Drywall, which has been widely used in our market for a very long time, is especially good because it allows you to create completely different geometric shapes and turn your home into an amazingly beautiful place.
Very often, craftsmen and designers use a figured plasterboard ceiling in the design of houses and apartments, which is relatively easy to install, but makes a completely irresistible impression. Below we will tell you in detail about how all this is done.
General list of works
In order for the work to succeed, it is very important to outline a plan for yourself. Here is an approximate sequence of those actions through which you will create your own figured drywall ceiling (you will find photos of those in abundance in this material). However, let's not get distracted:
- First, the "native" ceiling is measured, the dimensions of each part of the hinged covering are pretended.
- Possible options are being explored, photo. At this stage, it is advisable to adequately imagine what kind of figured plasterboard ceiling you can make.with your own hands. Do not overestimate your strength! Start with simpler shapes and smaller rooms.
- Then you need to determine the order in which you will mount the levels.
- According to the scale of the room, the amount of materials is carefully calculated. The entire required volume is purchased (with a margin of at least 10%).
- If the ceiling has significant potholes and irregularities, it makes sense to fix the mounting grid on it and re-plaster it.
- The false ceiling is being marked.
- The power frame is being assembled.
- All necessary communications are laid in it in advance.
- The finished frame is measured again, after which patterns are made, according to which all curly details are cut out.
- The frame is being sheathed with drywall.
- All lighting fixtures are being installed, the ceiling is being finished.
Preparation and marking
First of all, you need to prepare the "native" ceiling and walls. Be sure to completely remove the crumbling pieces of plaster: being quite massive, they may well break through the figured plasterboard ceiling, so all your work will go down the drain. Of course, you need to dismantle the lighting fixtures, and clean the surfaces of foreign objects like driven nails.
First you need to determine the height of the very first, lower level of your multi-tiered ceiling. Experts say that it should be at least 25 mm below the minimummarks of the main ceiling, since this volume will be occupied by both the drywall itself and the profile on which it will be mounted. Find this point and make a noticeable marking on the wall, which you will be guided by later.
Using a water or laser level, transfer this markup to all walls, connecting the marks with a pencil. However, professional installers use a thread with paint for this purpose (or a “scientific” choline). To make a mark with it, pinch the thread with two fingers, pull it tight and release it sharply.
Measure seven times…
Lastly, once again make sure that the markup you made is really accurate, and there are no gross errors in its lines. Attention! When constructing a figured plasterboard ceiling with your own hands, always pay special attention to the accuracy of measurements: if you treat this issue negligently, then the whole structure may well warp, which obviously will not add beauty to your home.
Now you need to find the corner in the room that is closest to the 90 degree mark. From it on the wall make marks every half a meter. On the opposite wall, we repeat the procedure, using a laser level for accuracy. We take a chocline and fill between the marks of the line directly along the ceiling. So you will mark the places for attaching suspensions to which the ceiling profile will be attached.
What supplies do you need?
In order not to get into trouble in the middle of work, we recommend that youget acquainted with the list of those necessary consumables that you will need more than once for the installation of a false ceiling:
- UD-profiles (PNP 27x28). The name stands for "ceiling guide profile".
- CD profiles (PP 60x27). This is a regular longitudinal profile.
- "Crabs". Clamps for connecting frame elements together.
- Hangers for hanging the profile to the "native" ceiling covering with their subsequent alignment.
- Self-tapping screws for metal 3, 5x11 or 3, 5x9, designed to connect frame parts to each other.
- Self-tapping screws for metal 6x60, equipped with anchor dowels. Necessary for fastening frame elements directly to the ceiling.
- MN25 self-tapping screws used to screw drywall to profiles.
And more. In the event that you are making a figured plasterboard ceiling in a corridor or other room that is characterized by increased noise, we strongly advise you to consider purchasing soundproofing material!
Installation of the frame of the first level
Fix the UD profile along the perimeter. We make sure that its lower part passes strictly along the line you beat off. If it turned out that there are no holes for fasteners in the profile you bought, we drill them ourselves (again, every half a meter). Fasteners are best done with plastic dowels and screws, as they are the only ones that can provide maximum strength on the concrete surface (the most common option). The best thinguse dowels with a diameter of about 6 mm.
Profile fastening
Now you need to fasten the U-shaped suspensions to the ceiling, using the lines you marked in advance for orientation. It is desirable to use dowels all the same. Important! Between the suspensions themselves, it is desirable to maintain a distance not exceeding 60 cm. This is especially important if you are installing a curly plasterboard ceiling in the kitchen.
