At first glance, it would seem that today it is not difficult to find beautiful high-quality ceiling coverings. The choice of such products in construction supermarkets is huge. However, this is the opinion of people who have not yet encountered repair.
In fact, the problem lies precisely in the large selection of materials offered. They differ in technical characteristics, external features, cost. In this article we will present you the most popular options for ceiling coatings, the materials from which they are made. In addition, you will find out under what conditions it is recommended to use them. We hope that our recommendations will help you in choosing the right option.
Types of Ceiling Covers
Today, several popular coating options are used that are used in residential premises. We will present you the most common of them.
Whitewashing or painting
This finish is only suitable for perfectly flat surfaces. Without preliminary preparation of the ceiling, you cannot get a good result.
Wallpapering
This is a rather old way of decoration, which has not lost its relevance today. It is used not only for decoration of residential premises, but also in the design of offices and small retail premises.
Suspended structures
Today, one of the most common ways to repair the ceiling in apartments. For its manufacture, a special frame is made, to which the external finish is attached - different materials from which you can create interesting compositions suitable for different interiors.
Cassettes, plates
Ceilings that are assembled on the frame of individual elements. It can be plates, metal cassettes, gratings. This type includes Armstrong ceilings and grillato ceilings. Most often, this type of ceiling is used in commercial or office premises.
Tension web
These modern ceiling coverings are gaining more and more popularity every year. This is due to the versatility of the material and its wide possibilities for design.
Panels and plates
They can be made of foam or plastic. Polyurethane or plastic plates are often used in cottages or in budget repair of apartments.
Types of ceiling coatings are divided into several groups:
- Outboard.
- Stretch.
- Plastered.
- Bindery.
- Glue.
The most commonly used ceiling today . This is a structure that consists of facing elements and a frame. As a rule, a wooden or metal frame holding the plates is created in the form of a lattice, which is held on suspensions that are attached to the wall or the main ceiling. Cladding materials are mounted after the frame is completely fixed to the suspensions. They must meet the basic requirements: have the same shape and size of the panel. Professional installers call these elements modules or registries.
The creation of such a ceiling is justified when it is necessary to make the main ceiling “invisible”, but at the same time maintain access to engineering systems and communications - computer and television wiring, ventilation and thermal equipment, and electrics. These structures contain fire systems, ventilation grilles, lighting devices and at the same time, the acoustics are noticeably improved. By the type of facing material used, such ceilings can be lattice, modular, solid or rack.
Advantages of suspended structures:
Durability
Installation ceilings of this type of ceiling provide a fairly long warranty. Giving a warranty card for ten years, they are usually reinsured: in reality, the design lasts much longer, without changing the technical characteristics and external features.
Aesthetics
False ceiling coverings perfectly hide the imperfections of the main surface. For their installation there is no need to perfectly level the surface, whiten or paint it.
Heat and sound insulation
Such ceiling coatings for rooms provide high resistance to sudden changes in temperature, which is especially important in apartments located in a multi-storey building. Excellent sound insulation ensures that noisy neighbors will not bother you.
Even the best ceiling coverings have disadvantages. In suspended structures, they include:
- Reducing the distance between the floor and the ceiling. This design reduces the height of the room by 5-15 cm. With a height of the main ceiling of less than three meters, this can be considered a significant drawback.
- Pretty high cost. Whitewashing or painting, no doubt, does not require large financial investments, but when the ceiling is uneven, covered in cracks, then additional expenses will be required to level it. In addition, in this case, additional inconveniences should be considered: dirt, dust, construction debris.
- Without the help of professionals, it is difficult to quickly and correctly make such a ceiling. Special knowledge, skills and equipment are needed.
For any ceiling structures, you can use various coatings, from which the decorative canvas is assembled. Therefore, choosing a suitable design, you should choose the material from which the ceiling will be made.
Materials for ceiling coatings
Modern ceiling coatings can have a different design and have different properties, which allows them to be used in different rooms. Characteristics depend on the properties of the selected material. Let's look at what ceiling coatings are and their types, what properties they have.
Plaster
This type of finish has long been well known. It is quite complex and laborious to implement. A lot of time (even for professionals) takes the leveling of the surface, its putty and painting. In addition, to achieve a good result, it is necessary to mount a special plaster grid.
However, subject to technology, you can get the ceiling of the highest quality, which will be characterized by perfect smoothness. And one more important point: for rooms too low (for example, in Khrushchev), this option is sometimes the only one, since it does not reduce the height of the room.
Such a coating has a significant drawback - the difficulty in cleaning, it is impossible to wash. If such decoration is carried out in a new building, very soon the surface may become covered with cracks that form during the shrinkage of the building.
