Overview of the market of stretch ceilings. Manufacturers, fastening methods, features of the use of embedded lamps.
In order to transform your interior, you can completely change the situation or make large-scale repairs with reconstruction. And you can draw your gaze to the ceiling. Is it too boring and a face? Does your accommodation deserve your accommodation more modern, elegant, original "sky"? Say, stretched?
Each more or less traditional room has walls, gender and ceiling. With walls and floors, everything is quite clear: we have mastered them well, otherwise we have become furnished, air conditioning, paintings, clocks, carpets and many more. But the ceiling remains almost empty: only lamps are decorated, smoke indicators and sometimes the suspension inner block of the air conditioning system. Such a misfortune of parts is fully justified. After all, the reflective properties of the plane above head as nothing else affects the illumination of the room. Nevertheless, it is a pity that there are almost no such interior tricks that would help to hide the spots or cracks formed on the ceiling. To maintain the ceilings in the proper form invented a lot of technologies. The surface is either plastering and whitewashed, or is covered with wallpaper, either weave with clapboard or panels. Finally, you can use suspension and stretch ceilings - it all depends on the preferences of the host, as well as the means available at its disposal.
Our today's story is about the diversity of French tension ceilings Barrisol, Extenzo, Newmat, Carre Noir, Prestige Design and Dutch Mondea. The material and technology of manufacturing the tensionable canvas is quite close, only the ways of mounting the design range are varied. In addition, the listed products are slightly different from each other offered by the color gamut, elements of fastening and cost. The French ceilings of CLIPSO are somewhat mansion, which appeared on the domestic market recently.
Simple idea of stretch ceiling
The construction of the tension ceiling is based on a very simple principle: "The true face" of the bottom plane of the ceiling overlap is hung with a stretched (or stretched) material. The main thing is that this material is easy and durable and corresponded to the interior on texture and color. However, the surface is not at all obliged to be solid and wear-resistant, because with it during operation there is practically nothing comes.Of course, preferred suspension design, you lose 20-30 mm room height. But in return, get a clean and beautiful ceiling, almost not distinguished from the traditional. No wonder such products - different sizes, forms and color solutions - are currently so popular worldwide.
The material used must have the following properties: environmental cleanliness, strength, ease. Reasonable requirements - good stainability in any color and absence of smell. Currently, there are two material, more or less relevant to these requirements: polyvinyl chloride film and polyester tissue. The first is used in the absolute majority of structures, the second - for example, in the Ceilings of the CLIPSO system.
Polyvinyl chloride film (weight of 180-320 g / m2, thickness 0.15-0.35 mm) waterproof, sufficiently elastic at room temperature (withstands the pressure of 1000 Pa), but becomes rigid and fragile when the thermometer column falls below 0s. However, the film begins to collapse only with frost below -40С. Its surface is easily wiped with a soft cloth. PVC heat removal itself to 90s and retains until this temperature sufficient strength. Moreover, when heated above 65s, the elasticity of the material increases significantly. In such conditions, the product is well deformed, stretching as thin rubber. The subsequent cooling to room temperature restores the initial elasticity of the film, and it retains the form given to it.
Depending on the peculiarities of production, the film is made with a width of 1.3-2.2 m. And since its pieces are easily connected to the welding with the formation of a barely noticeable seam, it is easy to produce a web to 6-8 m wide. In principle, it is possible and wider, but Tensioning such ceilings would be difficult, since the process is carried out manually.
Decorating the surface of the ceiling with cloth (mainly silk) was used by the ancient Greeks and the Romans. The matter was trying to pick up the color of the walls of the room. When with time she was covered with dust, faded and saved, changed it, after which the ceiling looked like a new one. In Armenia, for the same purpose, a thin cotton fabric was used since time immemorial. Initially, it was impregnated with water emulsion of chalk and tensioned on the frame. Haning, the fabric gave shrinkage, so that a perfectly smooth surface was formed. True, chalk out gradually crumbled. Therefore, now Armenian craftsmen, still preserved the secrets of old-fashioned technology, are used to cover the plated ceilings water-soluble paint.
In 1967, Barrisol-Normalu has reanimated the old idea in 1967 by making it accessible to industrial development. Instead of severe fabric, a thin plastic film made of soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is used, stretched between fastening rails (profiles). They are installed either on the plane of the ceiling overlap, or below 17-20 mm - on the walls around the perimeter of the room. This design and received the name of the stretch ceiling. In essence, she resembles the hoops that embroidery use.
