All about stretch ceilings on the balcony and loggia

There are a considerable number of solutions that allow you to equip a balcony or loggia. One of these is the installation of stretch ceilings - structures whose popularity is growing from year to year. In order for their installation and operation to meet all expectations, it is enough to follow the simple rules, which will be described below.

Before proceeding with the installation of stretch ceilings, you need to familiarize yourself in detail with their main advantages and disadvantages. This step avoids most of the mistakes made by the owners of premises when choosing materials and installation methods.

Practice shows that the advantages of the products in question are much greater than the disadvantages. A number of factors are their key strengths.

• Installation speed. Several hours are enough to achieve the desired result, in contrast to the installation of drywall sheets, whitewashing or painting, which requires a lot of time.

• Simplicity of preparatory work. It is not necessary to get rid of the existing ceiling decoration, provided that it does not crumble. Furniture and other things should also not be moved.

• Minimum amount of construction wasteresulting from installation work.

• Great appearance stretched canvases that can hide cracks, chips and other flaws in the ceiling.

• Space between the slab and installed structures convenient to use for placing wiring going to lighting fixtures.

• Long service life. With proper care, the stretch ceiling on the balcony or loggia serves for more than 10 years without losing its presentable appearance. Fasteners of a collapsible design can serve three times longer, which allows you to change an old blade for a new one at no extra cost.

• Ability to withstand minor deformations. In particular, they can occur due to the shrinkage of the building.

• Resistance to significant temperature changes. This feature is relevant only for fabric (polyester) varieties of stretch ceilings.

• Environmental Safety. If the canvases are made according to an approved standard, they do not contain allergens and other compounds hazardous to health.

• An abundance of design solutions, presented in a variety of colors, images and patterns.

There are other advantages of stretch ceilings that are important for home owners - in particular, effective sound and heat insulation. It is achieved due to the air gap between the panel and the slab. There you can also place additional materials that prevent heat loss in the cold season.

As for the disadvantages of stretch ceilings, the most significant of them are several points.

• Relatively high cost... This disadvantage is partly offset by the simplicity of installation work, wear resistance and attractive appearance of the purchased canvases.

• Reducing the height of the room. The installed structures are attached to the walls, which leads to the inevitable appearance of an air gap between the panel and the ceiling slab. First of all, this is critical for low balconies and loggias.

• Low resistance to sharp and cutting objects. Owners of PVC products should be especially careful (polyester fabrics are more durable).

The dependence of PVC ceilings on the ambient temperature deserves special attention. With negative values, they can lose their shape and crack, and therefore their installation on balconies or loggias that are not equipped with heating devices should be abandoned. If the temperature in the room in winter does not drop below + 5 ° C, and drafts and vibrations are minimized, PVC structures can be installed without fear.

During installation, 3 main options for fixing the stretch ceiling are used - harpoon, clip and glazing. Each of them has its own characteristics that deserve separate consideration.

This method guarantees optimum reliability of the assembled structure. They provide for several actions.

• Securing baguettes with grooves-latches, performed around the entire perimeter of the room. The material of such elements can be both aluminum and plastic.

• Cutting the canvas according to the size of the loggia or balcony. The edges of the product are equipped with special PVC inserts - harpoons.

• Fixation stretched panel in the grooves of the baguettes. The use of harpoons provides a secure connection allowing quick dismantling when required.

The considered technique has the following advantages:

• absence of risks associated with accidental loss of the fixed web;

• insensitivity of joints to shrinkage;

• the possibility of dismantling the structure - both partial and complete.

The main disadvantage of the harpoon method is the high cost of fasteners... And also it is worth considering the importance of taking measurements: the cutting of the canvas is carried out at the manufacturing plant, and therefore the error made during the measurements cannot be corrected.

The method is relevant only for fabric canvases. Installation of PVC film in this way is unreliable - it leads to its slipping due to strong tension.

