Practical glass ceilings for all types of premises, advantages and disadvantages of glass for ceilings, types of frames, DIY installation of glass suspended structures. Glass ceiling is an elegant solution when decorating the upper plane of a room for bold creative people. Glass ceiling structures can transform any room, adding sophistication, volume and personality. Depending on the choice of one or another type of ceiling, you can create a special atmosphere in the room: romantic or invigorating, relaxing or setting up a working mood. In any case, glass ceilings visually increase the volume of the room, although suspended structures take up to 20 cm of ceiling height.
Types of glass for glass ceiling
Glass ceilings can be divided into types according to several criteria, for example, by the material used in the production of components or by the type of frame structure.
When choosing the parameters of the future glass ceiling, consider all possible options (material, frame, color and pattern, lighting) in order to decorate the room in the desired style with a high degree of practicality and safety. To create glass ceilings, silicate and organic glass are used. Plexiglass is essentially plastic. It is also called plexiglass or acrylic glass.
Let's consider the comparative characteristics of acrylic and silicate glass in different parameters:
- Finished product weight … Plexiglas products weigh 2-2.5 times less than ordinary glass products with equal volumes. Therefore, more serious requirements are imposed on the strength characteristics of frameworks for silicate glass ceilings.
- Strength … Silicate glass is highly fragile, any mechanical impact on various structural elements can lead to the fact that the glass elements of the ceiling crack at best, and at worst - their fragments will fall down. However, at present, various technologies are widely used to strengthen glass, for example, applying a transparent protective film to the surface. On the contrary, acrylic glass is plastic. It does not crack and therefore does not crumble. The risk of injury is minimal.
- Reaction to changes in temperature and humidity … Acrylic does not tolerate high temperatures, it deforms. Silicate glass is able to withstand high temperatures, no harmful substances are emitted when heated.
- Care of the product … Any type of cleaning agent can be used to clean regular glass, even acidic ones. However, abrasive scouring powders will cause small scratches on the surface. Acrylic surfaces do not tolerate dry cleaning or the use of cleaning chemicals containing acids and benzene. It is best to clean plexiglass with special napkins and clean water.
- Material handling … Compared to silicate glass, plexiglass is easier to process. Cutting and adjusting to the required dimensions and shapes is comparable to the ease of processing wood. Regular glass is quite hard, but due to its fragility, there is a high risk of material deterioration. The processing of silicate glass should be carried out by specialists using high-quality equipment.
- Lighting options … If the ceiling is suspended, then, using any glass, you can equip both external and hidden lighting. However, due to the physical properties of acrylic glass, incandescent bulbs or halogen lighting should not be used near it.
- Other characteristics … Plexiglas has good sound insulation, has a matte structure. Silicate glass is transparent, but when using different technologies, for example, sandblasting, its surface becomes matte, velvety. Such processing is carried out not only over the entire area of the module, it is possible to apply drawings and ornaments of varying complexity to individual areas.
Such positive qualities of glass for ceilings, such as thermal and moisture resistance, are possible only with the right choice of the frame. The ideal option is an aluminum profile or a zinc coated steel profile. The worst case in terms of resistance to changes in temperature and humidity is a timber frame, which has some aesthetic advantages.
Types of glass ceilings by mounting method
Glass ceilings have all the advantages of suspended ceiling structures. For example, with their help, various communications, electrical wires are easily hidden. It is also indisputable that with the help of the frame structure, original glass ceilings with lighting are easily created. Consider the types of glass ceilings, depending on the methods of attaching glass to the ceiling.
Frameless glass ceiling
In this case, the glass will be attached directly to the ceiling. Although even with this option, which can save 10-15 cm of the height of the room, it is advisable to make at least an elementary wooden lathing. In this version, it will not be possible to supplement the ceiling with hidden interior lighting in order to give the plane an airiness.
