Today, there are many ways to decorate ceilings in residential and public buildings. This is a classic whitewash, and wallpapering of a given surface, and tension and suspension structures, including multi-level ones. False ceilings can be rack (metal and PVC), plasterboard, made of plastic panels, tiled (such as Armstrong), cassette.
Each of these types of ceiling structures, of course, has its own advantages. If you want to choose the most budgetary, but at the same time practical and having certain aesthetic advantages option, you can stop on the suspended ceiling made of plastic panels. Such designs are especially popular in bathrooms, kitchens, hallways, loggias, garages. How to make ceilings from plastic panels will be discussed in the article.
Features of PVC panels
PVC decorative panels are a hollow structure arranged according to the type of honeycomb, with a large number of stiffeners and, accordingly, air cells inside. The plates are equipped with locks at the edges, representing on the one hand a ridge, and on the other a groove. Thanks to such a device, it is possible to easily and qualitatively dock them together.
The main advantage of this material is moisture resistance. In addition, plastic panels are hygienic because they do not contain pores on the surface, and therefore mold or fungus will not be able to choose them. Mistresses really appreciate how easy and simple it is to care for this material: it is enough to wipe them occasionally with rags moistened with soapy water. That is why making the ceiling in the kitchen with plastic panels is a very attractive option.
Manufacturers guarantee the service life of plastic panels for at least 10 years. In fact, if everything is done correctly, the ceilings will last much longer without loss of quality. The plastic is frost-resistant, able to withstand significant changes in temperature, is not susceptible to decay, it is not afraid of pests.
PVC ceiling advantages
If it is time to update the repair in the apartment, but you want to get by with the small expenditures of money and effort, not to spread a lot of dirt, you should think about how to make a suspended ceiling from plastic panels, because the installation process is quite simple and will not require any special tricks. During operation, if such a need arises, it will be possible to easily replace one or more panels with new ones.
Another advantage is a wide selection of panel colors. They can be matte or glossy, with a pattern or plain, imitate natural materials: metal, stone, wood and even a mirror. There are plastic panels for ceiling and wall. It is not necessary to confuse them: the latter are more stiff and heavy, so it is not recommended to pile them on the ceiling.
Plastic panels are a finishing material that has a very affordable price. Plus, you can save on a team of repairmen: the material is light both in processing and in weight, and the idea of how to make a ceiling of plastic panels yourself is very real. If you make the structure hinged, then the resulting gap can be used to hide communications, arrange additional noise and heat insulation, spotlights. In addition, in apartment buildings there are such significant defects in ceilings - cracks, crevices, level differences - that rather than trying to level this mess, it is better to seriously think about how to make ceilings from plastic panels.
Environmental safety of the material
Plastic, of course, is not a natural material, but it is considered absolutely safe for humans. Indeed, PVC has found very wide application in everyday life, industry, and medicine. Nevertheless, making the ceiling in the room with plastic panels is not the best idea, especially if it is a bedroom. Advantages of this material will be more appropriate in other rooms. For example, you can make the ceiling in the toilet with plastic panels. If you choose glossy light models for this, it is able to visually expand the dimensions of the bathroom.
Disadvantages of plastic panel ceilings
Before seriously thinking about how to make ceilings from plastic panels in an apartment, you need to have an idea not only about the advantages, but also about certain disadvantages of this material.
Plastic does not support combustion and fades, but at the same time smokes and emits toxic substances. No wonder it is forbidden to finish evacuation routes in case of fire in public and administrative buildings and premises. Plastic panels - the material is quite fragile, it is easily damaged during shock loads. In principle, such an impact does not threaten the ceiling, but it should be borne in mind during transportation and installation.
Another disadvantage of decorating ceilings with decorative plastic panels is that you cannot build an original structure from this material, but it looks rather rustic. However, if you correctly think through the design and combine various materials during the repair process, you will certainly not be ashamed of the result.
Joints between panels will always be visible, even with the most accurate installation. But sometimes it’s even welcome: for example, if a material that imitates wood is used. Economical models of plastic panels tend to fade over time, so it is better to choose a better material.
How to make a suspended ceiling from plastic panels: preparatory work
Special preparatory work, in fact, is not required. It is enough to brush dust and cobwebs from the ceiling, to clean those places where the plaster is peeling off. You can fill the deepest cracks. But there is no need to especially zeal: the new ceiling will cover all defects.
What is really important is to make sure that there is no mold and fungus, and primer the surface with special antiseptic compounds that prevent their occurrence. For convenience, it is worth the maximum to free the room from furniture, remove the eaves with curtains, and remove the carpets. However, there will not be much dust.
