Modern fabrics allow you to create unusual ceiling shapes and change any room beyond recognition. Consider what a fabric ceiling drapery is, the features of fastening the canvas and popular decorating styles. A fabric ceiling is a fabric-decorated ceiling surface that is considered an alternative way to decorate a ceiling. The main task of draping the ceiling with a fabric is to add harmony to the interior and create a cozy atmosphere in the room. To obtain the desired result, adhere to certain rules for the selection of fabric and arrangement of the structure, which we will now get acquainted with.
Advantages and disadvantages of fabric ceilings
Decorating ceilings with fabric has become popular due to the many advantages of this method. Benefits of overlap drape:
- No pre-treatment of the base base is required, since the sheet is usually attached at the edges and does not touch the floor surface.
- This is one of the few ways to decorate the ceiling that does not require construction skills.
- The fabric covers the unsightly appearance of the overlap.
- You can fix wiring, cables and communications to the base ceiling, which will then be covered with a canvas.
- The fabric ceiling has good thermal insulation properties.
- The false ceiling is not easily damaged, minor defects are invisible.
- The fabric-decorated ceiling is transformed into an exclusive piece of art.
In addition to the obvious advantages, fabric ceilings also have disadvantages. Matter has a porous structure and does not hold water. With prolonged wetting, the fabric changes color, an unpleasant odor appears. The fabric absorbs ambient odors.
Design features of fabric ceilings
The canvas allows you to create interesting design effects on the ceiling that should match the overall interior of the rooms. Explore popular ceiling draping techniques to find the best option.
A tent-like ceiling looks good if the walls are decorated in the appropriate style. This type of drapery looks good on its own. The hipped roof significantly reduces the height of the ceiling near the walls and cannot be used in all rooms. For a better perception, it is advisable to take a photo of a fabric ceiling made in the form of a tent.
Undulating ceilings are made using additional suspensions. Any material is suitable for such structures, but it is better to use translucent and not very heavy types.
The wall-to-center fabric ceiling installation method has many variations. For example, a soft fabric can be hung loosely or pulled tighter to form a large number of flat folds. Usually, a chandelier is placed in the center of the composition to obtain a semantic center.
The choice of fabric for draping the ceiling
The fabric ceiling device is very simple: a canvas for creating a false ceiling and a frame for fixing it. Very often, the canvas is modified for the installation of lamps, and slats, tubes or other elements are added to the base ceiling or frame to create a relief surface. See below for information on drapery fabrics and profiles.
Requirements for material for headliner
There are practically no restrictions on the choice of fabric for drapery, but there is a practical side to the problem. Ceiling material must have the following properties:
- Do not change strength and appearance when exposed to sunlight.
- Do not lose shape and color after numerous washes.
- The matter should not wrinkle too much.
- Choose a stretch fabric.
- Do not use materials that have the property of "picking up dirt".
- The choice of the type of fabric is also influenced by the user's desire to use a material with certain properties.
- Fabrics made from natural ingredients (linen, cotton, wool) go well with the wooden elements of the room. In addition to decorative functions, it has good heat and sound insulating characteristics.
- Upholstery fabrics should be treated with antistatic and anti-allergenic agents and dust-repelling agents. After impregnation, the material is not afraid of sunlight and has a high degree of wear resistance. All types of fabrics - natural and synthetic - are subjected to this impregnation.
Types of fabric for draping the ceiling
Among customers, the following options for upholstering the ceiling with fabric are popular:
- Linen … The coating turns out to be beautiful and solid. The canvas does not sag over time, does not stretch during installation. Dust is quickly removed from the surface during cleaning.
- Jacquard … Gives the room comfort and respectability.
- Fine silk … Always creates a sense of sophistication and celebration.
- Cotton … Associated with calmness.
- Chiffon … Used in bedrooms and children's rooms. It gives the ceiling lightness and airiness. Matter does not stretch after installation, dust does not collect on its surface
- Exotic jute … Helps to create original styles.
- Beautiful matting … Combines with country style.
- Brocade … For the ceiling, material is used in bright colors. Noble heavy fabric is used to decorate a living room or hall.
- Herringbone fabric … Suitable for any design.
- Canvas … Carries a sense of unshakable well-being.
- Velvet … Delights with luxury.
Some types of materials have properties of sound absorption, water resistance, for example, leather, tapestries.
Colors for ceiling sheathing
Different colors and patterns of fabrics create effects that visually change the shape of a room, and can also influence people's emotions. To decorate the ceiling, fabrics with any structure are used - shiny and matte, transparent and dense, monochromatic and with patterns.
Colors are chosen depending on the purpose of the room:
- If the color of the ceiling is darker than the walls, it will press and seem to hang over you.
- Fabric with transverse stripes is stretched in narrow rooms. This design visually increases the space of the room, but reduces the height of the ceiling.
- A ceiling with a longitudinal pattern or stripes increases the height of the ceiling.
- The small pattern on the ceiling makes the room cozy.
- It is not recommended to install a canvas with large drawings in small rooms.
- Light ceilings create the illusion of an increase in the interior space of the room, while dense and dark colors create the opposite effect.
