Plastic ceiling with your own hands

Plastic panels for ceilings are a good alternative to gypsum boards. Lightweight in installation, durable in use, they perfectly mask the defects of the ceiling surface and give the room an attractive appearance. It is not difficult to mount a plastic ceiling with your own hands, if you carefully study the technology.

Tools and materials for work

What?s in the process not to be distracted by the search for all the necessary tools and materials should be prepared in advance:

• level;
• backing;
• screwdriver;
• elbow;
• drills and dowel-nails;
• aluminum profile or wooden slats;
• UD profile 28 mm;
• hacksaw with small teeth;
• self-tapping screws;
• hangers;
• primer;
• ceiling skirting board;
• plastic panels.
  

  Tools for mounting

The level is better to use the watermark, so the markup will be done faster and with greater accuracy. The frame from the racks can be mounted only in a dry room, in a bathroom or in the kitchen it is better to mount an aluminum profile. If the ceiling length is longer than the length of the panels, an H-shaped connecting molding will additionally be required. Its design allows you to securely fix two adjacent panels and avoid sagging at the junction.

Calculating the number of materials

When planning a ceiling repair, it is very important to calculate the number of required materials correctly. This will help to avoid unnecessary costs and reduce the amount of waste after repair. First, calculate the ceiling area, multiplying its length by the width. Similarly, determine the area of ​​one panel, and then divide the area of ​​the ceiling by the area of ​​the panel and round off the resulting value in a larger direction.

As the paneling will be cut out during installation, and the material may not be sufficient, it is recommended to increase the ceiling area by at least 10% when calculating. If the ceiling surface has a complex configuration, it is better to add 15% to the pruning. In addition to the panels, we also need racks for the frame;to determine the total length of the rails, you need to divide the width of the ceiling by 0.3 and multiply by its length.

When fixing the ceiling slats to the ceiling, the dowels and screws are placed at a distance of 40 cm from each other. The starting profile is fixed every 0.5 m. Knowing the length of all rails and profile, it is not difficult to calculate the number of fasteners. The total length of the profile UD is equal to the perimeter of the ceiling plus 10% to the joints. The same length should be and ceiling skirting. The consumption of the primer mixture is usually indicated by the manufacturer on the package, so when buying you need to know the ceiling area.

Important point: when buying plastic panels, you should immediately check their integrity in the packaging and the absence of defective items. Often it happens that having unpacked a home purchase, people find defective, curved or broken panels, free replacement of which is very difficult to achieve.

Plastic ceiling installation technology

Surface preparation

The panel connection is quite dense, but not sealed, and therefore the smallest particles of dust, lime and plaster from the ceiling surface can penetrate through the seams. In addition, mold, often in the corners, often appears on the ceiling, and the spores of the fungus also enter the room and are inhaled by people. To exclude such trouble, it is necessary to prepare everything correctly.

You do not need to level the ceiling, but you must remove the peeling whitewash or plaster. It is best to walk on the ceiling with a brush with a stiff bristle, and then wipe with a damp rag from the dust. Cracks and through holes are ground with putty or cement mortar. At the end, the ceiling is twice grounded with an antifungal composition of deep penetration.

Marking for the start profile

For the ceiling to be level, the panels must be in the same horizontal plane. To do this, perimeter on the walls produce an accurate marking for the starting profile. Depending on the curvature of the working surface and the thickness of the wiring from the ceiling, they retreat downwards by 5-10 cm. Mark the point on the wall with a pencil and start marking the level with it. The tags are placed in each corner and in the middle of the walls, and then they are connected by means of a pile.

Fastening of the UD profile

To the concrete walls, the starting profile is fastened with dowel-nails or anchor bolts, pre-drilled holes in the marking line. To the wooden surface, the frame is screwed with long self-tapping screws. The fixing step is 50 cm. The profile is applied to the marking, leveled horizontally and screwed. In the joints, as well as along the entire length, there should be no gaps between the wall and the profile.

Assembly of the frame

The rails of the battens are arranged in parallel rows every 30-40 cm. First draw straight lines, from one of the walls 30 cm. With these lines, with metal spikes. Suspensions are fitted with a lath made of profile or slats whose ends are wound in the starting profile along the perimeter, then the structure is checked by the building level. All elements must be strictly in the same plane, any irregularities and deviations from the horizontal will lead to deformation of the ceiling.

Laying the wiring

When the frame is securely fixed, proceed with the installation of the electrical wiring. Thoroughly think over the arrangement of cables, the point of output of fixtures, ventilation ducts. Each system should be as far as possible isolated from the rest, and the cables, hoses and wires are neatly fastened in bundles with plastic clips. It is desirable that the wires are in the corrugation and firmly attached to the ceiling;The sagging of the wiring elements is not permissible. Where the lighting device will be installed, it is necessary to additionally strengthen the lath with guide rails. In conclusion, once again check the horizontality and strength of the fastening of the crate, the absence of protruding parts beyond the frame.

Assembly of plastic panels

Prepare the L-bar and the first panel: measure the distance between the walls and cut the plastic with a hacksaw. The ends of the extreme bars are cut at an angle of 45 degrees. Please note that the panels are mounted perpendicular to the guide profile. The first is the L-shaped bar;it is fixed with screws to the slats located along the perimeter of the ceiling. On the other hand, where the casing will end, you do not need to fasten the bar yet. Next, the first panel is inserted into one profile by one side, keeping it in a horizontal position along the entire length.

If the ceilings have a large area, work better with the assistant, since keeping the panel on the weight and at the same time fixing it to the crate is quite inconvenient. The free lateral edge of the panel is fixed with screws to the supporting profile or slats. Thin plastic can be attached to the wooden rail with a construction stapler. Each subsequent panel is mounted in the same way, gently inserting the ends into the L-shaped slats.

When using panels of short length, the cross seams are recommended to be staggered. So the ceiling will look more attractive. Trimming each element is done sequentially, as soon as the previous one is fixed. This helps to reduce the consumption of material and more precise fitting of joints.

When installing panels in the outlet of the wiring in plastic, pre-cut holes of the desired diameter. This can be done with a sharp clerical knife. The last bar is first adjusted to the width of the hole, then inserted into the L-shaped profile, and its edge is glued with glue and inserted into the ceiling. If instead of the profile it is planned to use a ceiling skirting board, the edge of the panel can be fixed with screws - they will not be visible under the baguette.

During the gluing of the baguettes, it is necessary to apply them very carefully to the ceiling, so as not to contaminate the plastic. If this happens, you should immediately wipe the glue with a clean cloth, because it is difficult to clean it after drying. At this installation of the plastic ceiling is considered complete.

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