Create a two-level ceiling from plasterboard

Now many apartment owners prefer not to hire professionals, but to create a two-level ceiling from plasterboard with their own hands.

This design can be installed in the living room, hallway, bedroom and even kitchen.

For a large living room, for example, a ceiling made of plasterboard is extremely relevant, because with its help you can divide space into separate zones.

In the hallway, such a ceiling will also look very appropriate, because with its help you can create an original interior.

In the kitchen, a two-level construction is used no less often, giving room, coziness and warmth.

The photo below shows the appearance of these ceilings in the hallway, living room and kitchen.

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In addition, using a drywall ceiling, you can hide various surface irregularities. In the hall and hallway it is, as a rule, electrical wiring and various communications, and in the kitchen there are pipes and air ducts.

Sometimes gypsum cardboard is covered with a special film, thus creating a two-level stretch ceiling.

Stretch ceiling has a glossy effect and looks gorgeous in the living room or hallway( in the kitchen it is done quite rarely).The photo below shows a variety of ceilings from plasterboard.

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The drywall itself is quite versatile and easy to process. It can be easily bent or cut into desired lengths, and it can take a wide variety of forms.

This characteristic of the material makes it possible to experiment with the design and implement even the most daring ideas.

In the photo below you see suspended ceilings from plasterboard of different shapes.

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As you can see, there are a lot of advantages, but what are the disadvantages of this design? Let's study them in more detail to understand what problems can arise when constructing such a design.

Cons of the ceilings from the plasterboard

Suspended ceilings in which the plasterboard is assembled from 2 levels have certain disadvantages:

• The design "eats" at least 18-20 cm from the height of the room. Of course, if your apartment has high ceilings, this will not play a big role, but if the housing does not have a high height, it is not recommended to make drywall in 2 levels( as an alternative, you can make a single-level structure);
• Difficulties in installing the structure. Such a system can be done by one's own hands, but during the execution of the work you will encounter certain difficulties. The main problem is cutting gypsum board. The material itself is cut easily, but it is difficult to cut exactly to the required size. For this process, certain tools are required, with which mostly professionals work.

The photo below shows how to properly cut material using special tools.

After cutting the sheets to assemble the frame and make the installation of the material will not be difficult, the work can easily be done with their own hands.

And now let's try to make installation of a two-level structure from gypsum board without involving specialists.

Design design and preparation of drawings

First you need to decide on the design of the ceiling, draw a scheme for the future design and prepare a special template.

The surface of the material can be straight, wavy or round. Also at this stage it is necessary to decide which height of the drywall will be optimal for you.

You can use ready-made design projects, or you can come up with the whole design yourself. The photo shows a version of the finished design project.

If the surface of the ceiling is sufficiently level, then the installation of drywall can be made close to it. If there are small irregularities on the surface, it is better to make a small gap.

Installation of the second level of the suspension structure is carried out at a distance of 10-15 cm( if the height of the room allows, the design of the project can be done with a large distance between levels).

Once the options for ceiling design for the hallway, living room or kitchen are ready, you can proceed directly to gypsum board measurements and drawings.

This work is simple:

• on plasterboard it is necessary to draw the boundaries of the future design;
• to mark up the fastenings of the suspensions;
• outline where the fixtures and other decorative elements will be installed, which includes a design project.

Marking is done using a ruler and a pencil. If necessary, the lines are wiped with a normal eraser. The photo below shows this stage of work with plasterboard.

Preparing the base

Take a meter or two-meter bubble level, and check the surface of the base ceiling for unevenness. We use a grid with a step of 50 cm.

First of all, we check the length of the room, then we carry out a width test. If obvious changes in the surface are detected, they should be puttyped.

If the plaster is old, then it must be removed to the most overlapping, and then apply a primer with a high penetration.

If you plan to cover the entire surface of the ceiling with plasterboard, then you do not need to putty anything, in this case the installation can be done on a bare surface.

