Two-level ceilings are increasingly chosen by owners of apartments and houses when decorating premises for various purposes. Such designs help to make the interior elegant and individual. They open up opportunities for designers to create compositions.
Plasterboard ceilings are also popular for the reason that they are relatively cheap. You can carry out the work yourself - this is also an indisputable advantage, which is complemented by the opportunity to save.
This technology of the device of the ceiling helps not to waste extra time and money. Using these designs, you can create perfectly even surfaces that hide defects in the rough foundation. All communications and utilities, cables from air conditioners and household appliances can be laid in the resulting hollow space.
With the help of lighting, you can zone the space, indicating the areas of the living room, dining room, bedroom, kitchen, etc. The geometry of the room with the help of a plasterboard ceiling can be completely redrawn. You can change the shape of the room and visually transform the space. But before starting work on the construction of such a system, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the technology of the work and the main varieties of two-level ceilings.
Classification of Duplex Ceilings
The design of two-level drywall ceilings can be very different. As one of them, you can choose a structure that consists of a top level - the existing ceiling, as well as baskets that are fixed in separate sections and represent islands. Sometimes these zones are located around the perimeter of the room. This method saves material and helps speed up the process.
Another type of two-level drywall ceiling is a system that consists of a tier with a visor. Lamps and cords are laid there. The first level will be the base ceiling, while the second level will be drywall with lighting fixtures. Hidden backlight is installed on the removal of the second level. This allows you to achieve diffused soft light. Such designs create comfort in the room and a romantic atmosphere.
Considering the types of two-level gypsum plasterboard ceilings, you can distinguish designs, both levels of which are made due to GCR. This approach allows you to hide easily visible shortcomings. At the first stage, the base area is established, and then the elements of the second are suspended on the frame of the first level.
Another variety of the described ceiling systems are combined ceilings, which may include not only drywall, but also other materials. As one of them are the stretch fabric. This trend is quite fashionable today. Two-level systems can also be classified by the material in the framework basis. It can be made of metal or wood. The latter option is suitable for rooms with low humidity. If you plan to carry out work in the kitchen or in the bathroom, then it is better to choose a metal profile.
What points should you pay attention to at the first stage
If you decide to install a two-level ceiling made of drywall with your own hands, you must decide where exactly you are going to do the work. If we are talking about conditions with high humidity, it is recommended to purchase a moisture-resistant material. Otherwise, you should not spend extra money.
If the design will have arched contours, then they have to be depicted. This task may seem easy, but in fact this statement is not always true. Before you make a two-level ceiling from drywall, you will also need to determine the type of frame.
More durable and cheaper material is wood. It has a large range of sizes. An alternative is a metal profile, which has a small weight, is easy to install and amenable to a change in shape.
Preparation of materials and tools
To create a two-level ceiling, you must prepare the following materials and tools:
- guide and ceiling profiles;
- self-tapping screws;
- screwdriver;
- scissors for metal;
- safety glasses and gloves;
- drywall;
- square;
- pencil;
- roulette wheel;
- knife;
- level;
- stepladder.
When working with drywall, care must be taken, because the sheet has an impressive weight. You can buy or rent a drywall jack. Screwing the screws too deep into the canvas is not worth it, as this can cause damage to the material.
Production of a frame from a metal profile
If you want to know how to make a two-level gypsum plasterboard ceiling, then you have to set the frame for the tags. On the walls of the profile after 15 cm, it is necessary to make incisions. To do this, you can use scissors for metal. This will allow you to bend the profile to give the desired shape. Protective gloves must be worn so that sharp edges do not damage the hands.
The guide profile is fixed with self-tapping screws along the marked line. If the rough surface is made of concrete, then several holes are pre-drilled in it, then dowels are inserted, and then the profile is fixed. If the floors are wooden, then it is necessary to determine where the ceiling beams are. Then you can fix the guide profile on them with screws.
In order that the side wall of the profile does not become an obstacle when drilling or screwing in self-tapping screws, it is necessary to make rectangular cuts in it every 15 cm. Their width will be 2 cm. This must be done before you begin installing the profile.
Methodology
Next, you can begin the formation of the side wall of the two-level ceiling. For this, a narrow strip is cut out of drywall, which is fixed to the metal profile. The vertical size of the structure will depend on the width of this workpiece. If the strip has a width of 15 cm, then, if desired, the plasterboard ceiling arch can be omitted even lower. The choice will depend on the height of the ceiling and how well you feel in a room with low walls.
When installing two-level drywall ceilings, you must use a screwdriver. It will allow you to fix the sheets. If their thickness is 9.5 mm, then for installation it is best to use self-tapping screws 25 mm. For high-quality fastening of the paintings, the screws are screwed in every 15 cm. When installing the next strip, make sure that the material is well aligned. There should be no gaps between the sheets, they should fit well together.
Fasteners should fit well into the blade so that the caps are level with the surface. Otherwise, the master will have to make much more effort when finishing the room. Two-level drywall ceilings may have a curved curve that is negligible. Without additional efforts in this case, the sheet will take the desired shape. But if the bend has a small radius, you will have to learn how to bend drywall, for this it can be processed with a special roller.
