A two-level suspended plasterboard ceiling will look original in the hall, living room, bedroom. It fits perfectly into classic and modern designs. And by installing it with your own hands, you can translate into reality your idea of / u200b / u200bdesigning a room. Our tips will help you. The multi-tiered plasterboard ceiling structure performs several functions at once. With its help, you can visually divide the room into several zones and visually increase its height. In addition, a two-level plasterboard ceiling with the right lighting looks stylish and aesthetically pleasing.
Installation methods for two-tiered plasterboard ceilings
Ceiling shapes can be very different. This is a convex box of a fancy figure or, on the contrary, an original niche with illumination in a frame.
The frame of a two-level plasterboard ceiling is equipped with several methods:
- Installation of the second level … The best option for even coverage. In this case, the lighting elements are fixed in the frame.
- Serial installation … First, the first tier is mounted, to which the second is attached. The method is suitable for those projects in which the second level takes up a small area, since its weight fully supports the first level.
- Reverse commit … In this case, it is necessary to initially make a frame of the second level and install the first one between its profiles. This method is considered the most difficult.
Having decided on the type of organization of the levels, you can start drawing up a design project.
Features of the design of a two-level plasterboard ceiling
Before starting work, you need to draw up a diagram of the ceiling structure. This will greatly facilitate the work and avoid many mistakes. It is especially important to draw up a project if you are a beginner and do not have special installation skills. If possible, it is better to make a drawing of the future structure in 3D using special computer programs.
In the process, the following nuances must be taken into account:
- Room height … The two-level ceiling takes up almost 10 cm of the ceiling height. To save space, you can level the cover and install a second tier on it.
- Lighting … It is necessary to think over the location of the lamps at the design stage. Please note that with the help of well-chosen and placed lighting fixtures, you can zone a room or focus on the necessary decor elements.
- Humidity level … Installation of ordinary drywall in rooms with high humidity is not carried out. For this, special moisture resistant sheets are produced. They are distinguished by the greenish tint of cardboard. For installation in a kitchen where the humidity is not too high, ordinary sheets are suitable, but they should be treated with several primers.
Remember that the flowing lines of the second level of the false ceiling are best in harmony with the dynamic interior of the room. If the furnishings and colors of the room are laconic, then the second tier with straight lines will be optimal.
Selection of materials and tools for installing a two-level plasterboard ceiling
You need to purchase drywall sheets from reliable suppliers. It is important to pay attention to the availability of quality certificates for products. Select drywall sheets depending on the operating conditions of the room in which they will be installed. Drywall is normal (brown-gray), moisture resistant (greenish), fireproof (red).
Plasterboard with a thickness of 8-9.5 mm is suitable for mounting ceilings. Sheets with a thickness of 1, 2 cm are not recommended to be installed on the ceiling due to the large weight and irrational use of the height of the walls. The second tier is traditionally made of arched gypsum boards, the thickness of which is 6 mm. Please note that it is not recommended to buy drywall end-to-end. Buy with a 3-5% margin.
Responsibly, it is necessary to approach the selection of the remaining structural elements (profiles and fasteners). The use of poor quality frame parts will significantly reduce the service life of the structure and the reliability of fixation. For installation, you will need UD and CD profiles, CD connectors, "crabs", angular and two-level (try to use the latter as little as possible), straight and spring hangers.
As for the fasteners, during the installation work, dowel screws, anchor wedges, self-tapping screws for metal with press washers ("fleas" 9.5 * 3.5 mm) and self-tapping screws for fixing the gypsum board are used. Fasteners should be with a margin.
When calculating, consider the following indicators:
- The frame is fixed to the base ceiling in 60 cm increments.
- Plasterboard sheets are attached in 25 cm increments.
- To install one "crab" you need 8 self-tapping screws.
- Fixation of one suspension unit is carried out with six self-tapping screws.
To seal the seams, you will need gypsum putty, and to strengthen the gaps - serpyanka and fiberglass. Additionally, if desired, you can purchase sound and heat insulation materials. For these purposes, you can use rolled mineral wool.
As for the tools, then, in addition to the perforator and the screwdriver, you will need a knife for cutting gypsum board, a hydraulic level, a profile cutter and a painting cord.
Preparatory work before installing a two-level plasterboard ceiling
First you need to prepare a basic ceiling covering. We carry out the work in this way: we remove the old finish and crumbling plaster, get rid, if necessary, of stains of fungus, mold, rust, soot and grease, seal up large cracks with a cement-based putty, prime the surface.
It is also necessary to bring the sheets into the room in advance and leave them in a horizontal position for several days to adapt to the temperature and humidity conditions. It is recommended to de-energize the room before starting work. Prepare protective equipment in advance: glasses, gloves and a respirator.
Do-it-yourself two-level plasterboard ceiling
This method consists in the phased installation of the first and second levels of the structure. Thus, it is possible to implement a project with a small second tier, since it will be attached to the first.
Instructions for marking the surface for fixing drywall
This is one of the main stages of installation of two-level plasterboard ceilings. The entire course of further work depends on the correctness of the marking on the surface.
In the process, we adhere to the following action plan:
- We mark the installation network from the reference width and length.
- In the middle, in the circles, we screw temporary self-tapping screws into the base coating and wind a cord around them with a pencil fixed at the edges. We draw circles.
- Curvilinear elements are applied on thick cardboard in real scale, cut out and displayed on the base coat.
- When the marking on the ceiling is completed, we proceed to measuring and marking the levels. To do this, we measure all the angles.
- In the lowest corner, mark the distance to the first level. Usually it is from 10 cm.
