Do-it-yourself rack ceiling in the bathroom

Recommendation points

• Advantages over other types of ceilings
• Choice
• Preparing for installation
• Mounting

Due to their high decorative and operational qualities, suspended ceilings made of moisture-resistant materials are the most popular type of bathroom decoration. But when comparing the advantages of different systems, a leader can be distinguished – rack ceilings. Not the least role is played by the ease of installation with your own hands..

Advantages over other types of ceilings

High humidity (up to condensation) limits the choice of materials for bathroom ceiling coverings. In reality, four types can be considered:

• classic staining with moisture resistant paints;
• stretch ceiling;
• suspension system made of PVC lining;
• rack ceiling.

The most inexpensive finishing method is painting. But this is only if the floor surface is perfectly flat, no difference in the levels of adjacent slabs. If this condition is not met, then the ceiling will have to be leveled with plaster and putty. Despite the seeming simplicity, it is rather difficult to do it yourself. But this is not the main drawback – changes in humidity and temperature have a bad effect on plaster and putty..

Stretch ceilings (PVC and fabric) withstand high humidity well and do not require wet work. But for the installation of PVC sheets using the harpoon method, a preparatory stage is required in the workshop conditions (precise cutting and fastening of the “harpoon”). Even the use of clips or the wedge clamping of the web in the mounting profile still requires heating the web with a heat gun or an industrial hair dryer. It is very difficult to install a stretch ceiling with your own hands without experience and professional skills. It is also worth adding that stretch ceilings exclude natural ventilation of the space between the ceiling and the canvas, and this can lead to the appearance of fungus there.

The suspended ceiling made of PVC lining has a rather bulky structure. The use of a wooden bar as a batten for a bathroom is not recommended, and the installation of a metal profile and fixing panels to it is not the easiest procedure.

Rack ceilings are lightweight and simple in design. They are not susceptible to corrosion and fungal attack. The glossy surface that reflects light visually adds volume to the bathroom, often small in size and with low ceilings. The metal rail is perfectly combined with plumbing valves, accessories and materials of any type of lamps (mortise and wall). And the simple installation technology makes it easy to do the work yourself.

Choice

Even at the stage of choosing a model, you can optimize the costs of buying a river ceiling. The most common length is 3 meters, but there are other options. Therefore, it is better to stop at the one that will give the minimum amount of waste. For example, if one of the bathroom sizes is less than two meters, and this happens quite often, then you should pay attention to sets with a rail length of 4 meters..

The thickness of the panels affects the strength indicators, and the cost also depends on it. For a bathroom, a thickness of 0.4-0.5 mm is sufficient.

Advice.When choosing a slatted ceiling for a bathroom, it is better to opt for open-type models. They provide a high level of natural ventilation and are recommended for rooms with high levels of humidity. Alternatively, you can choose a closed-type slatted ceiling with perforated panels.

Depending on the height of the room and the type of ceiling lamps, a mounting system is chosen.

If recessed luminaires are provided, then the slatted ceiling is easiest to mount on stringers fixed to adjustable suspensions..

Surface or pendant luminaires allow stringers to be mounted directly to the slab, minimizing loss of ceiling height.

Preparing for installation

A slatted ceiling, like a stretch ceiling, has a significant advantage – its support profile is mounted to walls with a finish coating. This means that installation can be carried out at any time, not just during repairs..

Despite the fact that the floor surface does not require leveling, preparatory work is necessary:

• stripping the old coating;
• taking preventive measures against fungus and mold;
• sealing cracks;
• primer.

Advice.It is better to choose a primer with an antiseptic.

Before carrying out the installation of the support profiles, it is necessary to determine the lower point of the overlap relative to the floor (if, of course, it has a common level). The depth of the future ceiling is measured from it and a reference point is obtained, from which a line is bounced along the walls for attaching corner profiles (supports for slats).

The direction of the stringers and the location of the points of their attachment to the ceiling are perpendicular to the direction of the slats, since the stringers perform the same role in the slatted ceiling as the lathing for the lining. The choice of the direction of the slats depends on the geometry of the bathroom, the source of natural light (if there is a window), the entrance door and the general design solutions of the bathroom interior.

The first line for attaching stringers to the floor is 40 cm from the wall. The step of the attachment points is up to 50 cm.The distance between the stringers is no more than 120 cm.

Advice.The marking of the attachment points of the stringers on the floor slab is planned so that they are approximately evenly spaced.

At the end of the marking, holes are drilled (in the walls for supporting profiles, in the ceiling for stringers), and proceeding with the installation.

Mounting

The corner profiles are first attached to the walls – the slats will rest on them during fixing to the stringers and adjusting the level.

Stringers are mounted. Adjust the level of each of them along the attachment line and the general level relative to each other.

The first panel is then cut to length. It should be slightly shorter than the size of the bathroom and have a small gap between the edge and the wall on each side (to compensate for the thermal expansion of the metal).

Insert the rail into the support profiles, snap onto the stringers and, if necessary, adjust the level with the hangers.

Advice.If the geometry of the bathroom is simple, the walls are aligned, and the corners are brought together by 90 °, then you can make a professional trimming of the slats (some sellers offer this service).

The rest of the slatted ceiling is mounted in the same way, periodically checking the level.

Luminaires are installed during the installation of the rack ceiling. For recessed luminaires, a hole is cut out, focusing on the size of the decorative ring, and its center should be on the axis of the rail. Embedded for pendant and surface-mounted luminaires are arranged according to the same principle.

The last panel is cut to the required width (taking into account the expansion gap), the cut edge is inserted into the corner profile and snapped into the stringer.