If the plasterboard will partially cover the ceiling, then it is better to fill the entire surface of the base ceiling, and not just the exposed parts of the ceiling.

This is due to the fact that the partial coating can make the drywall surface short-lived, as the material is hygroscopic, and a closed inter-ceiling space enhances the effect of moisture vapor.

We build the frame

Two-level ceiling made of gypsum board is fixed to a special metal frame.

If a design project is designed for a small room( for example, if the ceiling is in a small kitchen or hallway), then, as a rule, a simple frame is used.

If the surface area is large, additional fasteners are required.

Guiding profiles are used for the contours of the future ceiling. To make the line smooth, round it or create a bend, the profile is slightly cut and bent at the right place.

The frame is attached starting from the lower level of the ceiling. In this case, it is necessary to connect the curved profiles to the stiffeners.

Next the frame is fastened to the standard:

• For the beginning we fix the guiding level. On the previously laid profile, drill holes at regular intervals and drive dowels into them;
• Next, fix the structure using self-tapping screws( for this it is necessary to drive them into the dowels until they stop);
• Do not forget to check the slack levels of the slats using a stretched-out cord;
• We fix the racks in steps of about 50-60 cm. Then we fix them additionally using horizontal suspensions every 40-45 cm.

The frame is important to attach so that it does not stagger and all its constituent elements sit tightly.

If the frame will walk, then the material sheets will not fit properly, and the shape of the ceiling will not be the same as in the design project. The video below shows the process of mounting this skeleton.

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Installation of drywall sheets

After the frame assembly is completed, the cavities are filled with insulating material, fiberglass or sheets of foam and lay wires for illumination.

To make the sheets easier to bend, professionals advise a little to sprinkle them with the water of their atomizer.

The sheet fasteners are made with self-tapping screws, on which there is a fine thread. Screws screw up to the very bottom, using a screwdriver( it is desirable that the cap is slightly recessed into the material).

Fasteners should be made at the same distance from each other, approximately every 15 cm.

It is better to take whole sheets, and not to build a structure of small pieces, then you will have to make fewer cuts and the joints of the material will be less noticeable.

If there is a docking of two trimmed slabs, then their edges on the front side are cut slightly diagonally, using a knife to later plaster the seam and make it less noticeable.

Having fastened the main sheets of drywall, they make the threshold skin. To begin with fasten the elements to the side, then go to the lower slabs.

The video below shows a detailed scheme for performing the work on the plasterboard ceiling lining.

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Surface treatment of

After plasterboard carcass plating, it is necessary to perform the finishing work:

• First, we take a universal primer and ground the surface( leave for a certain time to allow the mixture to dry out);
• When the surface dries, we attach the mounting band-serpyanka to the seams and put special corners for fixing and aligning the structure( smooth lines are fastened with metal corners, and we fix flexible and rounded corners with flexible plastic corners);
• We spread the surface of the plaster and put on it the necessary corner, lightly heating into the solution( the surpluses of the mixture that appeared on the edges are removed with a construction shovel or spatula);
• It is necessary to putty and hats on screws( for this they had to be slightly drowned in the material);
• After the plaster dries out on all leveling elements, it is necessary to walk through the putty on the entire surface of the finished ceiling( the use of a finishing mortar is possible);
• Then, on a dried surface, we clean the irregularities using a fine-grained grater.

If you fixed the sheets of drywall and forgot to make holes for them on the fixtures, then do not get upset.

The holes can be cut even after mounting the structure, using a special drill-cup of the required diameter.

After the holes are ready, the wiring is pulled out and the fixtures are mounted.

Fixtures at the same time are selected for the design of the ceiling and the general interior of the room. The photo shows possible options for fixtures for plasterboard ceiling.

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As you can see, the installation of the structure, and further work is not very difficult, and you can easily make a two-level ceiling from gypsum plasterboard on your own, thus creating different design options in the hallway, living room or kitchen.