- The red color of the canvas lifts the mood, but for some people it can cause irritation. A fabric of this shade is never used in rest rooms.
- Yellow is good for the eyes, stimulates the nervous system.
- In the rooms with green ceilings, you can relax, unwind. The green color is considered a relaxant all over the world. It soothes, reduces blood pressure and has a positive effect on the heart rate.
- It works well with blue ceilings, lethargy and apathy go away.
- The purple color adjusts to reflection, but the eyes get tired quickly.
Preparatory work before upholstering the ceiling with fabric
Features of preparation for the installation of a fabric ceiling:
- Prepare the fabric before draping. Cut a small piece from the main blade and measure it. Wet the cloth, dry it and measure again. If the size has not changed, you can start draping the ceiling. When changing the size, the entire fabric should be decorated - wet, dry and iron.
- It is advisable to use one piece of canvas to create a seamless ceiling. If it was not possible to acquire a wide canvas, the fabric is sewn, and then ironed, especially carefully processed at the joints.
- Before work, wind the canvas on a long pole, this will facilitate the assembly of the structure.
- It is best to mount the ceiling together: one holds the roll, the second attaches the canvas to the frame or ceiling.
Fabric ceiling mounting technology
You can fix the material to the ceiling as you like, but all options will be modifications of the most popular mounting methods.
The frame method involves the installation of the structure on the floor with subsequent fastening to the ceiling. The frame is assembled from wooden or plastic slats. Usually this method is used to obtain flat structures or products with a slightly sagging web. The frame ceiling can be attached to the ceiling using special fixtures. In this case, you can adjust the height of the ceiling. One of the varieties of fabric ceilings made by the frame method is called boiseri. They are sold as finished fabric or leather panels that are custom made. The user only needs to fix the product to the ceiling.
Fastening fabric with slats involves the use of wooden or plastic bars measuring 30x40 mm, which are first fixed to the ceiling without fabric. Wooden structures are used in rooms, plastic ones - in the kitchen, bathroom or toilet. For drapery, a canvas with a 20% reserve is used. In this way, pastel-colored fabrics with gilded or silver threads are fixed.
The fastening of the fabric on the slats is carried out in the following sequence:
- Fix the slats along the perimeter of the room near the walls using dowels and self-tapping screws.
- Stretch the fabric from one wall to another, across the entire width of the room, check that there are no waves on the canvas.
- Fasten the canvas to the bars with staples, starting from the middle of the wall and moving towards the corners, gradually unwinding the canvas from the roll. Use staples no. 8, 10 to fix the staples. Fill staples frequently, so use an electric stapler.
- After securing the canvas on one side of the room, move on to the other. At the end of the work, the fabric should not sag.
- Measure the gaps between the slats and walls and cut the MDF decorative panel to size.
- Close the slot with the prepared panel. The traces of the staples can also be masked with braid, and instead of the MDF board, use a ceiling plinth.
The clip-on version of the installation of fabric ceilings involves attaching the baguettes to the walls, and then fixing the canvas to them. This method is used to obtain volumetric and aerial ceilings. The clip method is usually used to fasten synthetic fabrics. Fastening the canvas in clips is no different from the method of fixing the film of stretch ceilings. Before installation, a tape with a clip is sewn to the edges of the canvas, which snaps to the baguette.
Velcro is considered the easiest fastening method. The canvas is held by textile Velcro fasteners, which are sewn onto the fabric and glued in the appropriate places on the ceiling or frame. This method allows you to quickly remove the canvas and permanently solve the question of how to make the fabric ceiling collapsible. The option is not designed for massive structures, the heavy fabric of the Velcro may not withstand.
By the glue method, a thicket of everything is fixed to the ceiling of silk fabric. The process is similar to wallpaper gluing, but the glue is applied only to the ceiling. Cloth headlining is performed in the following sequence:
- Smooth out uneven surfaces with a putty.
- If the ceiling is painted, sandpaper the surface until it is roughened.
- Remove dust from the ceiling and rinse with a baking soda solution. If you find dark spots, paint over them so that they do not show up later.
- Prime the surface.
- Apply a layer of special glue to the ceiling and let it dry a little.
- Next, press the canvas firmly against the ceiling and smooth it with a rubber roller. The next strip is glued in compliance with the pattern of the canvas.
- The fabric begins to glue from the center of the room to the walls. If the fabric is with a pattern, make sure that it does not go astray.
The negative aspects of gluing the fabric can be attributed to the long drying period of the glue and the frequent detachment of the fabric from the ceiling, therefore, before the glue hardens, it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the ceiling.
To obtain a ceiling in the form of waves or a sail, thin tubes or cords are attached to the ceiling or walls, and the canvas is thrown over them. Also, beautiful waves are obtained when the canvas is attached to the ceiling using Velcro.
Watch a video about draping the ceiling with fabric:
You can endlessly experiment with draping the ceiling with a cloth, the main thing is that the material used and the style of decoration should correspond to the interior of the room. All methods of decorating ceilings are quite simple and allow you to make a fabric ceiling with your own hands.
