DIY stretch ceiling repair

The material from which stretch ceilings are made is quite durable and can be used for several decades with careful handling. But life is an endless movement. Rearrangement or installation of large furniture, children's games and pranks, malfunctioning lighting fixtures or leaking pipes from neighbors from above can cause damage to the ceiling. In this case, the repair of suspended ceilings may be required.

Types of damage to the tensile structure

In fact, a stretch ceiling is a canvas made of polyvinyl chloride or fabric stretched and fixed on the frame. When mounting such a structure, a space is formed between the building floor and its canvas. Due to this, it becomes very sensitive to mechanical stress.

The most common damages to the tensile structure are:

• puncture, cut, rupture;
• flooding;
• flashing the ceiling;
• sagging.

A set of repair work will depend on what damage the stretch ceiling received.

Repairing a cut, puncture, or tear

Cuts and punctures are the damage most commonly experienced by tensile structures. When such a misfortune happens, the question arises before the owner: how to fix a hole in a stretch ceiling at minimal cost? It all depends on what material the canvas is made of and what dimensions the “wound” has.

Fabric ceiling

In the case of a cut on the fabric, you can repair the stretch ceiling with your own hands. After detecting damage, it must be sealed with a piece of glass or a particle of material remaining after installation. The patch is glued on the back of the coating with transparent glue. Cyanoacrylate-based adhesive is ideal for this. The repair site should be painted with a suitable paint.

Tip: if the cut is very small, it can be sewn with kapron threads to match the ceiling.

PVC canvas

It is good if a cut or puncture of a PVC film construction occurred near the wall (up to 15 cm). In this case, the web is dismantled from the cut side, the damaged material is cut along its entire length, the film is again stretched and tucked into the profile. The appearance of the surface during such repairs does not change.

If the damage is located at a more distant distance from the wall, it is not worth pulling the ceiling - this will damage the entire coating. In this case, you can resort to small tricks:

• in place of a small cut, install an additional lamp or ventilation grill;
• A large cut can be sealed with colored applique or panel.

A puncture on a 1-2 mm PVC ceiling can simply be treated with special glue. He will not allow the canvas to disperse further and will be almost invisible. With a large puncture, you need to act the same way as with a cut.

Important! In the case of tearing the material along the seam, it is unlikely to be glued. Such damage most often occurs due to poor-quality film. The canvas will have to be changed completely.

It must be remembered that if specialists installed the ceiling, it is better to resort to their help to repair it, and not think about how to fix a hole in the stretch ceiling on your own. In case of unsuccessful self-repair, the guarantee for the design will be lost and all actions to eliminate the negative consequences will have to be paid. To avoid this, seal the hole with tape, call the brigade from the installation company and calmly wait for their arrival.

Ceiling repair after flooding

Repair of suspended ceilings after flooding should be carried out in a certain sequence:

1. It is necessary to de-energize the room in order to avoid electrical closure.
2. Repair the cause of the leak.
3. Dismantle the chandelier or luminaire to drain the water through the hole that has formed. In case of their absence, dismantle a part of the ceiling located close to the accumulation of water or make a small puncture.
4. Gently drain the water.
5. Dry the canvas in a natural way or with a building hairdryer.
6. Fix the canvas, mount chandeliers and lamps, after checking their serviceability.
7. In case of formation of wrinkles and wrinkles on the surface, warm the canvas with a heat gun or a building hair dryer, the defects should disappear.

The described actions are relevant in case of flooding of the PVC ceiling with cold water. If very hot water gets on the film, the likelihood of repairs is very low, since under the influence of high temperatures the PVC material can be permanently deformed.

In the event of flooding of the fabric ceiling, he is unlikely to be able to return to his former appearance. A material of this kind absorbs water well and, after drying, spots and stains remain on it. Most likely, after such an incident, the fabric will have to be replaced.

Elimination of the effects of fusion of the tension web

The material of suspended ceilings under the influence of high temperatures begins to melt. The causes of melting can be improperly installed lighting device, the use of a bulb of greater than expected power, the contact of the canvas with sparks or fire.

In the case of reflowing the canvas near the lamps, the procedure will be as follows:

• need to dismantle the lighting device;
• check the health of the wiring;
• stick protective thermowell of larger diameter;
• return the lamp to its place and choose a lamp of suitable power.

Tip: in the case of fusion from contact with sparks or an open flame, proceed according to the same scenario as when removing cuts.

Sagging

Another trouble that can befall stretch ceilings is sagging.

If the stretch ceiling sagged in the center by 1% relative to the level of the perimeter, then this is considered the norm. If the sag is greater than this indicator, you need to find out the cause of this ailment. There may be several:

• Violation of the density of the fit of the profile to the wall. The stretch ceiling sags when a gap has formed between the wall and the profile of more than five centimeters. In this case, it is necessary to dismantle the ceiling fabric in the area where the profile lags, strengthen the frame and secure the fabric in place.
• Contact with foreign objects on the ceiling: plaster, insulation, drywall, falling off the base ceiling. In this case, you need to dismantle part of the ceiling canvas and remove the "culprits" of sagging.
• Defects in building ceiling. If there are gaps and holes in it, air enters the space between the stretch ceiling and the ceiling. Due to its movement, the ceiling “comes to life” and can sag. To eliminate such a sag, it is necessary to eliminate the disadvantages of the building floor by sealing it.
• Poor ceiling material. In this case, the sagging will have to be eliminated by completely replacing the canvas.
• Flooding.

Dismantling the tension web

There are times when it becomes necessary to repair the ceiling or electrical wiring. Then the question arises before the owner: how to remove the suspended ceiling without damaging it?

The procedure for dismantling the ceiling canvas is not particularly difficult, but it requires extreme accuracy. First you need to remove the decorative plug or baseboard. Next, you need to act depending on what type the ceiling belongs to:

• Before removing the stretch ceiling from PVC, its canvas should be heated with a heat gun. This will make it elastic and help protect against tears. The dismantling of such a ceiling must begin from the corners, moving towards the middle of the wall. The canvas from the profiles must be removed carefully without excessive force.

• To dismantle the fabric stretch ceiling, heating the web is not required. In this case, it is necessary to remove the ceiling covering from the profiles, starting from the middle of the wall, moving to the corners.

In both cases, the main thing is not to rush, to act confidently and accurately. Then the design can be mounted without problems back.