The fact is that in this room the ceiling often has a large load: humid air, attachments, and so on. We do not recommend saving on consumables in such a responsible matter!
A little about the kitchen
Helpful advice. Flared dowels are optimally suited for suspensions, but in the event that there simply weren’t any in the store, it’s quite acceptable to use impact fasteners, simply by taking screws that are more suitable for your requirements. This is especially important when you are making a figured plasterboard ceiling in the kitchen. Photos do not convey all the nuances, but you just have to keep one circumstance in mind.
The fact is that the air of this room is almost always characterized by high humidity. Drywall can get very wet over time and increase its weight several times. If the fastenings are weak, the entire ceiling covering may one day, far from perfect, simply collapse on your head.
Why do we recommend using flared dowels? The point is that in concreteceilings of domestic houses, you will inevitably stumble upon various voids. The head of such fasteners will not allow them to fall into them, providing the most reliable, high-quality fastening.
And one more thing. It is very important when screwing the suspensions to do this, using not the outer "ears", but the internal holes, since the ears under the weight of the ceiling will inevitably pull back, and quite significantly. Your entire figured plasterboard ceiling, on the installation of which you had to work so scrupulously and responsibly, will immediately turn out to be completely skewed.
Installation of CD-profiles
Once you are done with the hangers, measure the required length of the CD profiles and carefully insert them into the UD mounts that you have previously secured around the entire perimeter of the room. To set them as accurately as possible, you can use a regular thread.
Pull it exactly across the CD, carefully attaching the ends of the twine to the UD profiles. To prevent slightly sagging profiles from pulling the thread, lightly fasten them by sliding the ends of the hangers under them. By the way, the thread can be removed later, as it will still come in handy when installing the second level of the ceiling.
Carefully “calibrate” the profiles according to the level of the twine, simultaneously fixing them with small self-tapping screws. Important! Before you start attaching drywall sheets, be sure to make sure your work is thorough. In addition, it does not hurt to immediately lay the wiring for recessed fixtures, stretch the telephone cable, cable TV and the Internet. The cavities that a curly plasterboard ceiling forms are suitable for this.perfect.
Screw drywall
A standard GVL sheet has a length of exactly 250 mm. Note! Each sheet should lie on the CD profile so that it is exactly half closed. The remaining space will be used to fasten the next GVL sheet. Note that this material is very difficult, and therefore we strongly advise you to find one or two assistants before work.
So, we begin to make a figured plasterboard ceiling. Photos of such design solutions are available in this article, so before starting work, you can familiarize yourself with them and come up with your own version, which is distinguished by great variety and originality.
How to do the first level?
Of course, you should first mark out the shapes of the future ceiling. This is done with an ordinary pencil. Immediately mark on the wall the level to which the second tier of your ceiling will descend. Screw the UD profile. If you need to curve it, to facilitate the process, simply cut the material every five centimeters.
You should know that you need to cut the profile from the side and outside of the direction in which the surface will bend. This is how you need to do the first level, mounting a figured plasterboard ceiling with your own hands. Photos from the article will help you understand some of the nuances of the work.
After that, you can begin to assemble the frame, fastening it together with self-tapping screws of the appropriate type. After that, carefully screw the GVL sheets. Try to direct the screws strictly vertically, otherwise the surface of the sheets will inevitably crumble! As we said above, you can pull the same thread to achieve the most accurate alignment with it.
Second figure level
Because it is difficult to fasten pieces of drywall in places with winding lines, we recommend cutting it into small pieces that are much easier to bend into the desired shape and fasten. At this stage, it is extremely important to carry out the installation of figured plasterboard ceilings as carefully as possible and not to rush, otherwise you risk spoiling the results of your work.
If in some places the profiles hang more than half a meter, they must be additionally fixed with hangers. Only then can pieces of GVL be carefully sewn on them, constantly cutting off the extra parts with an ordinary hacksaw. Vertical strips of drywall (before bending them) should be cut from the outside of the bend. Once this work is done, you can begin to putty the ceiling.
If you do not have sufficient experience in the installation of suspended plasterboard ceilings, we strongly advise you to first fully assemble the frame, and only then sheathe both levels with GVL sheets. This makes it much easier to avoid mistakes. This is how false plasterboard ceilings are made.
