Suspended ceilings are very popular today. Construction companies offer a large number of varieties of these products, which for the most part differ in the materials used and cost. This article will tell you how to make drywall false ceilings yourself.
General information
Suspended ceilings are a quick, low cost finish. This work is quite within the power of a person to do on their own, you just need to have basic knowledge about it.
This way of organizing the space of the ceiling is that at a certain distance from the base of the floor slab, a metal crate is mounted, on which finishing elements are then attached. From what form factors of such elements are used, suspended ceilings (their photo can be seen in the article) are divided into five types:
- cassette;
- stretch;
- rack;
- tiled;
- drywall.
They have a fundamental differenceno, only the options for implementing the crate and the type of materials used for it differ.
The general scheme for organizing the crate is unchanged and consists of:
- ceiling guide profiles (PNP);
- rack profiles (SP) or stringers for rack ceiling;
- suspension systems.
And depending on what elements will be mounted on the crate, different power profiles (rack-mount or stringers) are used. The latter are equipped with special grooves for fixing ceiling rails in them. With cassette ceilings, special, original from each supplier, suspension systems are supplied.
More about species
Considering each type of suspended ceilings, the following can be noted:
- Tiled - they do not look very comfortable and are most suitable for decorating offices, non-residential premises or warehouses. They are inexpensive, quickly mounted and look quite concise. The frame in such ceilings does not need to be masked, as it is a design component and square or rectangular mineral fiber tiles of various textures are attached to it.
- Cassette - durable, with a long service life and excellent appearance. It is assembled from separate aluminum or zinc-coated steel square modules - cassettes - like a designer. The elements have a variety of finishes, which allows the designer to realize all sorts of ideas.
- Rack-mounted - the suspension structure is mounted on special aluminum or PVC rails. PVC, as a rule, is used for mounting a false ceiling in the bathroom, andthe first type is in the subway or other large spaces.
- Stretch - the most popular today. They are made of fabric or PVC film, stretched and fixed on a metal frame. They have a different texture, color and patterns, resistant to wear. Installed quickly and requires almost no maintenance.
- Gypsum plasterboard suspended ceilings - allow you to realize any ideas, mounted on one or more levels, decorated with various elements.
Benefits
Suspended ceilings are in great demand for a reason, because they have many advantages.
Among them are:
- design reliability;
- practical – low maintenance;
- strength and durability;
- easy installation;
- aesthetic appearance;
- security;
- for film - water resistance;
- the ability to hide communications and not level the surface of the ceiling;
- wide range of materials and decorative elements.
Flaws
Like most products, have false ceilings and flaws.
From the latter, the following can be noted:
- it is allowed to build in fixtures only of a certain design and power;
- plafonds must be thermally insulated to avoid stains around them;
- film coatings due to the presence of a draft can "stick" to a real ceiling;
- afterflooding require replacement;
- heavy or complex structures cannot be attached to the suspended ceiling;
- tiled ceiling is fragile, when dropped or pressed hard, the slab breaks.
Materials, tools and measurements
To carry out the installation of a plasterboard frame false ceiling, a photo of one of the options of which can be seen below, you will need tools and finishing materials.
An indicative list is as follows:
- plasterboard slabs in required quantity (to be calculated);
- rails and ceiling profiles with hangers;
- hammer drill (impact drill);
- screwdriver with a set of self-tapping screws and dowels;
- acrylic paint of the required color;
- roller, brushes, masking tape;
- putty, spatula, fine sandpaper;
- metal shears and profile connectors;
- water or laser level, tape measure.
The quality of installation of false ceilings and the determination of the amount of material needed largely depend on correctly made measurements and markings.
With a simple single-tier design, it is enough to multiply the length of the room by its width and add 5% of the product for additional expenses. The result is the amount of drywall that is needed for repairs. For multi-tiered ceilings, add 20% or more, depending on the complexity of the selected circuit.
Mounting the ceiling frame
The basis of a quality ceilingis a properly installed frame. Before you make a false ceiling yourself, you need to study the sequence of steps for its installation.
The beginning can be described as follows:
- Using a tape measure, find the lowest corner in the room and make a mark at a level of 5-8 cm from the ceiling surface. Using a spirit level, mark all other corners of the room.
- We make a beating with a masking cord or leave marks with a pencil along a tightly stretched nylon thread from mark to mark.
