Styrofoam ceiling tile

One of the fastest simple and budgetary ways to update the ceiling in the apartment - polystyrene finish. At a cost, this way of decorating the ceiling can be compared with ordinary whitewashing, but unlike it, it allows you to implement a variety of design decisions. Foam ceiling tiles can be decorated with relief patterns, have a different color, simulate a variety of surfaces and materials from wood to stucco.

Pros and cons of ceiling tiles

If you are considering the option of decorating the ceiling with polystyrene and polystyrene tiles, then you can finally decide by getting to know the positive and negative sides of this stuff.

Advantages of ceiling tiles:

• polystyrene can be glued to any surface;
• light weight of material and ease of cutting ensure ease of installation;
• sound and heat insulation properties;
• material safety - the absence of substances harmful to health;
• low cost of tiles and glue for installation;
• correctly selected finishing material has a long service life;
• the large sizes of individual elements allow revetment of the ceiling in a short period of time;
• the installation of foam tiles practically does not reduce the height of the ceiling;
• the possibility of multiple staining - up to 7 times;
• simple dismantling.

Disadvantages:

• fragility of the material;
• vapor impermeability - the ceiling overlaps lose the ability to absorb excess moisture;
• difficulties in masking the seams between the individual elements of the ceiling;
• cheap foam quickly turns yellow.

Attention! It is not recommended to combine a foam ceiling in one room with vinyl wallpaper on the walls. Air- and vapor-tight materials will create a “thermos effect” in the room, which will lead to the formation of an unfavorable microclimate and an increased risk of development mold.

Types of Ceiling Tiles

Foam tile is divided into three types depending on the manufacturing method and its inherent properties.

1. Stamped tiles are made by stamping from polystyrene blocks. It has a low density, low weight and a thickness of 6-8 mm, has a relief pattern. This is the cheapest type of ceiling tiles, which has not the most outstanding properties. The material is distinguished by the absence of a protective coating, brittleness and fear of water, so the ceiling from such a foam can not be washed, only dry cleaning or wiping with a damp sponge is permissible. The stamped products may not have a clear enough shape, which can lead to the formation of gaps during installation.
2. Extruded tile is obtained by pressing polystyrene mass. It has a fairly high density, a thickness of 3 mm and is covered with a film that provides it with protection from dust and detergents. The smooth surface of such tiles can imitate marble, wood and other materials. Its advantages include high strength, durability and attractive appearance, to disadvantages - noticeable connecting seams, uneven back surface and impossibility staining.
3. Injection tile, which is made by baking polystyrene in molds, surpasses other types in its properties. It is characterized by a clear geometry of the relief pattern, a thickness reaching 14 mm and high strength. Ceilings from this type of foam look solid thanks to high-quality joints, which are almost invisible. Injection plates do not burn, wash with any detergent and can be painted in any color, they can be glued even in the bathroom.

Calculation of the number of plates

Calculating the required number of products for finishing the ceiling is simple - just know the area of ​​the ceiling for this. Since standard polystyrene foam ceiling slabs are square in shape with a side of 50 cm, 4 elements will be required per cladding per square meter of ceiling. Accordingly, to find out the required number of plates, you need to multiply the area by 4.

If the plates have a non-standard size and shape, it is necessary to find out how many plates fit on one square meter, and then multiply the resulting number by the area.

Tip: after making the calculations, do not forget to add another 2-3 pieces to the received quantity in case defective tiles or the need to glue small pieces to adjust surface. With a diagonal arrangement of the elements, the material consumption also increases.

The choice of composition for gluing

If the ceiling is well aligned, the following adhesives are recommended for tile installation:

• special adhesive for ceiling tiles "Titan";
• Eco-Naset universal adhesive - has sufficient viscosity, dries quickly;
• "Liquid nails" - a thick consistency allows you to apply glue with a thick layer, which can compensate for some surface irregularities;
• “Moment” - quickly grasps, but requires the use of a gun;
• PVA - odorless, but dries slowly.

For an insufficiently even ceiling, it is better to use instead of ordinary glue finishing puttywith which you can align the ceiling and glue the finishing material at the same time. When using dry putty, along with the required amount of water, add 200 grams of PVA glue per 1 kg of the mixture.

Surface preparation

Depending on the surface condition and the type of previous finish, the following preparatory work is carried out:

• in the presence of differences of more than 1 cm, the ceiling must be leveled;
• if the ceiling is glued with wallpaper, they must be removed and a primer applied to the surface;
• whitewashed ceiling - whitewash washed off, surface - primed;
• Oil paint - wash with soapy water, remove swollen paint;
• water-based paint - the surface is abundantly wetted, dried using a draft or heater, after half an hour the exfoliated paint is removed with a spatula.

The choice of installation method and layout of the ceiling

There are several ways to install ceiling tiles:

• parallel;
• diagonal
• with offset, according to the principle of masonry;
• combined options using tiles of different colors (staggered, along the perimeter of the ceiling, parallel or intersecting diagonals, squares and other figures).

To obtain beautiful foam ceilings with correctly positioned elements and even seams, markings must be applied without fail.

It is most convenient to act as follows:

• Using a stretched masking cord, mark two perpendicular lines on the ceiling, each of which bisects the wall. The point of intersection is the geometric center of the ceiling.

• For a parallel laying method, you can limit yourself to this marking or, for reliability, draw parallel lines at a distance equal to the width of the tile.

• If you are going to glue the boards in a diagonal way, make additional marking: from the center draw lines to the walls of the room at an angle of 45 degrees to the perpendicular lines of the original markup.

• It’s better to start gluing the tile from the center of the room, in some cases you can start from the most noticeable corner.

Gluing tiles

Gluing tiles to the ceiling is quite simple:

• A layer of glue or primer is applied to the center of the plate and along the edge. If necessary, glue can be applied to other areas.
• The tile is pressed against the ceiling and held for 15-30 seconds.

• If the glue has seized and the tile is held on the ceiling, you can proceed to the next.
• Near the walls, the size of the outer slabs is adjusted by cutting with a sharp knife.
• After finishing the ceilings of foam plastic tiles, the cracks between the elements are sealed with putty or acrylic sealant. If you glue foam products on the putty, then you can close the seams immediately during gluing.
• After the glue has completely dried, but not earlier than in a day, the foam ceiling can be painted with water-based paint.