The article discusses the types of plywood for the ceiling, as well as methods of surface finishing: painting, wallpapering, stencil finishing and decorative plaster. Plywood is a versatile building material that is often used for floors, ceilings and walls. But under the influence of fluctuations in temperature, air humidity and sunlight, untreated plywood gradually loses its attractive appearance, collapses or delaminates. To increase the durability of such a coating, various methods of finishing it are used.
The main types of plywood
Knowledge of the existing types of plywood can facilitate the choice of one or another method of protecting it and giving decorative properties to the ceiling surface.
The impregnation of plywood when gluing its veneer layers determines the moisture resistance of the future coating. On this basis, the material is marked as follows:
- FKM … This plywood is highly resistant to moisture. In its manufacture, harmless melamine-based resins are used.
- FC … This type of plywood also has moisture resistant properties and is used for interior decoration. The veneer in the material is glued using urea-based resins.
- FOF … It is film faced plywood, it has a wide selection of different colors and does not require any additional finishing.
According to the processing method, plywood also has its own brands: NSh - a type of unpolished plywood, Ш1 - plywood with one-sided grinding, Ш2 - plywood with double-sided grinding.
Unsanded plywood is the cheapest, but Sh1 plywood is usually used for finishing ceilings, with the treated side facing into the room. Plywood can be made from a variety of coniferous and deciduous woods.
Plywood made from coniferous wood is not recommended to be stained, as its resinous structure will resist the diffusion of liquid and create a non-uniform surface.
Features of painting a plywood ceiling
When painting a plywood ceiling, you can preserve and emphasize the structure of the tree, or completely hide it. In the first case, stain and varnish are used, in the second - opaque paint and varnish compositions.
Coating the plywood ceiling with stain and varnish
Stain can be applied to hardwood plywood. The solution can be water-based, alcohol-based or nitro-based. To obtain a more saturated color on the coating, the plywood is covered with a stain in several layers. To achieve an even shade of wood when stained, it is recommended to slightly moisten the surface, and for deep penetration of the impregnation, the solution must be heated.
The first layer of stain is applied along the grain of the wood, and the next - across. For work, tampons, a spray or a hard brush are used. After staining, the coating must be dried. The water-based composition dries within 24 hours, and the nitro or alcohol-based composition - 15-30 minutes.
After drying, the surface of the plywood becomes rough. Therefore, it must be sanded with fine-grained emery paper and wood dust removed from it. At the end of this procedure, the plywood ceiling should be varnished, which will give the coating an attractive finished look and moisture resistant properties. It can be applied with a spray gun, roller or brush.
Plywood ceiling paint
To cover the ceiling with paint, you need to make the right choice of material. In texture, paints and varnishes are glossy and matte. The first ones look beautiful, but do not hide surface flaws. The latter do not reflect light, but mask minor defects in the plywood ceiling.
By the type of thinner, paints are divided into alkyd materials and water-dispersible ones. Due to the fact that substances with a pungent odor (white spirit, turpentine, etc.) are used as solvents for alkyd enamels, such paints are more often used for outdoor work.
Water-based paints are diluted with water. They are almost odorless, environmentally friendly and, when dried, form a strong film. There are several types of such paints:
- Water-based paints … They are resistant to fluctuations in air temperature, non-toxic, easy to apply to the surface.
- Latex paints … They are the most expensive of the water-dispersed group of materials. Surfaces painted with latex paints are air permeable, have high moisture resistance, hiding power and are resistant to abrasion. These paints create a glossy finish on the base material. Their disadvantage is poor resistance to low temperatures: mold or mildew may form on the painted surface.
- Silicate paints … They form a durable coating at a low cost. However, they are not compatible with other types of paints, have low moisture resistance and contain an alkali in their composition, which requires careful handling.
- Silicone paints … They are water-repellent, resistant to temperature fluctuations, durable, have high elasticity, allowing them to hide cracks up to 2 mm. The cost of silicone paints is quite high.
- Acrylic paints … After being applied to the surface, they form a durable moisture-resistant layer of a protective coating on it.
- PVA paints … This is an inexpensive option for dry environments. Over time, this paint turns yellow.
Before painting a plywood ceiling, it should be primed to reduce the consumption of the base material by 1 m2 surface area. The seams between the plywood sheets and the grooves of the fasteners must be filled with putty, and after it dries, sanded with a fine abrasive mesh.
When painting the ceiling with a water-dispersion composition, white paint can be used with the addition of a pigment of the desired color. It should be borne in mind that paint with pigment must be prepared immediately for the entire scope of work. If it is not enough, it will be difficult to pick up a similar shade in the future.
When repainting a surface covered with oil or alkyd paint with an aqueous dispersion material, the plywood ceiling must be pre-treated with sandpaper and primed. After that, you can apply the water-based paint using a roller on solid areas of the surface and a brush - in the corners and at the ceilings.