In 1999, again in France, Ceilings were developed by CLIPSO with another embodiment of the same idea: now there is a polyester fabric, impregnated with polyurethane. The seams turned out to be low, the welding is better carried out in the factory conditions on a special device. The material is well scored for the whole thickness (the palette of colors and shades exceeds 100 gradations). The texture of the film surface can be made almost any: matte with shallow embossed, under the skin, under the marble, under the Venetian plaster, glossy, perforated (with holes) and mirror.
Before assembly, the ceiling canvas is gradually heated to a temperature of about 70c with a jet of hot air (with an air heater). The film softens, and in such a state it is painted, after which it is stretched, and the edges are refilled into the frame made of a special fastening profile. Then, when cooled to room temperature, the film gives a shrinkage by 1-2%, becomes more rigid and occupies the final position on the frame. Decorating ceiling coverage is ready.
Thin polyester tissue (thickness 0.25 mm, weight 200 g / m2) is impregnated with thermosetting polyurethane, which provides it with higher elasticity and stability of sizes than in a polyvinyl chloride film. The width of the standard roll is 4 m, and by special order - up to 5 m (the ceiling of such a width is made without seams). Since polyurethane cannot be welded, if necessary, in a wider canvase, pieces of material are connected using a special profile or stitch. The fabric is stretched to the fastening frame at room temperature, and then heated by a construction hairdryer (about 1 kW) in those places where the folds need to be smoothed.
The lack of polyester tissue is that it can not be painted before installation. Therefore, the stretch ceiling is either left with matte white, or paint after installation (toned the entire surface or draw a picture). The choice of the surface texture of such a ceiling is limited. But, according to the approval of the practitioners from the MSM Company, the fabric retains its elasticity at temperatures up to -30c, so it can be used in unheated rooms including a balcony and loggia.
Possibilities of stretch ceiling
It is especially convenient to the stretch ceiling when finishing new houses and cottages. It is known that in the initial period of its existence, any building gives an inevitable sediment. The stretch ceiling reacts to this phenomenon quite flexibly, keeping the form unchanged, even if the cottage took the position of the Pisa Tower. If in a few years you want to change the color of the old ceiling - again, no problems! You will make a new canvas and install on the previous frame.
The difficulty will arise when installing the ceiling with "flickering stars" instead of smooth. In this case, you will first have to lower the existing frame for 120-180 mm, then mounted a light generator and a fiber-optic cable at the overlap, and then install a new canvas after that. At the final stage, in a stretched film, pierced holes for the output of individual cable veins or a suspension of crystal diffusers, which will imitate stars. According to experts from Carre Noir, this is a very painstaking job. Note that the creation of one "star" will cost you at $ 1, not counting the cost of equipment and components.
For lovers of mirror reflections of the stretch ceiling - just a find. Professionals from Prestige Interior Design LLC are convinced that this is the easiest and safest reflective design, which one can imagine over your head. For example, with a room area 30 m2, this ceiling together with the fastener system will weigh the order of 10 kg. But note that the mirror ceilings require the uniformity of the tension, and therefore should be installed only by experienced masters.
Stretch ceilings open the widest opportunities for the most exquisite fantasies. Two-, three- and multi-level structures, with "flickering stars", in the form of clouds, flying ribbons and "in harmonic", arched and dome-shaped, are generally achievable any forms formed by a thin elastic material when tangling on a lightweight aluminum frame. Sometimes at the design stage, it is possible to approximately imagine what happens. The final picture will occur only after the installation when the film naturally "bends" between the frame elements. The implementation of such fantasies from some other building material is either impossible at all, or will cost many times more expensive.
The canvas can be calculated. For example, the NewMat ceilings in the factory conditions are applied to color drawing - either standard, or by the proposed sketch. Etoile Ltd. LLC, which mounted these ceilings, ensures that the paints remain unchanged over long years.
Methods for fastening the stretch ceiling
First, the assembly company will produce measurements in the customer's premises. Then, after the expiration date (from one day to the month), brought the curtain cloth of the film to the place of installation. Making time and installation conditions are determined by the method of fastening the ceiling: harpoon, wedge or cam.With a harpoon method, an edging of the tight PVC is welded around the perimeter of the canvas. It has in cross section the shape of the hook, or, by defining Barrisol, Garpuna. The whole design is manufactured in the factory. The size of the canvase must be 7% less than the distance between the walls, within which it remains to be stretched; Permissible error - 1 cm.
