DIY installation of suspended ceilings

When you enter the apartment after repair, your eyes involuntarily stop on the ceiling. Stucco and whitewashing are a thing of the past. Today, stretch ceilings are becoming increasingly popular. Glossy or matte, white or color, plain or multicolor, fabric or PVC film - they can become a real decoration of the room. Moreover, the installation of suspended ceilings is actually possible to carry out independently, without resorting to the services of specialists.

What is required

Installation requires working tools and special accessories for suspended ceilings.

Most tools can be found in the arsenal of any man. Missing people will have to buy or rent. Their list is as follows:

• tape measure or laser meter;
• level, for greater accuracy it is better to use a laser device;
• hammer drill;
• hammer;
• screwdriver or screwdriver;
• angular and straight scapula;
• sharp knife;
• a heat gun or a special building hair dryer (needed in case of installing a PVC structure).

The list of accessories and supplies looks like this:

• aluminum or plastic profiles;
• decorative plug;
• platforms and thermal rings for mounting recessed lamps and chandeliers;
• pipe contours (if necessary);
• dowels with screws for concrete or wood screws;
• glue;
• the canvas of the future ceiling.

The canvas can be made of two types of material:

• from a PVC film (polyvinyl chloride);
• from a special weave fabric with polystyrene impregnation.

If the installation of suspended ceilings is carried out on their own without the participation of professionals, it is better to use fabric cloths. The technology of their installation does not require the use of hazardous equipment in the form of a heat gun.

Where to begin?

First you need to free the room from furniture and household appliances. If this is not possible, move everything to the center of the room, providing unhindered access to all walls, and cover it with dust protection.

Next, a thorough audit of the old ceiling base is necessary. To clear it of everything that can crumble, peel off and fall off. If there are overlapping slabs on the surface of the joints, the seams formed by them must be cleaned, filled with polyurethane foam and treated thoroughly. It is recommended to cover the entire surface of the cleaned ceiling with a special primer that protects against mold, rot and other similar troubles.

Then you should plan the location of lighting on the future ceiling surface. For self-installation, built-in or false spots for stretch ceilings are ideal. Electric wires must be fixed to the base ceiling, they must not sag and touch the material of the stretch ceiling.

Measuring work

After the preparatory work is over, the question arises: how to measure the stretch ceiling? A number of tips will help in this responsible matter.

1. Measurements should be made using tools that give the most accurate result. A laser meter is best suited, in extreme cases, you can use a tape measure.
2. Measurement work must be fixed on the drawing, which will look like a top view of the room.
3. The corners in the drawing are designated by Latin letters and connected by their diagonals.
4. Measure the perimeter and diagonals of the room as close to the ceiling as possible and record the results on the drawing.

With the result, you can go to buy a ceiling canvas.

Mounting a stretch ceiling

The installation technology of a PVC tension structure is divided into stages, the observance of the sequence of which is fundamental.

• Drawing a marking on walls. To do this, measure the height of the walls in all corners of the room and apply labels at the required level. Connect them in a straight line.
• Installation of profiles. Fix profiles to the wall with dowels or screws with an interval between them of no more than 7-8 cm. The mounting location must match the marking line.

• Installation of a ceiling cloth.
  • Before unpacking the stretch ceiling canvas, it is necessary to clean the floor of dust and debris that can damage the thin PVC material.
  • According to the installation technology, the room must be warmed up to 40 degrees. This is a prerequisite that will allow you to evenly stretch the canvas and correctly carry out installation of the entire structure.
  • The canvas is hung with the help of special hinged clamps, pre-installed in the corners of the room. The base corner of the canvas is attached first. It is marked on the ceiling material by the manufacturer. Then you need to fix the opposite corner. The procedure is repeated until all corners of the canvas are fixed in the clamps.
  • The suspended canvas is heated by a heat gun to 70–80 degrees to give it elasticity.
  • Further, the ceiling material is fixed in profiles at all corners of the room with the help of a special tool - an angular blade. The sequence of fixation is the same as when hanging. Then, straight sections along the walls are fixed.
  • If there are seams on the canvas, it is recommended that you first fasten them. It should be remembered that the ceiling is pulled and fastened in small pieces opposite each other.

• Installation of fixtures. A thermal ring is glued to the place for mounting the lighting devices, then a hole in the stretch ceiling is cut with a sharp tool. The spots for suspended ceilings are mounted on special racks that are pre-mounted on the base ceiling.
• Mounting a decorative plug. An alternative could be lightweight foam skirting boards that need to be attached to the wall, and not to the ceiling material.

The technology for installing fabric stretch ceilings goes through the same steps, with slight differences in the process:

• the room and the canvas itself do not require heating,
• the ceiling from the fabric to the profiles is fastened from the middle of the wall to the corners.

Tip: before you start work for the first time, you should watch videos about how to install stretch ceilings of the master. This will help to avoid possible errors during the installation of the ceiling and to comply with the entire process technology.

Types of fastening of stretch linens

For the installation of a stretch ceiling, several types of web fastening are used:

1. Harpoon - suitable for installing only PVC ceilings. Around the entire perimeter of the canvas is a special flexible element made of polyvinyl chloride, called a harpoon. Fixing the canvas in a baguette is carried out according to the principle of the tool of the same name. An aluminum profile specially designed for this purpose is required for fastening.
2. Clip - is used exclusively for the installation of fabric ceilings. Based on the principle of the latch. A special plastic profile is used for fastening.
3. Shtapikovy or wedge - used for installation of PVC paintings and fabrics. An aluminum profile in the shape of the letter P is used to fix them. The canvas is fixed in the profile by means of a glazing bead (wedge) made of wood or plastic.

Schematically, the types of fastening are as follows:

Tip: before you go shopping for supplies and accessories for a stretch ceiling, you should decide on the type of stretch fabric and the type of attachment.

How to combine stretch ceilings and drywall?

Often, according to the design plan or if necessary, the stretch ceiling has to be fixed to plasterboard structures. In this case, a number of features of working with this material should be taken into account.

Drywall is a fragile thing. Conventional self-tapping screws and dowels will not be able to stay in it under the force of tension of the ceiling sheet. Therefore, the places to which the baguette will be attached to fix the stretch fabric should be reinforced with embedded profiles or suitable sized wooden blocks. For this purpose, it is also possible to mount a profile that is wider than the standard one, which is used to create a crate for drywall constructions.

A plasterboard box under a suspended ceiling is mounted first. The installed structure is putty and covered with paint of the desired shade. In the future, the installation technology of the stretch ceiling described above is observed.