Stretch ceiling in the corridor: features and application

As a theater begins with a coat rack, so the impression of an apartment and its owner begins with a hallway. It is the corridor that is the place where the guest first comes to, coming to any house. Therefore, the design of this room must be given no less attention than the design of living rooms. And here an integrated approach is important, everything must be in harmony: the floor, walls and ceilings must necessarily correspond to each other. One of the most popular types of ceiling finishes is stretch canvases.

A few years ago, a stretch ceiling was something unattainable for most people. Today, thanks to the development of new technologies, this type of decoration is found not only in fashionable offices, but also in private apartments of ordinary citizens. This is understandable, since stretch canvases have a number of undeniable advantages.

• Long service life. Modern manufacturers give a guarantee for their products for up to several decades. And if you consider that repairs in the apartment are done infrequently, then this is a long time.
• No preliminary preparation required. Unlike other types of ceiling finishing, the stretch fabric does not need any preliminary work: removing the previous coating, leveling the surface, painting and other operations. This saves not only time, but also nerves, and also avoids waste.
• Ease of care. The stretch ceiling in the corridor is no different from the ceiling in living rooms and does not require significant cleaning efforts.A light damp cleaning from time to time is enough.
• Variety of designs. The modern finishing industry offers a huge number of different options for colors, shapes, sizes and combinations of several textures. You can choose one of the ready-made proposed solutions or order an individual design, taking into account the size of the hallway and financial capabilities.
• Hide irregularities and other imperfections. The stretch fabric is especially recommended where it is necessary to hide too obvious imperfections in the ceiling space, for example, uneven plates, poorly performed previous repairs and other flaws.
• Protected from flooding from above. This problem is especially relevant for apartment owners in multi-storey buildings. A strong and elastic PVC film, from which stretch fabrics are made, is capable of stretching and holding a rather large weight. If you are flooded by neighbors from above, it will be enough to call a specialist from the company that installed the structure, and he will drain the liquid through a special hole. Your renovations and furniture will not be affected.
• Integrity of the design. Today, manufacturers have learned how to make films of almost any size, so your ceiling will be flawlessly intact, without seams and sloppy joints.

With all the advantages of stretch ceilings, they are not without some disadvantages.

• Thin workmanship material. As mentioned above, stretch ceiling canvases are made of the thinnest PVC, which is able to hold a large weight of water, but is afraid of mechanical damage. It can be pierced with, for example, an umbrella, a ski pole or a Christmas tree. Therefore, you must be extremely careful after installing the ceiling sheet. It is recommended that you first bring all the furniture into the hallway, and then call the installer.
• The ceiling foil is mounted at a certain temperature. It cannot withstand too high or too low temperatures. Therefore, it is not recommended to use it in rooms that are not heated, for example, on a veranda in a private house, or, on the contrary, are heated too much - in a room in front of a sauna or bathhouse.
• Installation of a stretch ceiling requires certain skills and special equipment, therefore it will not be possible to make such repairs on your own - the help of a specialist is needed.
• Unnatural stuff. Many consumers deliberately refuse to choose tension structures due to the fact that this material does not allow air to pass through and has a negative effect on the indoor microclimate. Sometimes, after installing the canvas, a persistent unpleasant odor may appear in the room. If it has not weathered a couple of days after installation, this may indicate that substandard materials were used. Before installing the curtain, it is necessary to require certificates from the installer to guarantee the safety of the structure.
• Features of installation of a stretch ceiling are such that it "eats" a few centimeters of the height of the room, so it is not recommended in rooms with low ceilings. Although, with the help of a well-chosen design, the ceiling can be visually raised.

By the complexity of structures stretch ceilings can be roughly divided into the following types.

• Sibling. This is the simplest and most budgetary design option, but no less popular from this. It is most often ordered for small spaces with low ceilings. Today, many developers use it for the interior decoration of new buildings.

• Two-level structures - this is a slightly more complicated design of the ceiling space in terms of execution technique, which is used to visually increase the height of the room.

• Multilevel. This option looks good in large rooms with high ceilings. Different heights look very stylish and add personality to the corridor.

By texture, the following types of canvases are distinguished.

• Matt. Such canvases are often fabric-based. They are strict and laconic, do not create glare and are versatile for rooms of any size and style.

• Glossy. This option has a shiny, often mirrored surface, is reflective, and can visually raise the height of the ceiling.

Today, the building materials industry practically does not limit the customer in his imagination. Here are some basic ideas for decorating stretch canvases.