Installation is carried out as follows. First, one of the corners of the harpoon cannon engage for the fastening profile. Then heated to 70s section of the web along the diagonal and, stretching the softened film, boil the harpoon spatula into the profile groove in the opposite corner. This procedure is repeated for another diagonal, and then - all over the perimeter of the edging. After cooling the ceiling to room temperature, a fairly durable connection of the tensioned film with a fastening profile is formed. The air in the room when installing is heated no higher than 45 ° C. However, specialists from Mal-C are still advised not to leave on this time in the room sensitive to high temperature pharmaceutical, perfume and domestic products in aerosol packaging.
The described method of tension is used for all the ceilings listed above the PVC film, except Mondea. Delivery of the canvas along with the fastening from the foreign manufacturer takes from two weeks to the month. Mal-C LLP performs the order much faster at its own factory in the Moscow region under the Extenzo license. The carefulness of preliminary measurements and the correctness of the cloth is ensured by the rectinence of the seams and almost complete absence of folds. If the folds still remain (for example, in hard-to-reach places), they are eliminated by heating with a construction hairdryer, after the cloth is fixed.
With a wedge method of fastening used for Mondea ceilings, the measurement accuracy is not so important: the canvas should be 10-15 cm wide of the distance between the walls of the room. Therefore, there is no need to make the pattern in the factory conditions. At the company there is always a stock of cloths of the most running colors and sizes in width ready for the installation of ceilings at least on the day of the order.
The edges of the heated and painted canvas are simply clamped on the frame using the spacer profile (as in the chambers). Speakers after mounting from under the fastening profile, the excess film is cut. According to experts, LLC RusNordvest and Co., which mounted these ceilings, the rectilinescence of seams and the absence of folds is ensured by strict observance of the sequence of the ceiling tension process. This method of installation is more laborious than the harpoon, but does not require the elimination of folds using a construction dryer.
Installation of Ceilings CLIPSO (from polyester fabric), according to the company "MSM company" and LLC Etoile Ltd., similar to work with the Mondea ceiling, but provides for heating by a construction hairdryer after mounting those seats where traces from folds are visible. The web of any size is collected right during the installation of the ceiling. Of course, the borders of fantasy when installing the products of CLIPSO are incommensurable than when working with PVC film, but also the cost of a flat stretch ceiling of white color is the lowest.
With a cam method, the PVC film is fixed between two semicircular surfaces of the bold "cams", which are included in the fastening profile. These "cams" are moved away when pushing the film with a spatula, but automatically shrink when trying to pull it back. This method is used when mounting the Prestige Design ceilings. The fastening profile used allows you to reduce the loss of the room height to 8 mm.
The permissible value of the ceiling sagging associated with its material and tension technology is forced to limit the area of the individual web. Each company determines its indicators of the limit area of the panel, but it usually does not exceed 200 m2. Let's say, the ceiling barrisol permissible value of sagging is not more than 1% of the diagonal length. In other words, with the size of the cloth 5 x 6 m, the center can be 4 cm below than the edge, but when installing an additional support (for example, in the place of the chandelier attachment) - much less. If the ceiling area is greater or it is multi-level, in which case several canvases are made. The adjacent to each other are attached at mounting harpunas to the intermediate support. The connection site is not different from the standard welded web. You can connect the web and using a special profile.
But the most time-consuming way is attached to three-dimensional, or, as it is more often called, 3D ceiling (from the English Dimension - size). Thus, experts from CJSC Triton MV first design and order a frame from separate fragments of the aluminum profile from Barrisol (about the similar system of window profiles, we were told in the N 9 magazine "The Ideas of Your Home" for 1999). Then, this frame is mounted on the bottom plane of overlapping and walls, and its design to the tension of the film resembles the farm of the openwork bridge. The process of manufacturing and installing individual cavifles in this case is much more complicated than with a flat ceiling.
To eliminate the accumulation of condensate in space between the ceiling overlap and the canvas, ventilation channels make ventilation profiles. And with the area of the room, more than 35 m2 should be provided for the message of the replacement volume with a box of sociable ventilation. Even better - install ventilation grilles in the tension ceiling canvase and organize a forced hood.
Features of the use of lamps
1. To order a stretch ceiling follows after the completion of all works associated with wall decoration, installation of ventilation systems, air conditioning, sound insulation and room lighting.
2. The inhabitants of the last floors first of all must discuss with the specialists of the installation company the need and the possibility of conducting preliminary work on eliminating the roof leaks or ceiling ceiling warming.
