Advantages and disadvantages of stretch ceilings

Stretch ceilings, due to their performance characteristics, are becoming increasingly popular among a large number of people. However, when choosing this method of decoration, few people take into account all the advantages and disadvantages of stretch ceilings, as well as problems arising for one reason or another.

Stretch ceilings from other types of finishes

In most cases, a perfectly flat ceiling in an apartment, private house and other premises is createdwith the help of:

• puttying with subsequent staining;

• manufacturing of suspended structure from gypsum board;

• installation of a hinged rack, modular ceiling;

• stretch ceiling.

Of all the ways to make the ceiling even and aesthetically pleasing, tension ceilings are currently preferred, as they have the following distinguishing features on the background of other finishing methods:

• with a lower cost;
• easy design;
• with a small stash of space. When installing the ceiling, the minimum distance from the draft version to the tension web is 2 cm. However, the distance can be quite increased, due to the need to install a certain type of luminaire or install a security alarm, as well as for other reasons depending on the buyer;

• speed of installation. Preparatory work before the installation of stretch ceilings is reduced to the attachment of the profile and the removal of the exfoliating plaster from the ceiling. The process of preparation and installation takes from 3-12 hours, based on the complexity of the work;
• no deformation when shrinking newly built houses;

• security. Stretch ceilings are made of environmentally friendly materials. In addition, treated with antistatic additives that prevent the accumulation of dust on the canvas;
• practicality, since the ceilings are able to maintain the original appearance without any significant changes for 15-20 years, without finishing works throughout the operational period.

However, tension ceilings are inherent in the following disadvantages:

• to install tension ceilings without special skills is problematic enough;
• the presence of an unpleasant odor in the room for several days from the installation of ceilings, although careful ventilation of the room will help to get rid of it.

Of course, these are only general and most significant differences, as different types of stretch ceilings are endowed with different advantages and disadvantages.

Types of stretch ceilings, their characteristics

To date, stretch ceilings are made of 2 materials: films and fabrics.

Film tension ceiling

The film ceiling is a thin, but strong polyvinylchloride film, manufactured from pre-measured measurements. In this case, the standard width of PVC strips varies within the range of 1.3-5.5 m. If the width of the ceiling exceeds the width of the polyvinyl chloride strip, then during the manufacture of the ceiling the film is welded using the HDTV to the required width.

Mounting of the film ceiling is carried out using a heat gun that heats the suspended sheet to 70 ° C, resulting in it becoming elastic and easily fixed in the pre-installed profile. After the completion of the installation work, the cooling film gradually acquires strength, the color scale, the texture of which depends on the selected type of film.

Currently stretch film ceilings are issued in the following texture:

• glossy - characterized by a visual increase in space due to the effect of mirror reflection of interior items;

• matte - visually similar to the ceilings, painted with water-based paint, so refer to the classic version of the finish;

• transparent - are distinguished by high light transmittance. As a rule, transparent ceilings are installed in combination with a different kind of lamps, which makes it easy to recreate the illusion of a starry sky, a glass roof, etc.;

• satin - visually the surface seems velvety, although in fact it is smooth, due to which the reflective qualities of satin ceilings increase.

Regardless of the texture, the color range of film ceilings is quite diverse, so PVC-film is produced in both monochrome and multi-color shades. In addition, in the production process PVC-film can be photographed, or at the end of the installation work, the ceiling can be decorated with artistic painting.

Thus, the advantages of film tension ceilings are as follows:

• a variety of textures and shading range allow you to choose a ceiling that blends harmoniously into the interior of any room;

• excellent waterproofness of the canvas protects against flooding by the neighbors living on top. In the event of such a situation, it is necessary to call specialists who will remove water from the canvas and dismantle the ceiling to dry, and after a few days will install it in place. At the same time, the rust and other traces of the incident will not remain on the canvas;

• high noise and heat insulation properties muffle loud sounds coming from outside and prevent penetration of drafts from the attic;

• elasticity of the heated fabric allows creating ceiling structures of any complexity;

• simplicity of care. Diluted over time, the ceiling is enough to wipe with a damp cloth with a little addition of a neutral detergent.

Making a choice, despite a lot of advantages, it is necessary to take into account the drawbacks of stretch ceilings:

• during the installation, air in the room heats up to 50 ° C, which negatively affects sensitive to high temperatures interior objects;

• film after tension becomes easily vulnerable to damage by sharp objects;

• chandeliers that are not equipped with shades and hanging at a distance of less than 40 cm from the canvas, as well as spotlights with a power above 40 W contribute to the gradual darkening and melting of the ceiling;

• when the air temperature drops below 0 ° C, the tensioning sheet becomes brittle and begins to crack, so film ceilings can not be installed in unheated rooms in winter;

• when installing the sheet to gipsokartonnym walls, without their preliminary strengthening, there is a high probability of tearing sheets from the walls;

• sagging canvas is possible when installing a film ceiling over a large area, especially when there is a welded seam;

• "invisible" welds are very noticeable on glossy ceilings, especially when the spotlights are sufficiently close to them.

Of course, all these shortcomings are relatively arbitrary, which allows them to be prevented from appearing at the production and installation stage, preventing the outgrowth of the shortage into a global problem.

Fabric stretch ceiling

To manufacture fabric stretch ceiling, a textile fabric is used, obtained by knitting polyester yarn, which is thoroughly impregnated with a mixture based on polyurethane, then it is wrung out, dried and calendered.

Fabric fabrics are available in widths of 5 m. However, unlike film, the manufacture of fabric ceiling does not require preliminary measurements, since it is released from the roll by the necessary weighed. In this process, excess tissue is cut off during installation. In addition, the installation of fabric ceiling is made by fixing in a special profile without any heating of the fabric.

Based on the above, the following advantages of fabric stretch ceilings occur before the film:

• the room temperature is invariable in the installation of ceilings, as the leaf is devoid of elasticity and refills in the baguette without heating;

• higher strength to damage;

• properties of fabric cloths remain unchanged even at subzero temperatures.

It turns out that the disadvantages of film ceilings are the advantages of a fabric ceiling. In this case, the shortcomings of fabric tension ceilings are manifested in:

• limited color solutions with pastel tones and matte textures;

• impossibility of using a damp cloth to remove any stains, because the canvas will remain stained;

• inability to withstand a large amount of water in case of flooding by neighbors, with subsequent restoration of the canvas impossible;

• of higher cost.

Thus, polyvinyl chloride stretch ceilings, the shortcomings, the problems of which constitute a rather significant part, would seem to be inferior to the fabric ones. However, the fabric ceilings also have significant disadvantages. Therefore, to be inclined to the choice of this or that type of ceiling is based on the planned operating conditions.