so that the design looks complete and solid.
Polyurethane and Cardboard Ceilings
Polyurethane coffered ceilings are used for decorative purposes. They have low weight, which can not be said about wood structures, but such systems are more expensive. Caissons are manufactured to the specified sizes to speed up the installation process. Structures where the backlight is correctly located look pretty attractive. Such products are popular due to the symmetry of the cassettes. They can be given the desired shade.
They are also good because they have high fire and moisture resistant properties. Having examined the photo of coffered ceilings, you can understand that they can also be made of cardboard. They are widely used, and the beam with the device of such a system is glued to the carpentry glue. Sometimes the system is covered with a self-adhesive film, which imitates the natural texture of the type of wood. However, gluing should only be carried out after the ceiling is ready and all the beams are glued.
DIY ceiling: preparation
Plates are installed according to the technology, which depends on the selected material. For example, wooden products should be fixed on a crate of beams, plasterboard - on a metal frame, while cardboard and polyurethane are mounted on liquid nails or screws. The suspended structure will hide the unevenness of the coating, but the base ceiling will still have to be prepared.
To do this, they clean it from the old finishing layer and remove the plaster, which is not securely fixed. It is important to exclude fungus, mold and rust on the surface. Large cracks are covered with cement-based putty. Previously, the base is primed to increase adhesion. Walls are treated with a deep penetration primer.
If necessary, the base ceiling is treated with putty. This is true for irregularities up to 5 cm. You can also use plaster, it is suitable for defects from 5 cm. The surface is glued with wallpaper if you plan to install support beams. Installation of the coffered ceiling provides for the choice of texture and color of wallpaper. The background should be combined with beams, as well as overlapping with individual elements of the interior. Wallpaper in this case is usually monophonic, but sometimes canvases with a dimly pronounced texture are selected. Otherwise, you may find that the structure will look overloaded.
Design and marking features
If you decide to install the coffered ceiling with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the design features of such a system. Work must begin with drawing up a drawing. The quality of the result will depend on the correctness of the marking. In the process, you should measure the height of the corners and the middle of the room, as well as the length of the ribs at the intersection of the ceiling and the wall. The resulting dimensions should be reflected in the drawing.
The scheme is applied taking into account the location of each cell. In this case, a step of up to 1 m is observed. If you want the ceiling to look spectacular, then in the center it is better to place a large recess, where the same cells are fixed along the contour or chandelier. When installing the wooden coffered ceiling in the next step using the upholstery cord, laser level and tape measure, you should put a schematic grid on the ceiling.
First you need to mark the points on the opposite walls, and then connect them together. If the height of the ceilings is less than 2.5 m, then for trimming it is better to use thin trims. Otherwise, the design will take about 25 cm.
Installation of support beams
For facing there is no need to choose expensive wood. You can buy cheap material and give it a more presentable look with varnish or stain. The moisture content of wood should not be more than 12%. Before installation, the material is left in the room for several days. This will allow him to adapt. Elements are treated with an antiseptic to prevent the formation of fungus and mold.
When you install a coffered ceiling of wood with your own hands, you must act on technology that involves the installation of beams according to the previously marked markings. The length of the ceiling should be cut out and nailed to the edges of the plank, which are removed from the ends at equal distances. The frame is fastened with nails to the ceiling .
To mask the sides, trims are made. The bottom frame is closed by a board. Now you can begin to manufacture box-shaped beams and fixation of these elements perpendicular to the longitudinal bars. Particular attention should be paid to joints and corners.
The resulting gaps are processed by thin profile rails. The coffered wooden ceilings are decorated at the next stage. They can be pasted over with a film, painted or supplemented with stucco. Some for this purpose use wooden carved patterns that are fixed on staples or glue.
Rules for installing plates
If you have a question about how to make a coffered ceiling, then you need to understand how the plates are installed. You can find them on sale. Work with these elements should be in a certain order. According to the marking, the plates are fixed to the surface using brackets. It is necessary to proceed from the central part.
Decorative slats are installed in the gaps between the elements. Ceiling skirtings are fixed around the perimeter of the room. With the help of fillets, you can hide the gap, which is sometimes formed due to uneven walls and corners. Polyurethane coffered ceilings made of plates may include the installation of deaf products without holes. In this case, there is no need to wallpaper the base. The squares themselves can be installed on the crate.
Fixing MDF ceilings
This material is lighter, therefore it will be easier to work with it than with wood. But its operational properties are worse, so the design will last less. The installation of elements from MDF is carried out as follows: according to the applied marking, it is necessary to install a crate of thin strips. The wood for this is left to adapt for several days in the room. After that, it is treated with an antiseptic composition.
One part is fixed in the center of the ceiling. This will ensure uniformity of the picture. The fasteners are self-tapping screws that are screwed into the grooves. The remaining elements are fixed according to the spike-groove system. At the next stage, you can begin to install the baseboard around the perimeter of the room. If desired, the plates are painted with acrylic composition or decorated in another way.
Plasterboard ceiling installation
Installation of drywall caissons is similar to the installation of suspended ceilings. For the work you will need ceiling profiles and guides. You must purchase suspensions, screws of various sizes and connecting crabs. A marking line is applied to the walls and around the perimeter of the room. It will become the level of placement of the tiers of the structure.
At equidistant distances from the jumpers, the mounting points of the suspensions are indicated. The guide profile is mounted on the wall, it is necessary to navigate along the line. Suspensions are fixed at the marked points. A longitudinal profile is strengthened on them. Next, you can proceed with the installation of jumpers. In the process, crabs will help you.
The entire perimeter of the ceiling will be occupied by the frame. In places where caissons are installed, a profile along the length of the room is fixed to the coating. Jumpers are cut out of it and fixed perpendicular to the installed elements. In the resulting rectangles, profile sections will be located in a vertical position. The length of the segments should correspond to the depth of the niche. On the edges of the figure should be two parts, one of which will be located in the center. If the cell is smaller than a meter, then you can limit yourself to two racks.
The ends of the vertical segments are connected by a profile. At this point, you can lay the wiring by placing it in the corrugated sleeve. The resulting protrusions are sheathed with drywall. This will help the screws. Their hats are sunk into the base. From sheets of drywall, parts are cut, the area of which will be equal to the internal size of the cells. Each element is fixed inside the caisson. The joints are glued with reinforcing tape, the next layer will be putty. She should fill the places of the recesses from the fasteners. The coating is enhanced by applying glass fiber to its surface.
Finishing putty is applied as thin as possible. After that, it should be left until dry. Roughness can be wiped with fine-grained paper and dust can be removed. The coating is primed. This will improve adhesion with a further finishing layer. After the primer has dried, you can proceed with further finishing work. Drywall can be painted, wallpapered or complemented with stucco.
Finally
Caisson ceiling systems can be made of different materials. As one of them is polyurethane, which has high performance characteristics. It is fire resistant, durable and lightweight. But such designs are quite expensive, but the price is offset by the ease of installation. But, despite the high cost, wood is still the most popular material. This also applies to the installation of coffered ceiling systems.