A few decades ago, the design of the ceilings did not cause any problems for homeowners: they were simply whitewashed or painted in light colors. Today, a huge amount of modern finishing materials has appeared, allowing you to create the most incredible ceiling structures that our grandmothers could not even dream of.
Combined stretch ceilings, photos of which are increasingly appearing on the pages of design publications, today are complemented by plasterboard constructions. This combination looks very stylish and original. This design method allows you to create complex shapes with an interesting background and original lighting, thereby emphasizing the interior of any room. Today, this is a very common method of finishing residential premises - combined ceilings (plasterboard and stretch), photos of which you can see in our article.
Advantages and disadvantages of the design
According to the designers, such a complexthe design looks advantageous in almost any interior. The combined ceiling (drywall and stretch fabric) has a number of advantages, among which should be highlighted:
Variety of shapes
This way you can create non-standard designs that have a plasterboard frame with a stretch coating inside, intricate plasterboard labyrinths, complex shapes that can be framed with a sparkling, glossy, mirror or matte film.
Lighting
The method allows you to use different types of lighting. Suspended ceilings have practically no restrictions in the choice of lighting fixtures, unlike stretch ceilings. Therefore, high-power lamps can be mounted in a box made of drywall.
Zoning
Combined ceilings, photos of which have already been posted in design tutorials, are also good because, using different colors of materials and textures, as well as spotlights, you can divide the room into functional areas (rest, work).
Laying communications
This design will help you easily hide pipes, wiring and ventilation ducts.
Long service life
With proper installation and maintenance, the combined ceiling will serve you for a very long time: at least twenty years. You won't need to refinish as often as you would with a whitewashed, painted or wallpapered surface. This design does not require perfect alignment of the base surface.
Are theredisadvantages of such a ceiling?
Undoubtedly, such coverage has some disadvantages. They are much less than the advantages, however, they should be taken into account when planning such a reconstruction in the house. The disadvantages of this method include:
Height reduction
Almost any two-level design takes about 10 cm of room height. The combined ceiling is no exception. In addition, if spot lighting is supposed, then even for the first level it will take at least ten centimeters. Therefore, there can be no question of installing such a ceiling, for example, in Khrushchev.
High cost
Quality stretch fabric and drywall sheets, profiles, will cost much more than just two-level combined plasterboard ceilings (you can see the photo in the article).
Temperature and humidity
PVC stretch fabric and drywall is operated at a certain humidity and temperature. If these figures are significantly higher than the norm, then the materials may be deformed.
Options for combined ceilings
Combining drywall suspended structures and stretch ceilings with the right choice will help you create great optical effects. In this case, a variety of options are available with both hidden and open illumination.
So, we present you the most popular options for combined plasterboard ceilings and stretch fabrics.
- Around the perimeter of a drywall roombox is being built. The PVC sheet in this case is attached inside the box, the dimensions of which may vary. However, there are certain rules. If you need to visually raise the ceiling, emphasizing the beauty of the canvas, then the GKL panels are made thin. An excellent visual effect is achieved when spotlights are mounted inside the box.
- An oval or circle in the center of the ceiling is a good alternative to the usual drywall rectangle located around the perimeter of the room. A stretch fabric is mounted inside. Such a combined ceiling often imitates the day or night sky. However, such a ceiling is not suitable for a small room: it will seem even smaller, since all its corners will be covered with drywall.
- "Tablet" is an interesting ceiling design. A plasterboard circle is built in the center of the ceiling. A chandelier is also mounted here. The rest of the space is occupied by a stretch fabric. A variation of this design can be considered a "circle in a circle." In this case, an additional drywall box is installed around the perimeter of the room.
Preparation for installation
Before creating a combined ceiling, it is necessary to free the room from furniture, remove curtains and curtains, lighting fixtures and paintings, insulate the ends of the wires, cover the floor with foil.
Preparation of the base surface is carried out in the same way as before installing any suspension or tension structure:
- remove the old cladding layer;
- cleaning loose plaster with a spatula;
- cover uplarge gaps with cement-based putty;
- priming the coating.
Required materials and accessories
To install the drywall frame you will need:
- guide profile (starting) - UD;
- bearing profile (ceiling) - CD;
- single-level connectors ("crabs");
- flared dowels;
- self-tapping screws;
- 9 mm drywall.
Combined ceilings in the hall (we posted a photo in this article), bedroom or other living room can be made of ordinary drywall. If work is carried out in the kitchen or in the bathroom, then give preference to GKLV. These sheets have additional silicone granules and anti-fungal additives that have increased moisture resistance.
To create the tension part of the structure you will need:
- aluminum baguette;
- Shovel for dressing the web;
- fasteners fixing the baguette to drywall;
- heat gun (for a one-time use, it is more expedient to rent it).
Choose canvas
Now you need to decide on the choice of web material - fabric or film. The first is more durable, not too afraid of temperature changes, the film is attractive with a huge variety of colors, textures, and increased moisture resistance.
