Decorative finishing of the ceiling with stucco molding allows you to simultaneously decorate the room in an original way and veil the defects of its layout. Consider the popular types, advantages and disadvantages, manufacturing technology and installation of stucco decoration. Decorating ceilings with stucco moldings is a fairly common type of repair and decorative work. Like famous architects of past centuries, modern designers actively use original moldings for interior decoration of apartments and suburban housing. Unusual ceiling rosettes and tiled caissons, garlands and cornices will help transform any room and give it a special charm, sophistication and charm.
Types of moldings for finishing the ceiling
For the manufacture of modern stucco decoration, raw materials of natural and synthetic origin are used. Depending on the source material, there are several types of stucco molding - gypsum, foam and polyurethane. Let's consider their main properties and features.
Plaster ceiling molding
The indisputable advantage of stucco decorations made of natural gypsum is their ecological purity. During operation, products made from this natural sedimentary material do not emit unpleasant odors and toxic substances. In addition, the gypsum stucco molding on the ceiling does not lend itself to shrinkage and is resistant to fires and mechanical damage.
It is worth noting that due to the rather high cost, many abandon gypsum products in favor of polymer ones. In practice, the seeming high cost of natural stucco molding is justified by its extraordinary durability and decorative uniqueness.
Plaster stucco decoration is highly hygroscopic, so it is better to use it for finishing work in living rooms. In kitchens, in bathrooms and other rooms with a high level of humidity, it is more advisable to use stucco molding from synthetic raw materials - foam or polyurethane.
Foam stucco molding on the ceiling
Styrofoam decorative elements are used as a budget alternative to classic plaster moldings. However, unlike natural "congeners", such products are distinguished by their low specific gravity, due to which they are successfully used for finishing tension and suspended structures.
Self-fastening of stucco molding on the foam ceiling takes a minimum of time, but at the same time it requires utmost care and attention, since the decor made of expanded polystyrene has a fragile crumbling structure.
And one more important point: foam products are flammable, therefore, for safety reasons, they are installed away from open sources of artificial lighting.
Polyurethane ceiling molding
Ceiling moldings made of polyurethane combine the best qualities of synthetic foam and natural gypsum. Due to their physical properties, polymer products perfectly tolerate any changes in the microclimate in the room - from an increase in humidity levels to significant temperature changes.
Thanks to their melting resistance, polyurethane elements can be installed in close proximity to light sources, and thanks to their plasticity and flexibility, they can be given the desired radial shape. A separate bonus in favor of polyurethane stucco molding on the ceiling is the speed of installation work and the ease of its subsequent processing.
Advantages and disadvantages of stucco ceiling decoration
The main advantages of stucco ceiling decoration include the following:
- Aesthetic appearance … The stucco decor allows you to effectively emphasize the individuality of any interior. The most popular elements of ceiling molding are sockets for lamps, caissons and moldings. Often, the above details are used in a mono version, however, if desired, they can be combined to create complex interior compositions and plots.
- Optical correction of room proportions … The use of stucco elements for decorating the ceiling helps to emphasize the advantages of designing a room and visually change its proportions.
- Strength and durability … With the correct execution of installation work and proper care, the gypsum stucco molding on the ceiling will delight you with incredible beauty for more than a dozen years. Synthetic molded products are less durable, usually their service life ranges from 5-6 years.
- Practicality and functionality … Using elements of stucco decoration, you can discreetly disguise the inaccuracies of the ceiling surface and hide the entire technical "stuffing" of the room - network cables, electrical wiring, ventilation ducts and grilles.
- Possibility of repairing damaged elements … If necessary, defective pieces of stucco molding can be easily restored or replaced with new ones.
With all the advantages, stucco decoration also has some disadvantages. As a rule, they depend on the source material from which the interior stucco molding is made. So, products made of natural gypsum are heavy, but fragile, therefore the installation of such elements is considered a rather laborious process.
But even beginners in the construction business can cope with finishing the ceilings with stucco moldings made of polyurethane and foam. At the same time, many are confused by the limited assortment, design simplicity and relatively short service life of such products.
Ceiling decoration with plaster stucco
Self-production and subsequent installation of plaster stucco figures consists of certain step-by-step tasks. Let's take a closer look at how to make plaster ceiling moldings with your own hands using the example of an overhead socket under a chandelier.
Making gypsum stucco moldings for the ceiling
The creation of plaster stucco decoration is a rather complex and painstaking work that requires consistency, care and accuracy. When starting the process of making stucco moldings at home, we recommend that you read the following instructions:
- You can use either a factory-made silicone stencil or a homemade mold to cast an overhead plaster rosette. Sculptural clay of medium softness is ideal for making the latter.
