In our time, coffered ceilings have received a rebirth. In modern architecture, caissons no longer serve as a supporting structure, but they have been used as a decorative element for a long time. So, in many historical films in ancient castles, ceiling cassettes are found with carved wooden beams that form rectangular sections and cells. If you like this design of the premises, then at home you can try to revive the coffered ceilings.
Main Features
The coffered structure for the ceiling is also called lacunar. It is a surface of beams that form recesses and cells. Such ceilings are called decorative, and in shape they can be not only square, but also round. Caissons are transverse and longitudinal, they often provide for the presence of ornaments, profiled transitions to the walls, borders and paintings on the surface.
In ancient Greece, such structures performed a practical function - they reduced the weight of the slabs and made it possible to remove the load from the beams. For beautythey were decorated with molding and drawings. This technology is ancient, evidenced by the finds of archaeologists. Coffered ceilings can give an attractive look to any room. You can place them in the bedroom, living room, library or billiard room. This decoration is appropriate in a prestigious office, because it expresses the status and power of the company.
Designs of this type look good in cottages and country houses, which are decorated in a classic style. Using this technique for finishing the ceiling, you will create the impression of a huge space. However, this technique can only be applied in a room where the ceiling height is 2.5 m or more. In a small room, the ceiling will not look so impressive.
It should also take into account the architectural style. But if you prefer to experiment, you can choose caissons of different styles and shapes. This solution will be excellent for old-style buildings, where the height of the walls is close to 3 m. Caissons can be used not only for decorating ceilings, but also for arranging a vault, as well as decorating the surface of arches. The design will hide the unevenness of the floors and eliminate the need for alignment work. In this design, you can hide ventilation ducts, electrical wiring and air conditioning pipes.
Which material to choose
Before you start working with coffered ceilings, you must choose the material for them. The most common solution will be wood, which looks beautiful, and also haspracticality quality. It will create the impression of comfort and luxury in the house.
Wood is an environmentally friendly material that does not harm human he alth. For the manufacture of ceilings are mainly used:
- oak;
- ash;
- nut.
An unusual pattern can be achieved due to the natural beauty of the material and texture. Such a ceiling will hide all the irregularities and communications, and will also serve as a unique decoration. However, the cost will be quite high and will depend on the breed and the complexity of the work.
If you prefer inexpensive wood, then you can give expressiveness to the texture and reveal its beauty by applying stain or varnish to the cassettes. When decorating the surface, you can also use lining. Such processing will give inexpensive types of wood an elite and presentable look.
MDF or plasterboard ceiling
Coffered wooden ceilings are expensive. If you want to save money, you can choose MDF. The design is cheap, but it is an excellent alternative to natural wood. Another advantage in this case is the ease of installation, which cannot be said about wooden cassettes. But MDF coffered ceilings have some drawbacks, which are expressed in high flammability, susceptibility to moisture and low resistance to deformation and mechanical damage.
If you want to save money, you should install a plasterboard ceiling. It is suitable if the dwelling is decorated in Baroque or Empire styles, haslarge windows and high ceilings. The plasterboard coffered ceiling provides for the formation of a frame, which is decorated with a plaster cornice.
You can provide sockets as additional decorative elements. This design is easy to install backlight. To date, another technique for creating such a ceiling is known, it consists in the absence of a frame, as well as the manufacture of caissons from drywall. In this case, the parts of the system are joined according to the puzzle principle, the elements are stacked closely so that the structure looks complete and solid.
Polyurethane and cardboard ceilings
Polyurethane coffered ceilings are used for decorative purposes. They are lightweight, which cannot be said about wood structures, but such systems are more expensive. Caissons are made according to the specified dimensions to speed up the installation process. Designs where the backlight is correctly located look quite attractive. Such products are popular due to the symmetry of the cassettes. They can be given the desired shade.
They are also good because they have high fire and moisture resistant properties. Having examined the photo of the coffered ceilings, you can understand that they can also be made of cardboard. They are widely used, and the beam, when arranging such a system, is glued to carpentry glue. Sometimes the system is covered with a self-adhesive film that imitates the natural texture of the type of wood. However, gluing should be carried out only after the ceilingwill be ready and all the beams will be glued.
DIY ceiling: preparation
Slabs are installed according to technology, which depends on the selected material. For example, wooden products should be fixed to a crate of beams, drywall products to a metal frame, while cardboard and polyurethane products are attached to liquid nails or self-tapping screws. The suspended structure will hide the unevenness of the coating, but the base ceiling will still have to be prepared.
To do this, it is cleaned of the old finishing layer and the plaster, which is not securely fixed, is removed. It is important to exclude fungus, mold and rust on the surface. Large cracks are covered with cement-based putty. The base is pre-primed to increase adhesion. The walls are treated with a deep penetration primer.
If necessary, the base ceiling is treated with putty. This is true for irregularities up to 5 cm. Plaster can also be used, it is suitable for defects from 5 cm. The surface is pasted over with wallpaper if you plan to install support beams. Installation of the coffered ceiling provides for the choice of texture and color of the wallpaper. The background should be combined with the beams, as well as overlap with individual elements of the interior. Wallpaper in this case is usually plain, but sometimes canvases with a soft texture are selected. Otherwise, you may end up with the construction looking overloaded.