Do I need a drawing for installation?
Yes, before starting installation work, you need to create a diagram of the desired design on paper. To do this, you need to do the followingrecommendations:
- measure the length of the walls, the height of the corners, as well as the center of the room;
- mark on the diagram the height of the first level (plasterboard box) and the distance between the tension fabric and the base surface;
- draw on the drawing the boundary contour between the two levels and the attachment line of the guide carrier profiles in increments of 60 cm (along) and 40 cm (across);
- mark the places for attaching suspensions and laying communications.
After that, all lines from the drawing are transferred to the ceiling of the wall. Remember that the further progress of work depends on how accurately you apply the markup. It is much easier to install the frame along the marked lines. To apply the scheme to the ceiling, use a chopping cord, water or laser level, tape measure.
If the border of drywall and stretch ceiling has the shape of a circle, then it can be transferred to the ceiling using a self-tapping screw screwed into the center, to which a thread of the desired radius is tied with a pencil fixed at the end. To draw curved lines, you need to make a blank from thick cardboard and circle it on the ceiling.
Installing the crate
The design of combined ceilings can be different. Often the choice of a suitable option depends on your imagination and professional skills (if you plan to mount it yourself).
First of all, you need to make sure that holes for fasteners are made in the guide profile. Their step should be from 0.3 to 0.4 meters. If there aren't any, you'll have touse a drill and make them yourself.
Procedure for further work
Attach the lower edge of the starting profile to the pre-drawn marking line. Drill holes for fixing in the marked places and fix the carrier profile around the perimeter of the room using flared dowels.
On the boundary contour of the stretch and suspended ceiling of the base surface, install a guide profile. If its bending is necessary, then cuts should be made on the opposite side and bent in the right direction. Suspensions are fixed in the marked places.
Now you should pull the nylon thread for the ceiling profiles and insert them into the guide. Fix the hangers. A trimmed guide must be attached to the ends of the carrier profiles. It must follow the contour of the UD profile fixed on the ceiling exactly. We prepare segments of the ceiling profile. Their length should correspond to the height of the drywall box. Cut off the sides on one side.
Connect the lower and upper guide profiles. To do this, the segment from above must be inserted into the guide profile and screwed from below with the plane that was formed after the removal of the jumpers.
Communications
After installing the plasterboard frame, you should start laying communications. The wires are placed in a corrugated plastic pipe and fixed to the base surface, leaving the leads in the places where the fixtures are planned to be installed. These works are carried out afterpower failure in the room.
How to sheathe the frame?
This work should be done with a helper, since drywall is a rather heavy material, and it is very difficult to cope with fixing it alone. The first sheet is fixed in the corner of the room. If necessary, a contour is applied to the sheet according to the template and the necessary details are cut out. The heads of the screws are deepened into the material, but not too much so as not to tear it. The second sheet is attached to the remaining half of the profile, to which the first canvas was fixed.
A gap of about 0.5 cm must be left between the wall and drywall. The entire area is sheathed in the same way. Now you can attach the drywall to the vertical part of the box. On curved sections, it is bent, for which shallow incisions are made on the back side.
After sheathing the frame, it is necessary to glue the joints between the sheets and with the wall with a serpentine tape. Putty is applied to the gaps and attachment points with a small spatula. We overlap the vertical and horizontal parts of the box with fiberglass. In places of overlap with a clerical knife, make notches and remove excess.
It's time to make holes for the lamps. To do this, you will need a drill with a crown. We putty the surface with a finishing layer, no more than one and a half centimeters thick. When the compound is completely dry, sand it with fine sanding paper.
Remove dust from the surface with a vacuum cleaner or dry cloth. Lastly, apply the top coat. As a rule, the combined ceiling is covered (plasterboard part) with an acrylic compound.
PVC sheet fixing
Experts recommend choosing a film with a harpoon mount: it is considered the most reliable. Mark on the vertical part of the constructed box the level of placement of the web. Attach a baguette along this line in increments of 7 cm. If a curved design is planned, make cuts on the profile, clean them with sandpaper or a file and bend in the required direction.
Heat the room to 40°C with a heat gun and unfold the canvas. If it is glossy, then work with gloves so that there are no marks left. The canvas should not be brought close to the heat gun - dark spots may appear on it. When the room warms up to 60 ° C, tuck the harpoon of the base angle of the canvas (which the manufacturer notes) into the baguette. The diagonally opposite corner is also fixed, and then the two remaining ones.
After that, you should start tightening the harpoon into the baguette along the perimeter of the level. Then heat the entire surface with a heat gun. Do not be discouraged if, upon completion of installation, you find wrinkles on the surface - they are easy to smooth out by heating the low-quality area again.
Summarize
Creating a combined drywall and stretch fabric construction is not easy. This is a laborious process that will require not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills. We hope that the above recommendations and photos will help you cope with this work and do it well.