Wallpaper
To reduce labor costs, putty and coloring can be replaced by wallpapering. This will significantly reduce the cost of the ceiling. In principle, any wallpaper can be glued to the surface of the ceiling, but in order to get a high-quality coating, it is better to use special canvases designed specifically for this surface.
Adhesive ceiling coatings are often used not only in residential premises, but also in offices and trade enterprises. The basis for the manufacture of such material is fiberglass. Experts recommend using the following types of wallpaper for the ceiling:
- vinyl;
- non-woven;
- the liquid wallpaper;
- cullet.
Before gluing, preparation of the ceiling is required. You can not correct minor defects, but large cracks should definitely be repaired. At a cost these are very affordable ceilings. Wallpaper ceiling can be used as a budget option for surface refinement. The disadvantages include the impossibility of wet cleaning.
Polystyrene foam tile
Installation of this material is carried out on floor slabs with glue. It should be noted that when using ordinary plates, the surface does not look very attractive (although this is a matter of taste). Much prettier are the seamless canvases that are assembled from such plates. The special shape of the edge and the special pattern allow you to create the appearance of a solid surface.
Today, special models of this material have appeared, from which it is possible to create an imitation of other ceiling structures. The advantages of this coating include low cost and the ability not to process the base surface. The disadvantage of this coating is its outdated appearance.
Rack cover and plastic panels
Such coatings are similar in installation and technical specifications. Differences exist in their appearance, as well as in the price range. By their type, they belong to suspended ceilings. Making such a ceiling with your own hands is quite simple. It does not require preliminary surface preparation.
These coatings are also interesting from a design point of view. Communications and ventilation can be carried out inside such a design, and in the ceiling itself, for example, spotlights can be made.
The disadvantage of this design is a decrease in ceiling height of about seven centimeters. However, it is very easy to install and a beautiful view of the decor. The panels are available with different patterns, but the most commonly used imitations are wood surfaces with a characteristic pattern. The panels are mounted on a frame base or on glue, directly on the ceiling.
In the first case, you can get a kind of suspended ceiling. The second option is much simpler and can be used even in not too high rooms. Since natural materials are valued today, panels covered with real wood veneer may be an excellent choice.
Plastic and metal ceiling coverings look interesting. In the bathroom or kitchen, they will be indispensable, because water resistance and easy care in these rooms are important.
Tension web
In recent years, stretch ceilings are increasingly being installed in residential premises. Today, it is safe to say that this is the best ceiling covering. It refers to a variety of false ceiling. Today, the stretch fabric is characterized by a variety of textures and a rich color scheme. For their manufacture, a wide variety of films are used, as well as textiles, which do not require the use of a heat gun during installation.
Stretch cloths, regardless of the material used, have excellent performance and can be applied in any room. If desired, a drawing can be applied to the stretch fabric. This allows you to create unique ceiling structures.
Despite the fact that today these ceiling coverings are very popular, we can not say about the existing disadvantages of this design:
- a decrease in height, which is characteristic of all suspended structures;
- the difficulty of transferring fixtures without the help of a specialist;
- the inability to repair damage to the canvas;
- high cost (it should be noted here that today the cost of such coverage has decreased, and it can already compete with drywall).
Drywall
And these are the most versatile ceiling coverings. They have proven themselves as reliable and high-quality material. GKL is mounted on a frame base, and the final appearance of the design depends only on the imagination of the designer or your own.
Drywall allows you to create a composition of almost any form. It is believed that this is expensive material, but this is not true. At first, when it first appeared on our market, its value was somewhat overpriced, but today it is not the most expensive way of decoration.
It should be noted that today there are new samples of this material, which are characterized by increased moisture resistance, which allows you to use it even in the bathroom.
Mirror Panels
In addition to the fact that the mirrored ceiling coverings are very beautiful, they will help you create a unique interior in any room: they will "raise" the ceiling, visually expand the room, make it brighter and more spacious.
In installation, the mirror ceiling resembles a cassette, but there is a difference: in it, the modules from drywall are replaced by mirror plates, which are glued with anti-shatter film for strength and protection on the back. The size of the plates is standard - 600x600 mm. This design is held by profiles, which can be of various colors, as well as mirror like the plates themselves. This ceiling has a high level of moisture resistance, so it can be successfully used in the bathroom (of course, if the height allows).
As you can see, the choice of ceiling coverings is great today. Nevertheless, if you take into account all the advantages and disadvantages of existing structures and materials, you can certainly make the right choice for your premises.