- We fix the guide profiles along the beating line with dowels and self-tapping screws.
- Apply markings for ceiling profiles. Usually it is done after 40 cm along the length of the room.
- Every 50 cm on the lines we make marks for attaching suspensions.
- With the help of dowels or anchors we fix the suspensions. We bend their ends and proceed to the installation of ceiling profiles.
- Profiles are attached to the rails and ends of the hangers with self-tapping screws. If their length is insufficient, then they are increased with the help of connectors, and the excess is cut off with scissors for metal. In this case, the length of the profile should be 1 cm less than the length of the room.
- Next, using fasteners, we lay transverse profiles.
- After installing the last profile, the frame for the false ceiling is assembled by hand.
Gypsum board fixing and electrical installation
Fixing drywall should begin with the preparation of sheets of this material. To do this, a chamfer is removed from the non-glued side at an angle of 45 degrees to ensure the possibility of sealing the seams.putty.
Installation of drywall sheets starts from the corner of the room, attaching them with self-tapping screws to the rails and ceiling profiles. Self-tapping screws must be fully recessed into the drywall surface. The sheets should be joined with a gap of 1-2 mm, necessary for better sealing of the seams. Usually, spotlights are used as lighting fixtures for suspended ceilings for the hall (see photo below).
To install them in drywall using a special cutter - a crown - cut a hole corresponding to the diameter of the lamp. The connection is made from the standard electrical wiring of the room. Wiring should be done before the final installation of the ceiling. The wires are attached with plastic ties to the frame.
To install spotlights, spring-type holders are inserted into the prepared holes and the lamp is connected.
If pendant lights are provided for lighting (for example, in false ceilings in the kitchen), then they can be fixed with self-tapping screws into the frame of the false ceiling or on special platforms pre-installed in the technical space.
Helpful tips
When fixing drywall boards, they are pressed against the profile to make the connection stronger.
First, whole sheets of drywall are installed and screwed. After that, smaller elements are cut out, if such are required according to the designer's intention and the shape of the ceiling.
For mounting plates on the frame andCutting sheets does not need a hacksaw or saw. It is enough just to mark the places intended for the cut with a construction knife and cut through the cardboard layer on both sides. After this treatment, drywall will break evenly with gentle pressure along the cut line.
Puttying
The next important step is finishing the ceiling. Its appearance largely depends on its quality.
The following is required:
- Before sealing the joints, it is necessary to treat the places intended for applying the mortar with a special primer for drywall.
- After it dries, the seams and heads of self-tapping screws are sealed with putty with increased strength. Dilute the mortar from the dry mix according to the attached instructions, and apply with a construction spatula.
- After the putty dries, the irregularities are treated with sandpaper, a sickle is applied to the joints to prevent cracks.
- Further, surface treatment is carried out using conventional finishing putties and leveling by grinding with fine emery.
- After drying, the surface is ready for painting.
Painting the ceiling
This operation is carried out as follows:
- The prepared surface is again treated with a special primer (to prevent strong absorption into the paint layer) and after it dries, the ceiling can be painted.
- First, the ceiling is painted with water-based paint using a brushperimeter to a width of 2-3 cm from the wall, the rest of the surface is painted over with a roller.
- Cover the ceiling in several layers with one solution. Only in this case it will be possible to achieve a uniform coating of paint. Application of the following layers should be carried out only after the previous one has completely dried.
- If several colors are used for dyeing, then their borders are separated using masking tape.
Decoration of a suspended ceiling
At the final stage, the finished structure is decorated. Ceiling plinths and stucco molding are glued, the surface is painted. All decorative elements must be pre-painted, painting them on the finished ceiling is undesirable.
If gaps nevertheless form between the wall and the plinth, then they are carefully sealed with putty, wait for it to dry completely and carefully paint over these places with paint.
In order for the ceiling to look original or unusual, it is supplemented with a variety of design elements.
These can be false beams in which additional lighting devices are installed, or an LED strip built into the grooves (it creates a futuristic effect).
To create a special atmosphere, fabric draperies attached to the ceiling (they can be removed if necessary) or images of insects, flowers, abstract figures.
Textured plaster applied directly to the plasterboard surface will help diversify the interior. The ceiling looks original, on which a layer of the same color is applied around the perimeter, and in the middle - a contrastshade.
There are many ideas for decorating the ceiling, everyone can decorate it to their taste.