• Photo printing. Using a special printer, a specific image is applied to the film. The customer can choose from the samples offered by the company, or he can offer his own version of the drawing. For example, it can be a fragment of a photo taken on vacation, a reproduction of a favorite painting, an image of a landmark, or a design created with your own hand. The film can be glossy, matte or even transparent.

• Starry sky. To reproduce the effect of the night sky, strewn with stars, LED filaments are used, which can be arranged in a chaotic manner or, to achieve a full imitation, they form known constellations from them. You can control the intensity of the glow and the frequency of blinking using the control panel.

• Mirror. Even the smallest and cramped hallway with such a ceiling will look expensive and elegant. Reflecting in the mirror, the lamps will create additional lighting, and the corridor will appear taller and brighter.

• Floating effect. With the help of a hidden lighting installed behind the ceiling cornice, you can achieve the effect of an airy ceiling, as if hanging in the air.

• Imitation of various materials. Depending on the style of the general interior of the hallway, you can order imitation of glass, wood or moss. Or perhaps you will like, for example, the skins of exotic animals hung on the ceiling.

There can also be a huge amount of color options for stretch ceilings. These can be monochromatic canvases, smooth transitions from one color scheme to another, as well as contrasting combinations of two or more shades. In this case, fantasy is not limited - it is only necessary that all colors and textures are in harmony with each other and combined with the decoration of the walls and floor.

• The white ceiling is a classic of the genre. This color has always been considered universal, since it suits absolutely everything. White is equally good in matte and glossy versions. It is great on its own and in combination with any other color. Even if the wallpaper eventually ceases to be liked, white never gets bored.

• The black ceiling is good in a glossy finish. And there is no need to be afraid that he will overhang and press. On the contrary, in contrast to the white walls, the black gloss looks especially solemn and elegant.

• Brown is associated with nature and adds warmth and home comfort to the space. There can be many shades of brown - from light, almost yellow, to dark chocolate. It is equally appropriate both in a modern interior and in a classic hallway.

• Blue is always calming and calming. It is also good in both matte and glossy finishes.

• All shades of pink and lilac give the interior of the hallway a certain aura of romance and dreaminess. Such a ceiling looks equally good both in monochrome and in contrast with lighter or darker colors.

• The red ceiling is a bold decision. This color looks very bold and somewhat avant-garde. But you should be careful with him. When there is too much red, it can reduce the space somewhat, so it is recommended to use it in contrast with other colors.

• Gray gives the interior a certain restraint and austerity. Matte gray harmonizes well with light walls, and a silvery gloss will be appropriate, for example, in a high-tech hallway.

The entrance hall is a very special room because it does not have natural sources of light in the form of windows. And if the corridor is also a small area, then additional light sources are needed. For this, a glossy ceiling is the best suited, because it has a reflective property.

To visually align a long narrow corridor, it is necessary to avoid images with a longitudinal pattern. But a large print and a transverse ornament will optically expand the space.

If the ceilings in the corridor are initially high, then it is better to use a matte texture to avoid the effect of a deep well. In this case, pastel colors without intricate patterns will look good. For a corner hallway, a multi-level ceiling with several color zones is suitable. Complex curves with different colors will be appropriate here.

Correctly selected lighting equipment can hide some of the flaws in the room and transform it beyond recognition. However, there are a number of limitations when installing the backlight in stretch ceilings. So, it is categorically impossible to use devices with incandescent lamps, as well as with a power of more than 35 W, as they can heat up and damage the ceiling sheet.

For the same reason, you should not choose luminaires whose light is directed upwards. The best solution would be LED spotlights or strip lighting.

Spotlights are ideal as illumination of stretch ceilings. When properly positioned, several small light sources can replace one large one. If you prefer a traditional chandelier, it is better to choose the option with a flat design and no metal base. With the help of spots, you can visually push the walls of a cramped hallway, the main thing is to direct the rays of light in the right direction.

The design of the ceiling should be selected depending on the area and size of the hallway. If you want to decorate the interior of a spacious corridor, you can make several levels... Ceilings with two or more levels can be installed from one type of material, and can be made from several different, for example, from foil and plasterboard boxes.

The traditional option is a plasterboard box along the perimeter of the corridor and a film inside it. If we are talking about multi-layer structures, then here the multi-level effect is achieved not only by combining various materials, but also by creating a lighting system.

For information on how to choose a stretch ceiling in the corridor, see the next video.