- It is necessary to mold the plasticine blank according to the preliminary sketch. When working out a schematic drawing, one should take into account the overall dimensions of the room and the size of the ceiling chandelier - ideally, the diameter of the decorative rosette should be equal to the diameter of the pendant lamp.
- The next stage of work is the preparation of a gypsum mixture. To do this, in a plastic container with high sides, a dry fine powder is combined with warm water in a ratio of 10: 7 (7 parts of water are measured for every 10 parts of gypsum) and a small amount of PVA. Adding glue to gypsum mortar significantly improves its plastic properties and prevents the appearance of cracks on molded products.
- The resulting mixture is vigorously stirred with a whisk mixer until a homogeneous flowable mass is formed. It should be remembered that a freshly prepared solution retains the consistency necessary for casting for about 3-5 minutes. That is why, immediately after the end of mixing, the casting process begins.
- Before direct casting, the inner surface of the template is thoroughly lubricated with technical vaseline or a special silicone-based release agent.
- To give the product additional strength, use fiberglass, copper or plastic mesh. The reinforcing material is laid in one layer during the direct casting of the mold with the gypsum mixture.
- The cavity of the prepared template container is filled with the working solution quickly and as evenly as possible. The form filled to the required level is gently shaken, and the surface of the gypsum mixture is carefully smoothed with a wide spatula.
- The process of solidification of a medium-sized cast gypsum product takes no more than half an hour. After that, it is carefully removed from the template and placed on the most even surface to dry.
- Now the stucco decoration should "acclimatize" for 36-48 hours at a stable temperature and humidity. Thoroughly dried stucco moldings are carefully checked for defects and errors and sanded with fine sandpaper.
It is important that the stucco molding on the ceiling under the chandelier is made in the same style with other plaster elements and corresponds to the general interior concept. Otherwise, even the most thoughtful decoration will look like a "foreign stain" and spoil the visual appearance of the room.
DIY installation of plaster moldings on the ceiling
The installation of the manufactured stucco socket can be started after 2-3 days from the moment of casting.
Fastening of decorative stucco molding is carried out in the following order:
- Before starting the installation, the ceiling surface should be leveled with a plaster mixture or putty. At the end of drying, the base is treated with a grinding machine and thoroughly cleaned of the resulting dust.
- Now you need to determine the location of the plaster socket. In rooms with a regular geometric shape, it is located at the intersection of the ceiling diagonals. After that, you need to make a markup and "fitting" stucco.
- Further, the working section of the ceiling and the reverse side of the decorative figure are moistened with warm water and abundantly lubricated with a special assembly mixture based on gypsum and PVA. The glue-treated rosette is applied to the ceiling surface and pressed firmly with your hands. Excess fixing mixture is removed with a dry, clean cloth.
- For reliability, massive stucco molding is additionally fixed with self-tapping screws. The optimal spacing between adjacent fasteners is 15-20 cm. To avoid the appearance of rusty streaks on the stucco elements, the “heads” of the screws are covered with white paint.
- At the end of the installation, the so-called completion of the stucco molding on the ceiling is performed. To do this, all joints and attachment points are slightly moistened with water and covered with a thin layer of freshly prepared gypsum mixture.
- To eliminate surface roughness, the stucco decor should be treated with a fine-grained sandpaper, cleaned of dust with a soft brush and covered with an acrylic water-repellent primer.
- The ceiling rosette is now ready for finishing. It can be staining or toning, gilding or patina - it all depends on the overall interior design.
Ceiling decoration with polyurethane stucco molding
The process of installing artificial ceiling moldings involves the use of ready-made decorative elements.
Let's get acquainted with the features of the installation of polyurethane products using the example of a ceiling cornice:
- Before installation, the polyurethane decor is freed from the packaging material and kept in the room to be installed for 24-36 hours.
- After that, the ceiling strips are cut according to the preliminary marking. The end parts of the plinth are cut at an angle of 45 degrees using a sharp fine-toothed hacksaw or a miter box.
- Next, proceed to the direct installation of the cornice. Installation of panels starts from one of the corners of the room.
- For fastening products, special assembly compounds or plastic gypsum mixtures are used.
- The selected adhesive is applied in a thin layer along the entire length of the decorative plinth and at the points of its abutment to the wall and ceiling surface.
- Then immediately apply the eaves with the glue side to the installation site, press firmly and hold in this position for several minutes.
- A day after the installation of the last plank, all joints and cracks are corrected with a finishing putty.
- After drying, the cornice is carefully sanded with sandpaper, primed and, if necessary, covered with a water-based emulsion or acrylic paint of the desired shade.
The foam stucco molding is attached in the same way. How to decorate the ceiling with stucco molding - watch the video:
[media = https://www.youtube.com/watch? v = SVLHs5R8lRM] Do-it-yourself stucco molding on the ceiling will help transform even the most ordinary interior and realize bold design ideas and extraordinary creative ideas.