Until the frontal part of the future ceiling is completed, it is necessary to continue the installation of strips. Drywall should be well fixed on the profile. Otherwise, the material is deformed during operation, and the ceiling will become unsightly.
The edges of the drywall must be carefully trimmed. In the next step, another guide profile must be installed on the lower edge of the fixed drywall strip. On its side walls you need to make incisions to give the profile the desired shape. To fix the profile to drywall, use a screwdriver. This will allow you to do the job efficiently and save time.
With a step of 15 cm, screws are screwed so that the design turns out to be durable and rigid. You can use personal protective equipment so as not to damage your hands on the sharp edges of the metal profile. When a two-level ceiling is made of drywall with your own hands, it is necessary to continue building the frame, following the technology. It provides for fixing the metal guide profile on the opposite wall. It must be parallel to the lower profile that was installed before.
To ensure that the profile is straight throughout, a construction level should be used. The frame is reinforced by the installation of support profiles that connect metal guides. A distance of 50 cm must be maintained between these cross members, but you must consider the size of the drywall boards. Their junction should be on the jumper, so that you have the opportunity to fix both sheets.
In order to make the frame more durable, metal suspensions are installed on the ceiling, jumpers are fixed on them with the help of self-tapping screws. If the ceiling width does not exceed 60 cm, you will need one metal suspension for each transverse profile. If the width of the structure is greater, it is necessary to install two metal suspensions on the jumper. The ends of the metal bridge must be fixed with self-tapping screws in the profiles. All jumpers should be oriented perpendicular to the wall. To each other they are located in parallel. You can make sure that they are on the same level and horizontal.
Frame cladding
Two-level plasterboard ceilings are sheathed with sheets. Once you have made sure that the ceiling frame has been correctly installed, you can begin to trim. Before mounting the sheet, you must trim it, given the configuration of the arc curve. It will be very difficult to trim the blade fixed on the frame. If after cutting drywall does not quite fit the curve, minor flaws can be corrected later using putty and fiberglass mesh. These defects should indeed be minor.
The device of a two-level ceiling made of drywall at the next stage provides for the fastening of the sheet on all guides and profiles. Every 15 cm screws are screwed. If you cannot lift the drywall yourself, you should take the help of another person. Before installing the last sheet, you must resolve issues with the lighting fixtures. In the case of spotlights, wires are wound into the ceiling.
It is important to note the places where the devices will be located. At this stage, it is necessary to check whether you have forgotten any tools inside the structure. By installing two-level gypsum board ceilings for the bedroom, you can make sure that all the edges of the plates are aligned. If minor irregularities were noticed, then you can correct the situation with a knife. Sheets in all places should be well fixed to the metal frame.
Additional recommendations for installation of the first level
The frame of the two-level drywall ceiling on the first level will include the presence of UD profiles. They will serve as guides and are mounted on the wall. It is necessary to arrange them along the perimeter of the structure. The distance between the elements will be 600 mm. Using the markings on the ceiling, you must fix the direct suspension.
If the ceiling surface is perfect, then you can immediately proceed with the installation of the second level. The rigidity of the frame can be given using crabs. Now the structure is sheathed with sheets of drywall. In the place where the canvas was cut, it is necessary to provide a chamfer. For this, part of the material is removed with a knife. This will facilitate further finishing work with putty.
Work on the second level
Two-level plasterboard ceilings for the living room will have another frame. First you need to draw a line under the UD profile, depicting the future pattern on the ceiling. The frame lowers to the desired length. To do this, the profile is cut to size. On one side of the pieces, it is necessary to cut the reeds. To do this, cut off the side parts of the profile. This will simplify installation.
Cut pieces are inserted into a guide profile fixed to the surface. Pieces are fixed using fleas. A distance of 500 mm should be maintained between straight sections. If you increase it, then the design will not be reliable enough. When installing a two-level plasterboard ceiling, a distance of 300 mm should be left between the curved sections. This is because the curved sheet is fixed more often.
The profile at the next stage is trimmed so that its length is equal to the distance from the side of the frame to the UD profile on the wall. Flea mounts on both sides. These manipulations will allow you to get a finished metal frame. Then it is sheathed with drywall, then you can start decorating.
Ceiling cladding
The two-level ceiling in the kitchen made of drywall must be ennobled. To do this, the seams are closed with a serpentine tape, on which a small putty should be applied a little putty. It is also distributed in places where the screws are located. This will eliminate the appearance of rust on the paint or wallpaper during the operation of the ceiling.
If you have even a little experience, then you can independently make a two-level ceiling from drywall, the step-by-step instruction in the article will help you with this. After reading it, you can find out that the surface can be painted at the final stage. But before that, the entire base is covered with putty, otherwise unpleasant seams will appear on the paint.
Finally
Plasterboard ceilings are practical and easy to install. This fine finish option is one of the most popular today. With the help of drywall, you can create different design structures that give a huge scope for imagination. Such systems are suitable for decoration in any style.