Design and marking features
If you decide to install a coffered ceiling with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the design features of such a system. Work must begin with drawing up a drawing. The quality of the result will depend on the correctness of the markup. In the process, you should measure the height of the corners and the middle of the room, as well as the length of the edges of the intersection of the ceiling and wall. The resulting dimensions should be reflected in the drawing.
The scheme is applied taking into account the location of each cell. At the same time, a step of up to 1 m is observed. If you want the ceiling to look spectacular, then it is better to place a large recess in the center, where cells of the same type are fixed along the contour or a chandelier. When installing a wooden coffered ceiling, the next step is to use upholstery cord, a laser level and a tape measure to draw a schematic grid on the ceiling.
First, you need to mark the points on opposite walls, and then connect them together. If the ceiling height is less than 2.5 m, then it is better to use thin strips for finishing. Otherwise, the design will take about 25 cm.
Installation of support beams
There is no need to choose expensive wood for cladding. You can buy cheap material and give it a more presentable look with varnish or stain. The moisture content of wood should not be more than 12%. Before installation, the material is left in the room for several days. This will allow him to adapt. Elements are treated with an antiseptic to prevent the formation of fungus andmold.
When a do-it-yourself wooden coffered ceiling is installed, you must act according to the technology, which provides for the installation of beams according to the markings applied earlier. A plank should be cut along the length of the ceiling and nailed along the edges of the plank, which are removed from the ends at equal distances. The frame is attached to the ceiling with nails.
Slats are made to mask the sides. The frame is closed from below with a board. Now you can start making box-shaped bars and fixing these elements perpendicular to the longitudinal bars. Particular attention should be paid to joints and corners.
The resulting gaps are processed with thin profile rails. Wooden coffered ceilings are decorated at the next stage. They can be pasted over with a film, painted or supplemented with stucco molding. For this purpose, some use carved wooden patterns that are fixed with staples or glue.
Slab installation rules
If you are faced with the question of how to make a coffered ceiling, then you must understand how the plates are installed. You can find them on sale. You must work with these elements in a certain order. According to the marking, the plates are fixed to the surface with the help of brackets. It is necessary to start from the central part.
Decorative rails are installed in the gaps between the elements. Ceiling plinths are fixed around the perimeter of the room. With the help of fillets, you can hide the gap, which is sometimes formed due to uneven walls and corners. Polyurethane coffered ceilings made of slabs can provide for the installation of deaf products without holes. In thatcase, there is no need to paste over the base with wallpaper. The squares themselves can be installed on the crate.
Mounting MDF ceilings
This material is lighter and therefore easier to work with than wood. But its performance properties are worse, so the design will last less. The installation of MDF elements is carried out as follows: according to the markings, it is necessary to install a crate of thin strips. The wood for this is left to adapt for several days in the room. After that, it is treated with an antiseptic composition.
One piece is fixed in the center of the ceiling. This will ensure the uniformity of the pattern. Self-tapping screws are used as fasteners, which are screwed into the grooves. The rest of the elements are fixed according to the tenon-groove system. At the next stage, you can begin to install the skirting board around the perimeter of the room. If desired, the plates are painted with acrylic composition or decorated in another way.
Gypsum ceiling installation
Installation of plasterboard caissons is similar to the installation of suspended ceilings. To carry out the work, you will need ceiling profiles and guides. You must purchase hangers, self-tapping screws of various sizes and connecting crabs. A marking line is applied to the walls and around the perimeter of the room. It will become the level of placement of the tiers of the structure.
At an equidistant distance from the jumpers, the attachment points of the suspensions are indicated. The guide profile is mounted on the wall, it is necessary to navigate along the line. Suspensions are fixed at the marked points. The longitudinalprofile. Next, you can proceed to install jumpers. Crabs will help you along the way.
The entire perimeter of the ceiling will be occupied by the frame. At the installation sites of the caissons, a profile along the length of the room is fixed to the coating. Jumpers are cut out of it and fixed perpendicular to the installed elements. In the resulting rectangles, profile segments will be located in a vertical position. The length of the segments should correspond to the depth of the niche. On the edges of the figure there should be two parts, one of which will be located in the center. If the cell is less than a meter in size, then you can limit yourself to two racks.
The ends of the vertical segments are connected by a profile. At this stage, you can lay the wiring, placing it in a corrugated sleeve. The resulting protrusions are sheathed with drywall. Self-tapping screws will help with this. Their hats go deep into the base. Parts are cut from drywall sheets, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich will be equal to the internal size of the cells. Each element is fixed inside the caisson. The joints are glued with reinforcing tape, the next layer will be putty. It should fill in the recesses from the fasteners. The coating is enhanced by applying fiberglass to its surface.
Finish putty is applied as thin as possible. After that, it should be left until dry. Roughness can be rubbed with fine-grained paper and dust removed. The coating is treated with a primer. This will improve adhesion with a further finishing layer. After the primer has dried, you can proceed to further finishing work. Drywall can be painted, wallpapered or stuccoed.
In conclusion
Caisson ceiling systems can be made from different materials. One of them is polyurethane, which has high performance characteristics. It is fire resistant, durable and light in weight. But such designs are quite expensive, but the price is offset by ease of installation. But, despite the high cost, wood still remains the most popular material to this day. This also applies to the installation of coffered ceiling systems.
