Rules for the selection of an adhesive composition for ceiling plinths, methods for fixing fillets made of different materials, a method of joining and cutting corners, rules for finishing. Installation of the plinth is considered the final stage of finishing the ceiling. Ceiling moldings differ from wall moldings. They have two perpendicular planes: one is adjacent to the ceiling, the other to the wall. Due to such design features, the fillet is fastened in compliance with some rules.
Reasons for installing ceiling plinths
The main function of ceiling moldings is to mask the joints. These details will close the gap between the suspended, stretch ceiling and wall, and also mask the top edge of the wallpaper, creating a smooth transition.
The second reason for the need to install baguettes is the implementation of a design idea. With the help of fillets, you can visually increase the height of the room or make the ceilings wider. They are also used to create contrast.
In addition, a backlight (LED strip) can be inserted between the ceiling and the skirting board. This is an original and non-standard design move. True, in this case, you need to glue the plinth not to the ceiling, but to the wall, leaving a gap between the plinth and the ceiling.
Features of the choice of ceiling plinths
Ceiling moldings should be chosen in accordance with the planned design. In general, they are made from the following materials:
- Gypsum … Durable, aesthetic, massive, attached to gypsum plaster.
- Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) … Lightweight, cheap, low strength. For fixing, use panel glue or polymer.
- Polyurethane … Available in a wide range of shapes and colors, durable, high performance, glued with sealant or liquid nails.
- Wood … Eco-friendly material, such skirting boards look solid, have an original natural pattern. Difficult to process, fixed with fasteners.
When choosing skirting boards, consider their width. The lower the room, the narrower the fillets should be, so as not to take away the additional height. Conversely, massive details will look more appropriate in high ceremonial premises than thin skirting boards. The ceiling plinth width of 5 centimeters is considered universal and is used most often. However, if the height of the room is more than 3 meters, then fillets with a width of 6 to 8 centimeters should be used. Skirting boards for the ceiling also differ depending on the pattern: smooth, lace, striped, with patterns.
Ceiling plinth installation technology
Baguettes on the ceiling are glued to different compositions or attached with self-tapping screws. The fixing method primarily depends on the type of material. It is also important to determine in advance at what stage the installation of the ceiling plinth will be carried out - before finishing the ceiling and walls or after. Craftsmen usually fix the fillets first, and then align the wallpaper with them. However, in ordinary life, ceiling baguettes are remembered only after the finishing of all surfaces, so the installation has to be carried out on top of them. In this case, when gluing wallpaper, the fillets will have to be dismantled.
Selection of materials for gluing the ceiling plinth
To carry out the work, you will need fillets, an adhesive composition and a miter box (a device for correct cutting). After choosing a fillet that is suitable in design and material, select the appropriate adhesive composition. It is important that it is of high quality, because unreliable elements will soon disappear, and periodic gluing will lead to the fact that the baguette on the wall will look unaesthetic and sloppy.
The main types of adhesives used:
- Polymer … The most commonly used adhesives from this group are "Titan" and "Moment". They set quickly, hold glued parts firmly and reliably and have a good bonding base.
- Liquid Nails … They are characterized by high adhesive power and are suitable for almost all materials. There are neopropylene and acrylic blends of this type. The former have a pungent smell. If you do not follow the safety rules until completely dry, then you can harm your health. Due to their water-repellent properties, neopropylene liquid nails are used in rooms with high humidity, such as bathrooms, kitchens. Acrylic is completely safe and recommended for use in living rooms, but does not tolerate high humidity.
- Acrylate based putty … Safe, easy to use. It performs two functions at once: fixes the baguette and fills in the gaps.
In addition to the ones presented above, you can also use the glue for the ceiling plinth, made with your own hands from PVA, putty and water as follows:
- We fill the container with the finishing putty.
- Add glue to it in proportions of one to four.
- Gradually pour in water, stirring the solution thoroughly.
- Stir, bringing the composition to the consistency of thick sour cream. It is important that there are no lumps in the solution.
- Let stand for 5-10 minutes and mix thoroughly again.
The resulting adhesive composition must be used within one and a half to two hours, therefore it is recommended to do it immediately before gluing the ceiling plinth. If there are lumps in the composition that fall on the baguette, then in this place the product will not stick and will soon begin to move away. Remove any lumps before starting work.
To calculate the amount of material required, divide the perimeter of the room by 2 (the standard length of one baguette) and round up to more. It is important to buy them with a margin in case you suddenly make a mistake when cutting. If you wish, you can immediately stock up on decorative corners so as not to waste time cutting individual elements in the inner and outer corners.
You may need:
- Solid parts for sealing inside and outside corners. They are presented in the form of a right angle.
- Small elements with different cutting directions. Suitable for both inside and outside corners.
- Elongated corners for installation in even corners.
- In the kit, you can purchase special plugs for joints.
Preparatory work before installing the ceiling plinth
Preparation for installing the ceiling plinth is carried out in the following order:
- Using a building level, a tape measure and a chopping paint cord, we apply a line on the wall along which we plan to attach the fillet.
- The place of fixation is primed with acrylic compound to improve adhesion with glue.
- We take measurements and calculate the attachment point for each part.
- If the base is concrete, and the plinth is wooden, then immediately mark the places of the fasteners and drill the holes.