- We pull the paint cord along the wall, measuring evenness with a hydrolevel.
- We make a skim around the perimeter of the entire room.
You can speed up and facilitate the work using a laser level.
Installation of the first level frame for plasterboard ceiling
During the work, it is imperative to accurately follow the contours that were previously drawn on the surfaces.
Install the framework in the following order:
- Along the perimeter of the room on the walls with a step of 60 cm, we fix the guide profiles (UD). On the ceiling, we observe a distance of 40 cm. For fastening on rounded sections, we make notches on the profile with a step of 2.5 cm and bend it along the required radius.
- We attach straight hangers with a step of 60 cm. Bend or cut the ends.
- We fix the ceiling profiles (CD) to the suspensions.
- In the places of the future installation of the second tier, we attach "crabs".
At this stage, it is possible to install mineral wool, which has sound and heat insulation characteristics, in the inter-profiled recess. You can fix it with the ends of the suspensions.
Installation of a second level frame for a plasterboard ceiling
You can start work only after the drawing of the second level is applied to the ceiling. During work, be sure to compare the result with the drawing in order to avoid mistakes.
We are doing the installation according to the following instructions:
- The ceiling profile (UD) is fixed to the ceiling and wall according to the drawing.
- Cut off the guide profile along the length on which the second tier will be placed.
- On one side of the segments made, we cut out a kind of "tongues", cutting off the profile sides.
- We insert with an even edge into the UD-profile on the ceiling and fix it with self-tapping screws for metal in increments of 50-60 cm. Decreasing the step will make the structure heavier, while increasing it will make it less reliable and not rigid enough.
- On curved sections, we fasten the profile sections in increments of 20-30 cm.
- We install the ceiling profile on the hanging segments, using self-tapping screws for metal as fasteners.
- We cut off the guide profile along the length of the base sidewall to the ceiling profile on the wall and fasten both sides of it with self-tapping screws for metal.
At the same stage, you should start laying the wiring and supplying communications. All cables are placed in a heat-resistant plastic corrugated hose, which is fixed to the base cover. You also need to fix split systems, ventilation ducts and pipes. In places where lighting fixtures are installed, it is necessary to remove the wires.
Features of fastening drywall to the ceiling
The optimal mode for working with gypsum board is as follows: humidity - up to 75%, temperature - from 16 degrees. For sheathing the frame, you will need an assistant, since the sheets are quite heavy and it is difficult to cope with them alone.
We fix drywall, adhering to the following algorithm of actions:
- Using self-tapping screws with a pitch of 15 cm, we fix the first corner sheet. We deepen the hats of the fasteners, but moderately so as not to damage the base.
- On the opposite side, attach the second sheet in the same way.
- We mark, if necessary, a sheet according to the drawing and cut out the desired figure with a knife or jigsaw.
- We fix the side parts to the vertically located guides.
- We cut out circular horizontal surfaces from a whole sheet or compose them from separate segments.
- If curved elements are required for vertical fixation, roll the cut out part with a needle roller.
- We spray the treated gypsum board and leave for an hour.
- We cut from the convex side, put on the edge and bend on the floor.
- With the help of weights, we fix the sheet in this position and wait for it to dry.
- We attach to the ceiling.
Remember to pull out the wires to install the lighting fixtures. Please note that in the plasterboard ceiling, you can mount lamps of any power, in contrast to tension structures.
Technology for finishing a two-level plasterboard ceiling
The final stage of installing a two-level plasterboard ceiling with your own hands is grouting and strengthening the coating. We carry out the work in this order: we glue the serpyanka tape at the joints, apply the putty mixture along the seam with a small spatula, putty the self-tapping screws.
Next, we attach the squares of fiberglass to the PVA glue, apply a layer of finishing putty up to 1.5 cm thick. After drying, we grind it with fine-grained paper and prime the surface. After that, you can do the finishing and installation of lighting fixtures.
How to make a two-level plasterboard ceiling using the reverse fixation method
This method differs from the previous one in that first the lower level of the structure is installed and only after that the upper one.
In the process, we adhere to the following instructions:
- We apply markings on the ceiling and walls, according to the project of the future structure.
- We fix the guide profile along the lines on the ceiling and walls. If necessary, bends make cuts on adjacent sides.
- We mark the attachment points of the ceiling profile in increments of 0.4 meters.
- We carry out projections of the profile axes and put spring suspensions in these places with a step of 0.6 meters. We use anchor dowels as fasteners. But it is undesirable to use dowel-nails. The plastic base softens when heated, therefore, in the event of a fire in your apartment or on the floor above, the ceiling will simply fall on your head.
- We cut sections from the ceiling profile along the height of the second tier, make tongues and fix them on the guide profile.
- We form a lower contour from the ceiling profile and attach it to the resulting racks.
- We fix individual longitudinal sections between the structure and the wall profile.
- We fix the transverse profiles using crabs.
- We install straight hangers in the upper level assembly area.
- We sheathe the ceiling of the gypsum board using self-tapping screws.
- We putty the joints and reinforce the fiberglass coating.
- We apply the finishing putty, grind the surface and prime it.
In the same way, you can make a two-tier plasterboard structure with equipment only on the lower level. The base ceiling will be used directly as the upper one. In this case, the surface will need to be completely leveled with plaster or putty. Watch a video about the installation of a two-level plasterboard ceiling:
It is not difficult to understand the question of how to make a two-level plasterboard ceiling. You will have no difficulty in the process if you follow the instructions above. It remains only to choose the optimal type of arrangement of the structure and select the material. Then follow our installation tips.