Purchase of panels for the ceiling
Before figuring out all the nuances of how to properly make a ceiling from plastic panels, and putting this knowledge into practice, it is necessary to calculate the amount of materials for the future ceiling. Knowing the values of the area of the room and one plastic panel (this value is indicated on the package), it is easy to calculate the number of plates by dividing the first number by the second and rounding the resulting value up. It is unreasonable to buy materials without a margin: after all, the panels will have to be cut off, or marriage will get caught, or something may not work the first time - so it’s better to foresee such moments. Typically, standard plastic panels are 24 cm wide and 3 m long, but other options are possible.
When choosing PVC ceiling panels, you need to pay attention to their quality. The edges should be even, without chips, burrs, and the pattern should be applied evenly. A quality panel can withstand repeated bending at the same place without cracks. Stiffeners should not be visible on the front of the panel. It is definitely worth checking how easily two plastic strips fit together and if there is no gap between them.
Materials for the frame
In addition to the actual PVC panels, for the arrangement of the ceiling, metal profiles or a wooden beam will be needed. From these materials it will be necessary to build a crate, to which the panels for the ceiling will be attached. Profiles or beams are fastened both around the perimeter of the room and parallel to one of the walls with a step of 50-60 cm. If you decide to arrange the panels perpendicular to the window opening so that the joints are not visible, then, therefore, ceiling strips must be fixed along the wall with the window .
The amount of the guide profile is easy to calculate: this value will be equal to the perimeter of the room. With ceiling slats more complicated. We will have to draw a diagram of the room on a scale on which to draw the required number of parallel lines, indicating the frame for ceiling plates, and make careful calculations.
You will also need a decorative PVC baguette (collapsible or monolithic): with it, you can close the joints of surfaces. In addition, the ends of the ceiling panels are tucked into the groove of this baseboard.
Fasteners and Tools
For fixing the frame and plastic ceiling plates, you will need dowels and screws, the number of which is calculated taking into account the fact that for every half meter of the profile or panel one fastener is needed. Ceiling slats are fastened with direct suspensions, located on average 70 cm from each other, and for this you will also need dowels.
Now about the tool. It is necessary to have: a drill, a puncher, a screwdriver, a hacksaw for metal, a building level, a tape measure, a ruler, a pencil and, of course, a stepladder.
Mounting frame mounting
It should be noted that the entire installation process can be divided into two stages: the device of the frame and the actual assembly of the ceiling. First you need to determine the size of the gap between the base and false ceilings. It depends on what exactly is planned to be placed in this gap. Perhaps these will be spotlights, and then at least 10 cm will be needed. To lay the wiring, 3-5 cm is enough.
Having determined with the help of the level the lowest corner of the ceiling, a report should be kept from this point, and as a result, a line should be drawn around the room perimeter. This marking will be a guide for fastening the guide profile, which you need to drill very tightly against the wall, without cracks and voids. Bearing in mind that the ceiling frame strips (they use a less rigid profile than the one that is fixed around the perimeter) will be located perpendicular to the plastic panels, they are installed in increments of 50-60 cm, inserting the ends into the guide profile and fixing on suspensions every 70 see. You can navigate during installation by fishing line stretched across the room.
In principle, you can also build a supporting frame from a wooden beam, which is attached directly to the base ceiling, but only if it is not about rooms with high humidity. In any case, the wooden elements of the frame should be pre-treated with an antiseptic. Given that the ceilings in modern apartments are often uneven, it will not be so easy to expose each wooden rail strictly horizontally.
At the stage of mounting the frame, you should think about the electrician and do not forget to put the wiring in the right places. The frame must be strengthened at the location of the lighting fixtures. Further along the perimeter of the room, a decorative PVC baguette for ceiling panels is attached to the guide profiles: in whole, if the model is monolithic, or its removable bar, if the baseboard is collapsible. In this case, its decorative part is installed after the assembly of the ceiling.
Installing PVC panels
When the frame is ready, begin assembling the ceiling from the wall. Pre-remove the protective film from the ceiling panels. The first plate is inserted into the grooves of the plinths - both longitudinal and transverse, after which it is fixed with screws to the frame. The following is installed similarly, with the exception that, instead of the longitudinal groove of the baseboard, the fastening takes place to an adjacent panel. Each subsequent panel easily snaps into the groove of the previous one, after which it is attached to the crate with screws. Plastic panels are pre-trimmed so that their length is 5 mm less than the corresponding room size. Holes for fixtures in the plates must be made in advance. If mounting is done on a wooden crate, you can use staples instead of screws, but this is not a very reliable option.
When installing the panels, care must be taken to bend them along the arc not too much so as to prevent distortion. The last panel, most likely, will have to be pre-cut to the desired width. It is not necessary to fix it with self-tapping screws - it will be enough to fix it in the grooves of the previous panel and the PVC baseboard. This work with a sufficient degree of skill is carried out quickly.
There is another way to make ceilings from plastic panels - frameless. In this case, the panels sit on liquid nails directly to the ceiling. But this option requires a perfectly flat base surface, and therefore it is not always acceptable.