Please note that in order to glue the baguettes to already tiled walls, you need to protect the coating from glue drips. For this, masking tape is used.
Methods for joining the ceiling plinth
To make the glued parts look neat, you need to understand how to join the ceiling plinth in the corners. We act according to the following instructions:
- We insert the profile into the miter box, pressing it to the bottom and the nearest side.
- To cut the left vector of the inner corner, insert the baguette on the left and cut it from right to left. For the right vector, we do everything in a mirror image.
- Making blanks for the outer corner, insert the fillet of the left vector from the right side and cut from left to right, and insert the right one from the left and hold the hacksaw from right to left. The bottom of the skirting board for outer corners is shorter than the top. This detail will help you not to get confused in the blanks and quickly determine the fillet belonging.
- If the angle is uneven, then you can determine the cut angle by making the appropriate markings on the ceiling. To do this, apply in turn both skirting boards and mark with a pencil the inner contour of each of them.
- The intersection of the lines will be the point of the upper cut. In the same way, we determine the place of the cut for the outer corners.
- We join plaster fillets in the middle of the wall to increase the length, cutting at a right angle, since a putty will be used for fixing, which will fill the gaps.
- We also connect foam fillets at right angles. Soft texture, snuggling tightly, will not leave gaps.
- We cut wood and polyurethane products at the junction at an angle. In this case, it will be less noticeable.
When joining, the most important thing is to adhere to the pattern. If it does not match, then all your efforts to mask the joint will be useless.
Rules for fixing ceiling plinths with glue
Panel glue or polymer composition is used to fix skirting boards to flat surfaces. If there are potholes on the wall, then there will be no reliable grip, and therefore the baguette will soon disappear.
We carry out the work in the following order:
- We apply glue to the inside of the fillet. It should be evenly distributed over the entire surface, but make sure that the layer is not too thick, because in this case it will squeeze out and drain onto the wallpaper.
- Place the side greased with glue on the wall and press firmly.
- We hold for 30-40 seconds for reliable adhesion of the adhesive.
- We remove the remnants of the glue with a sponge if they hit the front of the fillet.
It is not recommended to firmly press foam or polyurethane products with your hands. You can leave traces of dents or completely deform the skirting board. Use a piece of cloth to press down or, as a last resort, wear cotton gloves.
Technique for installing ceiling plinths on putty
Before proceeding with fixing the ceiling plinth to the putty, the composition must be diluted in accordance with the instructions on the package.
Next, we work according to the following algorithm:
- We moisten the place of attachment with water or a primer to improve the adhesion of the wall and putty. In addition, this is necessary so that the putty does not dry out so quickly.
- Apply the diluted putty to the back of the fillet in an even layer.
- We apply a baguette and keep it in this position for 1-2 minutes.
- If, when pressed, excess putty squeezed out, remove them with a damp sponge and cover the gaps in the cracks.
After drying, the putty in the joints will shrink a little, and therefore they can be covered again.
Technique for fixing wooden ceiling plinths
Fillets made of wood can be attached to the putty only if they are narrow and lightweight. In other cases, the use of metal fasteners is recommended.
We carry out the work in the following order:
- We insert fasteners into the pre-made holes to fix the wooden molding.
- We apply the plinth and deepen the caps of the screws inside.
- We cover with putty to match the place of fasteners and joints.
If the baguette is made of expensive types of wood, then the markings must be done very carefully, because large gaps, sealed with putty, will be quite noticeable.
Specificity of finishing of ceiling plinths
At the end of the installation work, the fillets need to be painted. This is required not only for decoration, but also for masking the putty in the crevices, preventing yellowing and giving strength to foam products.
We carry out work in this order:
- We prime the baguette to improve adhesion to the paint.
- Apply the first coat of paint and wait for it to dry completely.
- If spots are visible, the coating is uneven or its color is not intense enough, then apply a second layer.
Use solvent-free paints to paint your styrofoam ceiling plinth. Wooden, however, is best treated with wood stain and varnished. Additionally, for decoration, you can use different glaze, giving the original texture.
Useful tips for attaching skirting boards
The following tips will help you avoid the most common fillet fixing mistakes:
- The plinth is not attached to the stretch ceiling. The adhesive is applied only to the plane that is in contact with the wall.
- If you choose ceiling moldings to match the walls, then the room will visually look higher, and if the ceiling is in tune with the ceiling, then it will look wider.
- If there is no miter box, then you can get by with a simple template by drawing on thick cardboard two parallel lines and segments intersecting them at the desired angle. This will create a kind of miter box without sides.
- When using production corners, install them first on the wall and then the moldings themselves.
- When fixing massive gypsum fillets, additionally screw them with self-tapping screws, which can be removed after the putty dries. Cover the resulting holes with putty.
- Hard plaster or polyurethane baguettes should only be cut with a metal hacksaw, as a wood hacksaw will leave torn marks on the cut.
- If you decide to fix the plinth with a sealant, then choose a high-quality composition. Otherwise, it will quickly turn yellow in the places where you seal the cracks with it.
- If paint collects in drops during finishing, the coating must be primed.
How to fix the ceiling plinth - watch the video:
Ceiling skirting boards are quick and easy to install. However, the main criterion in this process is neatness and aesthetic appearance. Our recommendations will help you understand the types of fillets, choose the most suitable adhesive composition and not get confused when joining.