For frameless glass ceilings, it is advisable to use only opaque glass or mirror. In addition, there is a high probability of damage to the glass surface as a result of vibration or other mechanical influences. Before installing glass ceilings, it is necessary to thoroughly level the surface, these actions are partially or completely excluded when erecting a false ceiling.
Framed glass ceiling
Modular systems for suspended ceilings are more common. They are a set of adjustable hangers, accessories for the frame (aluminum or steel), as well as modules made of one or another material. The list of the latter includes silicate and acrylic glass.
Modular ceilings are often sold on a turnkey basis, i.e. the kits contain all the necessary basic and spare parts. The manufacturer provides detailed installation instructions, which can be carried out without outside assistance.
Types of frame glass ceilings:
- Glass ceiling with square modules … The most purchased is the cassette modular system with the same size inserts of the correct square shape. This option is universal, because a module made of one material can be easily replaced with another. The individual modules are assembled by simply inserting them into the finished grid. The structure is easy to assemble, it can also be completely disassembled if necessary for use in another room.
- Glass ceiling with wooden lathing … Special attention of connoisseurs of natural materials in the interior deserves a wooden lathing for a glass ceiling. Glass ceilings with a wooden frame add sophistication and chic to the room. Frosted glass looks great with wood. Fragments of the ceiling can be of various shapes to embody the artistic intent of the designer.
- Glass ceiling with hidden frame … The modules can be fixed to the frame with decorative screws. The difficulty lies in drilling holes for them. In this case, it is worth giving preference to plexiglass. Such a ceiling can be created with a hidden frame, making the distance between the modules to a minimum, or finishing the joints with a decorative profile, for example, a wooden batten.
- Glass ceiling with stained glass inserts … Stained-glass windows are not installed over the entire shelf surface area. Most often they are located in the center of the ceiling. To install a stained-glass window, a frame is required, the shape of which depends on the design of the stained-glass window.
When choosing this or that type of frame, take into account the peculiarities of the material from which the components are made for it. Timber framed glass ceilings are best installed in living areas, living rooms, offices or restaurants. For rooms with high levels of humidity, choose a galvanized or aluminum frame that does not corrode and does not absorb moisture. Frameless glass ceilings can be installed in private one-story houses.
Choice of glass ceiling design
Various types of artistic processing are used to create a unique glass suspended ceiling:
- The easiest and cheapest way to diversify the glass surface is to stick a special decorative film on it, which can also perform a protective function.
- Images can be applied to the glass surface using special inkjet equipment. Ultraviolet paints have received wide recognition, which, in addition to durability, are also distinguished by their safety for a living organism.
- For creative people, an unremarkable glass ceiling is a great chance to bring their artistic fantasies to life. This will require an idea and paint with brushes. It is rather difficult to apply a pattern to the panels already installed in the frame. It is best to do this before installing the modules in the suspended structure.
- The development of glass processing technologies has led to the production of a figured glass module that can be tinted in different colors.
- A special type of glass ceilings are designer ceilings with hand-made decorative glass and frame elements.
DIY glass ceiling installation
Consider the process of designing and installing a glass ceiling, starting with drawing up a drawing and ending with the final assembly of glass elements.
Creating a drawing of a glass ceiling
The starting point for creating a glass suspended structure will be the creation of a drawing of the future ceiling. At this stage, be sure to think over everything to the smallest detail, because it will be impossible to replace the ordered according to the individual drawing and paid for the goods without monetary losses.
Use the following options to create a drawing:
- Room dimensions (width, length of the room);
- Construction format (cassette, cellular, lattice, design);
- Sizes of elements and their arrangement in the plane of the ceiling (in the center, over the entire surface, arbitrary);
- Placement of lighting fixtures;
- The height required for the installation of all elements of the suspended structure.
It is important to create a drawing at the correct scale to avoid distortion of the picture. To do this, use checked paper, a ruler, and a protractor.
