Stretch ceiling – a construction made of a panel, fixed on a metal (aluminum) or plastic profile (baguette) under the main ceiling.
Structures similar to stretch ceilings have been used in residential buildings for a very long time. For example, in ancient Rome , the ceilings were draped with cloth, in medieval Armenia they used cloth soaked in chalk, which was stretched over a special frame. In its modern form, stretch ceilings appeared with the invention of PVC film , and became widespread in Western Europe in the 1960s. At first, stretch ceilings were mainly used in apartments and offices .rooms where it is more difficult to fix a real ceiling than to “hide”. Later, in the light of modern trends, stretch ceilings become an integral part of the interior. This is facilitated by a number of their advantages in comparison with conventional ceiling finishes.
There are two types of stretch ceilings: welded vinyl film ( PVC ) and seamless fabric.
Vinyl film ceilingsare made according to the individual sizes and a configuration of the room. Production takes place in production by welding strips of polyvinyl chloride with a width of 1 to 5 meters on high-frequency machines. During installation, the stretch ceiling canvas is heated with gas guns to a temperature of 70 degrees, after which the film softens and is stretched onto a pre-mounted profile. PVC ceilings are available in different colors and textures (gloss, satin, mat, suede, etc.). The disadvantages of PVC film ceilings include low frost resistance (although this factor does not matter for heated rooms) and lower strength compared to fabric ceilings (most manufacturers claim that such ceilings cannot be pierced, for example, with a champagne cork).
The most popular textures are glossy, matte and satin.
Fabric seamless ceilings are a textile fabric of knitted weaving made of polyester yarn, the fabric is evenly impregnated with a mixture based on polymer – polyurethane , then wrung out, dried and calendered. Seamless ceiling sheets are supplied in rolls up to 5 meters wide, no customization is required. For installation, the canvas is released with the required molding from the roll and is fixed in the installation profile without additional processing and heating. Seamless ceilings are available in both white and color versions. Seamless ceilings in terms of strength characteristics are close to traditional finishing methods, they are not afraid of negative temperatures.
Polymer film for stretch ceilings is made of elastic, durable and waterproof material.
Synthetic fabric, which is based on chlorine and petroleum products, must comply with the standards of hygienic indicators given in the table.
| Name of indicators (characteristics, etc.) | Normalized value of hygienic indicators (characteristics), no more |
| Odor intensity | 2 points |
| Formaldehyde | 0.01 mg / m3 |
| Pseudocumene | 0.03 mg / m3 |
| Phenol | 0.003 mg / m3 |
| xylene | 0.04 mg / m3 |
| Toluene | 0.6 mg / m3 |
| dibutyl phthalate | 0.1 mg / m3 |
| Dioctylphthalate | 0.02 mg / m3 |
| Butyl acetate | 0.1 mg / m3 |
| ethyl acetate | 0.1 mg / m3 |
| Acrylonitrile | 0.03 mg / m3 |
| Acetone | 0.35 mg/ m3 |
| hydrogen chloride | 0.1 mg / m3 |
| Electrostatic field intensity level | 15kV/m |
Since at high temperatures it is possible to release harmful substances from the polymer, including phenol, hydrogen chloride and toluene, the installation of PVC stretch ceilings in rooms with temperatures above +90 degrees Celsius (saunas, baths, etc.) is prohibited
An important factor in choosing stretch ceilings is the speed of installation: the installation time for one ceiling of medium complexity in a medium-sized room is several hours. Moreover, it is necessary to note the convenience of planning and preparatory conditions for carrying out repair work in general. Installation of a stretch ceiling is most often carried out at the final stages of repair, after the completion of dusty work. The call of experts for measurement is appointed before pasting of wall-paper.
The installation technology of stretch ceilings of any type requires at least 3 cm or more to depart from the draft or bearing ceiling if any other devices (lights, communications, wiring) are to be installed behind the stretch ceiling.
The canvas of the stretch ceiling is mounted on a plastic or aluminum profile (“baguette”), which is fixed on the walls or the base ceiling using the dowel – screw system . The method of fastening the stretch web in the profile depends on the type of stretch ceiling: for vinyl ceilings, harpoon or bead (wedge) methods are used; for fabric (seamless) stretch ceilings – cord or clip-on fastening method.
The gaps between the interface of the stretch ceiling with the walls, as a rule, are hidden by a plastic decorative overlay (insert) made of hard or flexible PVC.
Before installing a stretch ceiling, special preparation of the room is required, including providing free access to the walls of the room along the perimeter of the ceiling, sealing cracks, cleaning the ceiling surface from poorly fixed or uneven parts. Pasting the room with wallpaper is best done after the installation of stretch ceilings, but it is advisable to finish the “dirty work” before.
The classic design of the stretch ceiling is a single-level flat plane. However, there are also multi-level structures.
A multi-level stretch ceiling makes it possible to visually divide the room into areas delimited by height. The baguettes on which the canvases are attached can be not only straight, but also curvilinear.
A stretch ceiling in the form of an arch or dune allows you to organize a smooth transition between the ceiling and walls, which is achieved due to the three-dimensional shape, visually reminiscent of hills or dunes.
Stretch ceilings with photo printing are stretch ceilings with any image or even a photograph taken by you printed on their surface.
The image of the sky and clouds is most widely used as a drawing. The image is applied on special printing machines (printers) by solvent or ultraviolet printing with a resolution of up to 1200 dpi .
For PVC film ceilings, the layout of the image is broken into strips, then the printed strips are welded together during the fabrication of the ceiling. For seamless ceilings, the image is applied immediately to the entire width of the panel.
Separately from the whole range of textures and colors of stretch ceilings, a stretch ceiling of the “starry sky” type is distinguished.
The visual effect of the same name is achieved by combining the stretch ceiling and lighting technologies. There are four main technologies for implementing the starry sky visual effect:
A stretch ceiling of the “starry sky” type is often implemented with an image previously applied to the canvas by means of photo printing.
Especially for medical, sanitary and health institutions, antibacterial stretch ceilings have been developed. The canvas is impregnated with antifungal and antimicrobial compounds, in addition, inhibitors are introduced into the impregnation to protect the material from exposure to ultraviolet quartz lamps and chemicals used for disinfection.
The composition of the fabrics and impregnations, as well as the list of bacteria against which the action is directed, is the know-how of the manufacturer. As a rule, it includes substances that prevent the emergence and spread of mold fungi, gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, as well as Staphylococcus aureus.
The soldering of several sheets of a stretch ceiling is a multi-level ceiling, which is obtained by dividing the ceiling sheet into several parts and soldering these parts on the machine according to the sketch. Basically they are made of three parts. Parts are made in various shapes, different colors and textures.
When soldering a matte and glossy texture, the effect of “optical deception” is achieved. This is due to the fact that the matte texture emphasizes the real level of the ceiling, and the gloss gives depth, creating a visually “second level”.
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