3. For premises with high humidity (kitchen, bathroom and toilet) it is better to choose a ceiling with a glossy surface, on which dust and soot are settled. Couples and excessive moisture fall out in the form of condensate on the stretch ceiling will not be, since the film due to the low thickness is quite quickly heated to room temperature. Rather, condensate is formed on the ceiling overlap, if it is cold. In this case, it is necessary to thoroughly think over the ventilation of the remedicated space.
4. The film under the suede reassuringly acts on the human psyche yes, moreover, it has good noise absorbing properties. However, before choosing such a ceiling, ask in the assembly company the peculiarities of the care of it.
5. The light generator with which it creates the effect of "flickering stars", it is better to install the walls below the plane of the ceiling or in the adjacent room in general in the adjacent room.
6. When the ceiling stops glistening, it should be wiped with a dry napkin. If this is not enough, then to be treated with a 10% solution of ammonic alcohol or soap solution, and then wipe dry. The battal ceilings allow us to use conventional incandescent lamps, halogen to 12 V and luminescent. The standard fastening in the plane of the web requires capacity limit to 30W - for the first and 50 W - for the second and third. Otherwise, the allocated heat will lead to an increase in the plasticity of PVC and the film sagging. However, any assembly company has several design options for lamps for using lamps of greater power. Between the glass flabe bulb and the ceiling plane necessarily should be a distance of at least 1mm - to limit heat transfer.
If a lowering transformer is used, it is fixed on metal racks or directly on the bottom plane of the overlap. In the last case, the fastening profile is lowered even lower (by 50 - 70 mm).
To create the effect of "shimmering stars" on the ceiling, a light generator with a rotating light filter and a fiber optic cable are used. Light rays along the cable wire are delivered to separate lenses or crystal pendants embedded in the holes of the stretched canvase. When using the remote control, you can not only turn on and off the composition, but also change the frequency of the "stars" flicker, as well as the alternation of their color (for example: white - yellow - red or white - blue - green). Often, such a "sky" do not in the entire ceiling, but in a separate area.
In addition to lamps on the ceiling, ventilation grids can be located, suspended internal blocks of the split-system of air conditioning, smoke indicators. Finally, through the ceiling, as a rule, there are risers of central heating. Installation of a web in places of contact with all these structural elements has its own specifics, but listed items on the finished tension ceiling will be the same as on the traditional one.
Guarantees of the assembly company
Any assembly company gives a guarantee on the stretch ceiling established by it for a period of 10 years, provided that the room temperature is not lower than 0s and not higher than 50c. The warranty obligations involve the preservation of the constancy of the color (including the appearance of divorces from direct sunlights), the lack of saving the surface of the ceiling (first of all - in places of installation of lamps and passing the standing of central heating), cracks in the seams and wrinkles of the entire panel, and Also possible increase in the gap between the fastening profile and the wall only within the normal range. All of this, provided that the named period you will not be made independent "embarrassment" in the canvas, for example, smoke indicators. For confidence that the stretch ceiling will serve more than a dozen years and after the end of the warranty period, make sure that the company has a hygienic certificate, as well as a certificate of conformity and fire safety of the materials used.Suppose, during the warranty period on the canvas, wrinkles appeared on your fault. The representative of the assembly company will come with a construction hairdryer and, as our famous Bard sang, "will defect" for free. If the stretch ceiling is spoiled by leakage from the top apartment, the specialists will return to him the original appearance (some firms include this service in warranty). If you accidentally pierced or cut the ceiling, then the invisible pay to the film will be supplied, but for the fee.
Tension Ceilings Information
| Ceiling | Method of fastening | Deadline | Cost 1 m2, $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrisol | Garpoon | 14-21 | from 33 *** |
| Extenzo. | « | 1-14 | from 30 *** |
| Carre Noir. | « | 15-20. | from 30 *** |
| NEWMAT. | « | 14-21 | from 31 *** |
| Mondea. | Wedge | 1-5 * | from 29 *** |
| Clipso. | « | 1-5 | from 24 ** |
| PRESTIGE DESIGN. | Cutter | 1-5 * | from 28 *** |
* - in the presence of the desired size in the warehouse;
** - with the area of the matte white ceiling 15-40 m2;
*** - glossy ceilings are 25-30% more expensive than matte.
The editors thanks Carre Noir LLC, MAL-C LLP, CJSC Triton MV, company "Company MSM", LLC Etoile Ltd., Prestige Interior Ltd. and LLC RusNordvest and Co. for help in the preparation of material.