One of the most common types of suspended ceilings are slab-cellular structures. Their installation is considered child's play compared to the installation of other false ceilings. If you are still in doubt, then you should pay attention to the cost, which breaks all records for these systems. But such designs also have their drawbacks, after evaluating which, you can decide whether to purchase a similar ceiling model.
Description
Before assembling the Armstrong ceiling, you must decide what is good and bad about it. In addition to cheapness and simplicity, this system also has such advantages as sound and heat insulation. The internal space is spacious, it can accommodate communications and fixtures, access to which will be easy and does not require dismantling.
But such a ceiling is not very durable and does not protect against leakage from above. If the plates are fibrous, then the system itselfdeteriorate from exposure to moisture. "Armstrong" cannot be curvilinear; it cannot be used to obtain complex structures. If the height of the ceilings is important to you, then you should remember that after the installation work, the walls will become at least 15 cm lower. Therefore, such structures are rarely chosen for city apartments. But such ceilings are used in supermarkets and offices, as well as entertainment centers and restaurants.
If you wondered how to assemble the Armstrong ceiling, you should familiarize yourself with its device. Design includes:
- ceiling plate;
- bearing profile;
- cross profile;
- longitudinal profile;
- suspension;
- wall profile;
- fixing unit;
- fragment of a ceiling plate.
Slabs are made soft, based on organic and mineral elements. If the plates are made rigid, then they have more weight, so suspensions and profiles for them require special, reinforced ones, which increases the cost of the structure.
Profiles are made of painted metal or metal-plastic with holes. The fastening knot is a dowel for a self-tapping screw or a steel collet. The latter is used to reinforce the suspension or with a smooth bar.
Appearance
Quite often, novice home craftsmen wonder how to assemble the Armstrong ceiling. But first you need to know what it looks like. The design consists of ceiling tiles, whichplaced on a steel frame. Different materials can be used for plates, namely:
- metal;
- wood;
- mineral fibre.
If we talk about metal, it is usually perforated aluminum plates. When it comes to wood, you have to imagine that the ceiling is made up of veneer ceiling tiles. This material is obtained by gluing thin sheets onto wood panels or fiberboard.
Before you assemble the ceiling "Armstrong", you must choose the material underlying it. It could be mineral fibre. Usually it is fiberglass or glass wool. These boards have one advantage, which is the presence of small pores that provide better air circulation. The covering on top is called perforation. Its value shows what percentage of the plate are small holes. Such a ratio between areas can be a fraction of a percent or reach more than 20%.
Preparation of materials and tools
If you are faced with the question of how to properly assemble the Armstrong ceiling, you must prepare and make sure that the following tools are at hand:
- perforator;
- hammer;
- construction pencil;
- Phillips screwdriver;
- pliers;
- building level.
As for materials, they are:
- ceiling cloth or suspension;
- rail;
- dowels;
- profile and carrier rail;
- nails.
Technique of execution: installation of the frame
Installation of ceilings begins with the installation of the perimeter. Height is measured using a bubble or laser level. In practice, the height of the perimeter is often reversed. To do this, check the horizontalness of the floor and make height marks in the corners. With a hinted cord, you need to beat off the contour.
Further, the wall profile is cut to size and fixed to the walls with self-tapping screws in dowels. If the walls are made of wood, then the perimeter can be fixed with nails, because the main load will be borne by suspensions. It is not recommended to cheat on them. Dowels must be propylene.
After the markings have been made and holes drilled in the ceiling, the supporting profiles should be cut, connecting them in a plank of the required length. They are placed in the perimeter and moved apart along the length. Next, you can proceed with the installation of suspensions and carrier bars, which are aligned with sag.
The next step is to make connections. Usually two mounting schemes are used, one of them is cross, the other is parallel. The cross scheme is considered more laborious, but durable, so it should be used for the place where communications are supposed to be laid. Before mounting the frame, incomplete profiles must be cut.
Working on the ceiling assembly
If you are interested in the question of how to assemble the Armstrong suspended ceiling, then you must lift the contents of the cells and tilt them to enter the interceiling space. If the element risesobliquely, for alignment, you can not press on it from above. From below, he is pushed in the corners.
First of all, concentrated loads should be laid, bringing communications to them. Then there are plates with spotlights, to which wires are connected. You can complete the assembly by laying deaf slabs. The latter should lie with its surface on the palms of both hands. The plate is wound up and lowered evenly. It should be pushed with a finger in the lower corner if the element is uneven.
Can I put it in an apartment
Even if you live in Khrushchev, you can still try to assemble the Armstrong ceiling with your own hands. Such a system can be installed in an apartment with ceilings of 2.5 m, if you refuse spring-pin suspensions. The interceiling space in this case can be compressed up to 80 mm.
The suspension system will be held by fasteners, which will be corners made of tin or cylindering with two holes on self-tapping screws. The suspensions will be bundles of several turns of wire. Its thickness can be 0.8 m. The length of the suspension must be greater than the height of the niches of the ceiling space.
The wire should be cut into separate blanks of the required length, and the running end should be inserted into the holes of the fastening unit profiles by bending the wire. Its ends are twisted. If you have the skill, then this installation will not require too much time.
Work on the installation of carrier rails
Assemblyfalse ceiling "Armstrong" provides for the installation of load-bearing rails. Their length can be 3,700, 1,200 and 600 mm. These elements are T-shaped, and their ends have slots for attaching short profiles. Such rails should be installed parallel to a pair of walls. The distance between them is 1200 mm. Sometimes rivers are not long enough, but they are easily and securely fastened with special locks.
Armstrong Ceiling Assembly Instructions may call for 200mm battens spaced 600mm apart. The distance from the walls should be the same. They are placed perpendicular to the supporting profiles. For a false ceiling, such rails have locks with which you can perform self-assembly. The same applies to 600-mm rivers, which are the smallest and are located perpendicular to the above-described slats. Each side of the cells should be equal to 600 mm.
Working on the installation of cross rails
The length of the cross rails can be 1.2 m. You can start installing them after mounting the supporting elements. They are positioned perpendicular to the carrier and at a distance of 0.6 m. Special tools are not required for this, because there are slots on the carrier rails, so the element is simply inserted until it clicks.
The above step must be followed as strictly as possible, otherwise the plates may not fit into the cells or fall out of them. Do-it-yourself assembly of the Armstrong ceiling also involves the installation of 0.6-m transverse rails. Forto complete the installation of the frame, these elements will be needed. They are located parallel to the supporting elements and between the rails described above. This will allow you to get square cells with a side of 60 cm.
In conclusion
During installation work in relation to the described ceiling system, certain rules must be followed. For example, slabs should be installed only after the completion of installation and construction work in the room. This applies especially to wet finishing, door and window installation, and flooring. Installation should be started only at a limited temperature range, which is equal to 15-30 ˚С. Recommended humidity should not exceed 70%.