Stencil plywood ceiling decoration
A good plywood ceiling design can be created using a stencil. The coating technology is not difficult, but it will be problematic to make a template for a person who is far from artistic delights. Therefore, to make a stencil, you can contact a specialized workshop, where it will be cut out according to any wishes regarding the ornament. The stencil can be used for a long time, changing colors before updating the ceiling.
Before work, the plywood ceiling must be carefully sanded, primed with acrylic primer, and then painted to create the desired tone. For this, you can use a latex-based acrylic material. The ceiling should be painted twice and allowed to dry.
The position of the pattern on the ceiling must be determined using a tape measure, a pencil and markings. In the intended place, it is required to attach the stencil canvas to the ceiling and carefully fix it without damaging the previously painted surface.
After that, the stencil should be painted or sprayed with paint of a different color, adjusting the density of the pattern. For this work, use acrylic paint of the desired tone, a piece of foam rubber, a roller or a small spray bottle. Remove the stencil very carefully, trying not to smudge the pattern.
Plywood ceiling wallpaper
The process of decorating a plywood ceiling with wallpaper has some features that you need to know about:
- Plywood is quite hygroscopic and, like wood, expands significantly under the influence of moisture.
- Many types of plywood exfoliate from strong moisture.
- The texture of the wood surface can show through the wallpaper.
- The metal fasteners of the plywood sheets can rust and stain the wallpaper.
- The plywood base makes it difficult to properly join the wallpaper.
All these problems can be solved if you first take the following measures:
- The caps of the metal fasteners of the ceiling sheets must be buried in the material by screwing in or neatly driving.
- The surface of the ceiling must be treated with a penetrating wood primer containing antiseptic additives.
- Fill up with putty, and then sand the joints of plywood sheets, all grooves and other irregularities on their surface.
- To remove fine wood pile, which is able to "lift" the wallpaper, the entire surface of the ceiling must be sanded with sandpaper.
- Before sheathing the ceiling, the ends of the plywood boards must be treated with oil paint, which will prevent the material from delamination from moisture.
After carrying out the above measures, the plywood ceiling will be ready for high-quality pasting. Before this procedure, you need to solve the problem of choosing wallpaper suitable for plywood.
Wallpaper on a paper basis, more than other types of them, give out defects in the substrate, that is, in our case - plywood. Over time, it deforms, and paper wallpaper can easily tear. From the usual types of wallpaper, vinyl and non-woven products are best suited for pasting a plywood ceiling, from more exotic and expensive ones - reed and bamboo wallpapers.
Liquid wallpaper is generally ideal for plywood, since any damage to it can be repaired at any time by applying a fresh portion of the wallpaper or by rubbing it by wetting the coating already existing on the ceiling. But you need to understand that in this version, plywood must be moisture resistant, since liquid wallpaper is diluted with water.
The stage of wallpapering is individual for a particular case, and its strategy depends entirely on the type of wallpaper selected. The main thing in this business is to choose and prepare the glue correctly, follow the order of smearing the substrate or wallpaper and the holding time before gluing them, if necessary.
When using non-woven fabrics, the glue is applied only to the ceiling, with others - to the back of the wallpaper. This nuance must be taken into account, otherwise the wallpaper may swell or become covered with bubbles. Usually, wallpaper manufacturers indicate on the packaging the conditions for the sticker of the material, you just need to pay attention to this.
When wallpapering a plywood ceiling, you should try to do so that the joints of plywood sheets and wallpaper do not overlap with each other in the longitudinal direction. After the end of pasting, there should be no drafts in the room during the day.
Plywood ceiling plastering technology
Plywood is a derivative of wood. Therefore, having the property of "breathing", with a temperature drop, it can expand or contract. Therefore, ordinary cement plaster can crack the plywood ceiling. But there is another type of similar material that can be used to decorate plywood - structural plaster. Such plaster is very different from its usual types. It is a granular inhomogeneous mass with additives in the form of fine granules, wood fibers and other elements. Therefore, structural plaster is quite ductile and can be applied to the surface of a plywood ceiling even with a spray gun.
The material allows plywood to pass air - this circumstance also plays in its favor. Structural plaster is quite suitable for the formation of beautiful patterns on the plywood ceiling. For example, by circular movements of a simple spatula on the applied material, you can get the structure of a sea shell on a plane.
The plaster mix does not need to be prepared, it is sold in buckets in a form that is already usable. It is not cheap, but the coating will last for a long time.
Watch a video about plywood ceiling decoration:
If financial possibilities do not allow the use of this type of decor, then it is worth considering how to finish the plywood ceiling using one of the alternative options described above. Good luck!
