Quality repairs in the premises - this is what every owner of this very premises dreams of. The ceiling is what everyone pays attention to first of all, once in the room. Today we’ll talk about the Armstrong cassette ceiling and everything related to this issue. It should be said right away that such a ceiling is a fairly simple, stylish and modern solution. This option is suitable for various types of rooms.
The history of this ceiling in Russia
Such ceilings came to us from Europe and the West, however, like almost everything that appears in our country for repairs and not only. In Europe and in the West, they can be found strictly in office premises. Our people are very successful and quite often inscribe some varieties of this ceiling in living quarters.
Moreover, we note that Europe and the West do not always offer us really worthwhile materialsand technology, but in the case of this ceiling, everything is different. This is a really great option for solving many problems in different types of premises.
Armstrong ceiling: tile sizes
The main component of this type of ceiling is the tiles that make up the ceiling. There are many different styles of Armstrong ceiling tiles. 600x600 is the standard tile size (the size is given in millimeters). The size is standard, but it is not the only one, there are also other sizes of ceiling tiles of this type on the market (595 millimeters by 592 millimeters and 600 millimeters by 1200 millimeters). Accordingly, all components are also designed for these dimensions. It is very convenient and practical.
Frame
Ceiling tiles are mounted on a special frame. During installation, the frame is assembled first. The frame of the false ceiling "Armstrong" is a crate. Let's consider in more detail the frame options for this ceiling.
Usually, the suspended structure is fixed to a rigid frame made of wood or metal. And the frame itself is attached to the already existing ceiling of the room. The frame is attached with hangers. If the frame is fastened without suspensions directly to the ceiling of the room, then the Armstrong ceiling is sometimes called a hemmed one. According to the different design of the frame and its material, five large types of ceiling can be distinguished. Let's consider them further in more detail.
Modular ceiling and frame
Modular ceilings are a kind ofa structure that is made up of separately existing modules that can have a different shape (the most common is the square shape of the ceiling tile). This is the most common and easiest option. This option stood at the origins when the Armstrong ceilings were just emerging. You can meet such a ceiling today everywhere. Most often it is found in budget organizations with economy-type repairs. Under such a ceiling, a metal frame is made of special profiles.
Cassette ceiling and frame
Sometimes it is called raster. The frame for this ceiling is made of T-shaped metal profiles, the frame forms rectangles, and ceiling modules (plates, cassettes) are already laid on top of them. The advantages of this type are the ability to clearly repeat the contours of your room (any recesses, convex details, niches, etc.). The downside is the relatively large weight of the ceiling and a noticeable decrease in the height of the room (from 10 to 20 centimeters). This is a stylish version of the Armstrong ceiling. The thickness of the plates (cassettes) varies from 8 to 15 millimeters.
Rack ceiling and frame
Modules for this ceiling consist of long and relatively narrow panels (battens). They are usually made of metal or plastic. Panels are connected to each other through curved edges. Most often there are slats for this ceiling with a length of 3 to 4 meters (the width of the slat is 10 centimeters). Pros - simple easy installationon curved surfaces. Such a ceiling reduces the height of the room by 4-20 centimeters.
Rack ceilings are extremely rare in living rooms, as they look too strict and not very comfortable. There are varieties that are resistant to water, fire, withstand frost. If we talk about apartments, then it is most logical to make such a ceiling, for example, in a bathroom or in some unheated room at home.
Sometimes, for a variety of appearance, special profiled rails are used ("layout" - inserted between adjacent main panels, as well as between lamps).
But plastic plates for the ceiling "Armstrong" are sometimes found in the interiors of the apartment. Most often, white panels are chosen for such purposes, or panels that imitate the pattern of wood in their appearance. It is more correct to make a metal frame from special profiles for such a ceiling. But there are also wooden frames made of bars.
Grill ceiling and its framework
It is sometimes called "grilyato ceiling" (from the Italian word grigliato, which translates as "lattice"). This ceiling is essentially a kind of tile and cassette options. The difference lies in special cavities (cells). They are closed from their back side by a background substrate. The shape of the cell openings allows some variety (it is not only a square, but also an oval, and even a circle).
The modules of this ceiling are assembled into a solid metal grid. This is a relatively expensive type of Armstrong ceiling. Tile (module) dimensionsthe ceiling is usually in the range from 5x5 centimeters to 20x20 centimeters. Most often, such a ceiling is found in offices, various shopping centers, shops, restaurants, train stations and other premises of this type. Under it, a frame is made of special metal profiles.
Solid ceilings and their frame
This is an extremely distant variation of the Armstrong ceiling. Let's just talk about it, we will not consider it in detail. Such a ceiling is made of drywall. It can hide the base ceiling, which is unpleasant for the eye, hide the wiring and some engineering communications of the room under it. Also, in such a ceiling, you can embed spot lighting elements and even create any form of ceiling space (multi-level).
The peculiarity is that it requires special hatches that are necessary to access communications that remain on the base ceiling. The loss in height of the room with such a design is only six to eight centimeters. Under this ceiling, a metal frame made of special profiles is suitable, but there are also wooden frames made of bars.
Armstrong ceiling: calculation of material consumption
This is an important question, but not too difficult once you delve into it. Ceiling tiles are not all you need to buy in order to make this type of ceiling in any room.
You will also need to purchase frame elements and fixtures, this is if you take only the main elements. To make it clearer, we will consider the calculationconsumption of materials on a specific example. We will consider the “consumables” for the Armstrong ceiling, the dimensions of the tiles of which will be 600x600 mm. The size of our room will be 6x6 meters.
In one row we will need to lay ten ceiling elements, we will also have ten such rows, that is, we will need one hundred ceiling elements. But in this room (arbitrarily decided) we will install ten fixtures in the form of a standard module for this ceiling. Thus, we need ten models with lamps and ninety ceiling modules.
The perimeter of the room must be passed with a special frame corner. The perimeter of our room is twenty-four meters, that's how much we need a corner.
From one wall to another (opposite) will be load-bearing structural elements. They will pass between all rows of tiles. In total, we will have nine rows of a carrier profile of six meters each. In total, fifty-four meters of the carrier profile will turn out.
Two other opposite walls will be connected to each other through a transverse profile, which rests on the carrier profile. It follows the same pattern, that is, we again need nine rows of a transverse profile of six meters each. In total, fifty-four meters of the transverse profile will be obtained.
Dowels for attaching the corner are calculated based on the rule that two dowels are used per linear meter of the corner. We use twenty-four meters of corner, that is, we need forty-eight dowels.
Suspensions are needed for attaching frame structures toexisting ceiling. The number of suspensions is calculated based on the rule that 1, 2 suspensions and the same number of special dowels with a half ring for attaching suspensions to the ceiling are needed per square meter of the frame. The area of our room is thirty-six square meters, multiply the area by a factor of 1, 2 and get the number of dowels with half rings and suspensions, equal to forty-four pieces (round up to an even number).
Many people prefer to always take the necessary materials with a margin, and some people buy in the store exactly the amount of materials that they need according to their calculations. We cannot recommend you exactly what to do, you must make the decision that is right for you.
Summing up
Today we examined in detail all the questions about the Armstrong ceiling, the dimensions of the tiles, learned everything about the frame for such a ceiling and examined all types and varieties of such a ceiling. Creating this type of finish in any room is not difficult, as it turned out.
Such a ceiling is universal for many rooms, in addition, one cannot fail to say that this ceiling is a relatively budget option. With the installation of such a design, you can handle it yourself, without resorting to the qualified help of paid specialists. Ceiling installation requires a minimum of basic tools and minimal experience with them. The result will meet all your expectations. Good luck with the repair!