The clip-on installation option is performed as follows:

• along the perimeter of the balcony or loggia, a profile is mounted, equipped with a latch-plate - a clip;

• the edges of the stretch ceiling are inserted into the gap between the clip and the base of the profile using a thin spatula or other suitable tool;

• the canvases are fixed between the plastic strips.

The main advantage of the described method is the reliability of the fastening, which does not provide for the presence of gaps. At the same time, in comparison with other methods, clip mounting provides a less strong fixation.

This option is also called wedge. The order of actions provided by it is described below:

• installation of a baguette around the perimeter of the room;

• cutting the canvas in accordance with the dimensions of the ceiling;

• placing the edges of the product in the baguette guides;

• reliable fixation of the canvas with glazing beads made of wood or plastic;

• installation of a ceiling plinth that hides the joints.

The main advantage of this technique is financial savings. Of the shortcomings, it is worth highlighting the likelihood of stretching the canvas during the installation process, which can lead to distortions due to sudden temperature changes. Besides, it is impossible to disassemble such a structure without damaging the baguettes.

The procedure in question does not require special skills and professional equipment. Everyone can do it, provided that the algorithm below is followed.

1. Preparation of the base. If the work surface crumbles, it must be cleaned with a spatula. Upon completion, the base is treated with an antiseptic primer to avoid the appearance and spread of pathogenic microflora. It is advisable to apply several layers of this product, one after the other, as it dries.

2. Checking the ceiling surface. Fixing the panel close to a gap of 2-3 cm is permissible, provided that the maximum surface difference does not exceed 5 mm. And also it is worth making measurements of the level of the frame - when opening, the windows should not touch the installed canvas.

3. Marking for holes for profile fasteners... The recommended distance between adjacent points is from 10 to 15 cm.

4. Installation of dowels in drilled holes, and subsequent fixation of baguettes with self-tapping screws. Installation from the frame side is carried out by direct attachment to the profile. For this purpose, metal screws are used (the recommended size is 3.5x25 mm).

5. Heat the fabric to be mounted and the room using a heat gun up to a temperature of 45 ° C. All windows and doors are pre-closed.

6. Attaching PVC foil to a profile by means of special clips for hanging - "crocodiles". If the owner of the premises mounts the fabric, he skips this action.

7. Stretch ceiling fixing. It is necessary to start from the corners, carefully tucking the canvas into the grooves of the baguettes with a spatula. Then the procedure is repeated on the other side of the room, so that the ceiling is securely fixed around the entire perimeter.

8. Final correction... If it was not possible to stretch the PVC strip evenly, the defects are eliminated by means of a construction hair dryer operating at 60-70% of the power. When making adjustments, it is important to control the heating of the surface to avoid melting.

In conclusion, it remains to list a few tips regarding the selection and operation of stretch ceilings on balconies and loggias.

• Polyester cloth - a winning solution for any room, primarily unheated. They easily withstand severe frosts (down to -40 ° C) without losing their functionality.

• If the temperature on the balcony or loggia does not drop below + 5 ° C, it makes sense to pay attention to PVC ceilings due to their somewhat lower cost.

• In situations where the room is not threatened by cold, but there is a lot of dust in it, the advantage is again on the side of polyvinyl chloride canvases. The surface of such products is smooth, and therefore small particles are rarely retained on it.

• Regardless of the material of the stretch ceiling, wipe it gently, avoiding excessive pressure and the use of aggressive cleaning agents.

If the area of ​​the balcony or loggia is less than the average (up to 6 square meters), you can achieve its visual increase. Glossy PVC film with expressive gloss and excellent reflectivity can help in this. Thanks to the mirrored surface of this material, the ceiling height can actually be "raised" almost twice, which has a positive effect on the perception of the room as a whole. In the case of polyester canvases, its own solution is provided, involving the choice of light colors and shades.

About the installation of a stretch ceiling on a loggia in the video below.