So, you’ve decided it’s time to update the ceiling. Great idea! However, keep in mind: the choice of materials for its implementation will depend not only on your artistic taste, but also on the engineering state of your home and, of course, the contents of your wallet….
First, decide what you would like to see above your head. Ceilings are suspended and basic, or plaster. Suspended are divided into rack, panel, stretch, self-adhesive, and plasterboard ceilings that require additional finishing. Plaster ceilings are either painted or glued.
Age doesn’t paint
To begin with, let’s talk about a house, an apartment in which renovation awaits. Its structure plays an important role. If the house is brick and it is no more than 15 years old, then it practically did not undergo temporary deformation, so you can buy the most ordinary finishing materials – trouble with cracks is unlikely. If the brick house is from 15 to 30 years old, then you will have to spend money on some technical additives – primer fixing mixtures, as well as a self-adhesive mounting mesh for strength and protection from cracks. However, sometimes these additives may not be used – it all depends on the state of the house and your desire. But if the house is more than 30 years old, fixing is simply necessary. For this, the same mesh, primer is used, preferably deep penetration. But it should be noted that “age” is given here roughly, as a standard for the middle band; under unfavorable conditions – high humidity, etc. – the house “grows old” and in 25 years.
As for panel houses, the walls and ceiling in them are made of the same material, so the deformation is significantly less than in brick ones. In panel houses, it is recommended to level the ceiling (the plates at the joints are often unevenly joined), the primer is used for deep penetration. If we talk about monolithic new buildings, then there are almost no problems. You do not need to align anything, since there are no differences in the plane of the ceiling; and preparatory work is kept to a minimum.
For baths, toilets and offices
Rack ceilings consist of slats up to 4 m long and 85 mm wide. They come in white, silver and gold, as well as mirrored. Minions can be installed along with the slatted ceilings, but if you wish, you can also leave the lamps or chandelier. Rack ceilings are mainly used for common areas (bathroom, toilet). You can install slatted ceilings on your own. Considering that the frame itself is aligned during assembly, with a certain skill it can be done without much effort. The main thing is to correctly set the first corner, then it remains only to connect the fasteners. Service life of slatted ceilings – 15-20 years.
Panel ceilings are slatted structures plus pressed tiles 60×60 mm or 62×62 mm. They are installed on suspension mounts, the tiles are put on the frame. Most often, such ceilings are used in offices or utility rooms. Especially for them, special fluorescent lamps (60×60 or 62×62 mm) and hoods are produced. The ceiling color is usually white, but can be painted. You can also mount panel ceilings on your own – the system is about the same as in the case of rack and pinion. Service life – 15-25 years.
For “private quarters”
Stretch ceilings can be used in any room, even if the ceiling itself is in poor condition. The ceiling frame is leveled with a special device (if you buy it yourself, it will cost about $ 120), then a rigid film stretch covering is attached to it. This design can withstand a load of up to 200 kg per m2. You can choose any color of the material, but painting is also possible if desired. Here, the installation must be entrusted to specialists, since at the slightest inaccuracy, you will have to purchase materials again. Service life – up to 25 years.
Self-adhesive ceilings are square foam plates 50×50 mm or 60×60 mm. They come in both flat and embossed patterns. The boards are glued in a row to the cleaned and prepared ceiling. If the glue is not included in the kit, you can use anything other than “liquid nails” and chemical types of glue (“Moment”, “Epoxy”, etc.). In addition, there is a good “folk” recipe for making glue: take three parts of PVA and one part of dry finishing putty, and everything mixes well. And in order to give the ceiling a finished look, the seams between the plates are best sealed with 101E silicone..
Small defects are often found along the edges of the slabs. This is also fixed with silicone. A decorative foam border can be put along the edge of the ceiling. The curb is produced in strips of 1.3-2 m in length. In general, self-adhesive ceilings are the most affordable – both in price and in ease of installation. Of course, you can call the master for the sticker, but on your own it will not take even two days. Service life of ceilings – up to 15 years.
These are not ceilings yet
Plasterboard ceilings are, by and large, “not yet ceilings”. Plasterboard is used to level the surface of the ceiling, as well as to create multi-level ceilings. It is sold either in the form of frames, or sheets of 1.2×2.5 m, thickness – 10-15 mm. It is moisture resistant and non-moisture resistant. Moisture-resistant is used in damp rooms (bathroom, toilet, basement), non-moisture-resistant – in living rooms. Material service life – 15-20 years.
Ceilings for painting and ceilings for pasting technologically differ only in the last stage. In the first case, two layers of special water-based paint are applied to the finished ceiling, in the second, the ceiling is primed and wallpaper is glued. The durability of such ceilings is the lowest – 3-5 years. This option for finishing ceilings is ideal for those who like to change their environment frequently. You can easily cope with such a repair on your own, getting a lot of pleasure from creating a new interior..
Preparatory work
Whichever of the above methods of updating the ceiling is chosen, the approximate order of work remains the same. So:
1. The ceiling must be cleaned of dirt, dust and previous finishing material. For slatted and stretch ceilings, at this stage, the preparatory work ends, since they are leveled during installation.
2. Leveling the ceiling. If the curvature is up to 3 cm, then the ceiling is built up in the right places using plaster mixtures. If the skew is stronger, drywall is used. At the same stage, multilevel ceilings are created..
3. Ceiling filling. A day after applying the putty, it is vyskurivatsya, then primed. Then you can start gluing wallpaper or foam boards. If the ultimate goal is painting, then a layer of finishing putty is applied to the ceiling, it is still churned out, then painted, preferably twice.
About sad
Now let’s talk about the money side of the issue. The cost of the finished ceiling is made up of the cost of the material and the wages of the workers. Which part to save on is a matter of taste.
It is better not to buy everything you need in the first store you come across, but visit them at least two or three. So you will not only get a more complete picture of prices and be able to choose the highest quality product, but also receive comprehensive advice on its use (sellers usually know which products are in demand and why). The most famous are Vetonit putties (with the index KR – normal, LR – finishing), Pufas, Sheetroсk. Since there are a lot of options, it is not difficult to choose the best one..
By the cost of materials, you can make a list in ascending order – from cheaper to more expensive:
1) self-adhesive ceilings;
2) all plaster;
3) panel ceilings;
4) rack;
5) tension.
Thus, the price ranges from 70 rubles / m2 in the first case to $ 35 per m2 in the latter. And if you are going to make repairs with someone else’s hands, add another $ 6-20 per m2, depending on the type of ceiling installed and its initial condition. The rest is easy to calculate.
What are the most suitable materials for ceiling repair? Are there any specific factors to consider in terms of durability, cost, and ease of installation?