Surface markings for glass ceilings
The first task is to determine the new level of the ceiling and to mount the frame around the perimeter of the room. For this:
- Determine the point at which the ceiling level is lowest. Measure down from it a distance equal to the height of the designed structure.
- Using a building level, draw a line around the perimeter of the room.
- Fasten the wall profile along the drawn line. The plane formed by this profile is the new level of the ceiling.
Ceiling markings for fixing profiles and hangers:
- Determine the center of the room by connecting points from opposite corners. The intersection of these lines is the center of the ceiling. Divide the length of each wall by two, connect the resulting points with the central one.
- The line along the shortest wall is the reference line. Measure 1, 2 m from it in both directions and draw lines. If the room is long enough, then from each drawn line it is worth measuring another 1, 2 m. And so on until no more than 60 cm remains from the line to the wall. Along these lines, the main frame profiles will be mounted in the future.
- On the lines above, drill holes to secure the hangers according to the hanger manufacturer's recommendations. The hangers are fixed to the ceiling using a dowel-nail fastener.
If the suspended structure is not tied to the center of the room, then use the drawing drawn up earlier to mark the ceiling. Transfer all the necessary lines to the surface of the ceiling. Mount hangers and profiles according to them.
Using the drawing, determine the areas where the lighting devices will be located, which are capable of loading the suspended structure. Install additional hangers in these places. If an LED strip or light-weight fixtures are used as lighting, then there is no need for additional fastening.
Glass ceiling electrical wiring and lighting
The correct choice of lighting in rooms with glass suspended ceilings allows you to fill the room with a new meaning, a certain weightlessness, visually beat the size of the room and help create a special mood. With the use of suspended structures, external luminaires fade into the background.
More and more often, hidden or recessed lighting fixtures are installed in the new ceiling plane. The light rays are refracted and scattered when passing through the glass, thus creating an eye-friendly, pleasant, unobtrusive illumination.
Light from any lamp, be it a fluorescent tube, an incandescent lamp or a halogen lamp, will be slightly diffused, but the main source will still stand out. To create diffused lighting, whitewash the ceiling, and place the lamps in specially equipped niches around the perimeter of the room, behind the frame profile or behind opaque elements so that the light reflects off the ceiling.
LED strip is increasingly being used to create illuminated glass ceilings - an economical and practical option. Stained-glass ceilings do not do without interior lighting. External lighting is not able to reveal the full depth and beauty of the stained glass modules.
At almost any stage, but necessarily before the direct installation of glass modules, you can start arranging electrical communications and lighting. All wires must be carefully fixed to the plane of the main ceiling, frame or around the perimeter of the room. Don't let it sag.
Many luminaires for false ceilings are sold with special hangers for easy installation. The placement of lighting fixtures, their types and format must be compared with the entire suspended structure at the design stage. To create different moods, equip several stand-alone lighting types in the same room.
Glass ceiling frame installation
The sequence of mounting the frame for the glass ceiling:
- Adjust the hangers so that the frame attached to them is in the same plane with the wall profile.
- Fasten the guide profiles to the hangers along the marked lines. Place the edges of these planks on the wall profile.
- Install transverse profiles at right angles to create a cell of the required size (most often 60x60 cm, this is the size of standard glass modules).
Fastening glass modules to the ceiling
At the final stage, the glass fragments are installed and fixed into the frame. If the modules are made of ordinary glass, then the installation is better carried out with the assistance of assistants. Acrylic glass is much lighter, so it can be easily lifted up by one person.
If the glass modules are patterned, pay attention to the sequence of their placement in order to obtain a conceived artistic composition as a result.
After installing the last module, turn on the lighting and evaluate the result of painstaking work. Glass suspended ceiling is ready!
How to make a glass ceiling - watch the video:
The difficulty of creating glass ceilings with your own hands is associated with the processing of glass according to an individual design. Cutting a glass sheet, drilling holes in it requires serious skill and requires the use of professional equipment and devices. Otherwise, the glass suspended ceiling equipment should not cause any problems.
