Stretch ceilings are the most popular option for finishing the ceiling, used both in houses modern construction, and in “Khrushchev” or “old fund”. This finish allows you to hide unevenness, cracks, unsuccessful painting and the consequences of leaks. Even new ones plasterboard ceilings do not give confidence that your ceiling will be perfect in 2-3 years, because often the joints begin to crumble, and when the building “shrinks” after construction, cracks may appear.

Features of damage

A stretch ceiling avoids disappointment and remains flawless for many years. True, a hole may appear on such a ceiling. The reasons for its appearance can be very different: a champagne cork that suddenly “shot out” festive table, a toy thrown high by a child with acute angle(as well as darts, children's pistols and arrows), installation of a lamp or curtains. Unfortunately, electrical wiring and electrical appliances can also cause damage to the stretch ceiling.

Sometimes it seems that a small hole will not do much harm, especially if it is not located in a visible place. Be careful: repair of even minor damage to the stretch ceiling is required, because over time, the fabric or PVC film at the tear site will sag, and the size of the hole will increase.

What to do? Of course, don’t panic and remember that most often you can fix the hole with your own hands. According to reviews from the owners of premises with suspended ceilings, almost all of them have encountered a similar problem at least once.

So:

• Assess whether the defect that has arisen can be attributed to a warranty case. Poor-quality installation, manufacturing defects, seam discrepancies - all these points are usually specified in the contract that you signed when installing the ceiling. If holes have formed in the ceiling sheet along the perimeter of the walls, then the use of defective material or poor-quality installation is evident.

Discrepancy in the seams is a reason to file a claim with the contractor, because this is a sign of improper cutting and “re-stretching”. If your case is covered by warranty, provide the manufacturer with the opportunity to correct the error.

• If there are several holes in the ceiling, and they are located in different places, That the best solution will be a complete replacement of the tension fabric.
• If, after all, the hole is your fault, then, first of all, decide what kind of ceiling you will have to work with - PVC material or fabric.
• If you suspect that the edges of the hole may come apart, secure them with tape.
• Before gluing any patches, it is necessary to degrease the area being repaired. Do not use alcohol or solvents as they may damage the ceiling. Best to apply special means for the care of suspended ceilings or a solution of laundry soap.

So, you know the type of ceiling, have decided on the complexity of the repair, have adequately assessed the damage and are ready to begin the repair

Canvas repair

As a result of careless use of electrical tools suspended ceiling may be punctured. If you accidentally made a hole in the panel with a screwdriver or a tester, then you can repair such damage without inviting specialists. If there is a puncture, there is no need to dismantle the entire ceiling.

A small circle cut from PVC film, similar in quality to the film of your ceiling, will no longer be noticeable from a distance of 2.5 meters. Therefore, feel free to seal the puncture with such a small circle or square, using glue for PVC materials or vinyl wallpaper.

IN construction stores a wide range of adhesive compositions , so it is important to read the included instructions carefully. However, all of these products have one thing in common that must be kept in mind: all PVC adhesives set extremely quickly, as a result of which any delay in working with the patch can lead to repeated (and more complex) repairs.

A stretch ceiling made of fabric is durable, but a puncture can also occur in it. As you know, such ceilings consist of a base (polyester canvas) and a shell. If only the shell is pierced, then the drop silicone sealant can fix things. If the damage touches the base, then the puncture must be sewn up with a thin thread (it is better to choose a synthetic thread of a suitable color).

From fabric

Repair fabric ceiling easier than PVC ceiling. A small hole or cut can simply be sewn up and painted. For big hole a patch will be required. Important: we coat the patch with colorless glue (the ideal option is cyanoacrylate-based glue) and insert it inside the hole.

Gently smooth the fabric. We glue the edges of the patch with special care, give it time to dry and paint it with the desired color.

One of the options for a “patch” is a beautiful applique(sticker), which can be purchased at special construction stores. There are many options for such stickers - flowers, clouds, birds, so it will not only repair damage, but also decorate the interior. In some cases, to install a patch or appliqué, the ceiling panel must be dismantled and reinstalled. If you doubt the success of a DIY repair, you should invite professionals.

If traces of repairs are very noticeable or you are tired of the applications hiding the gap, it is possible to completely paint the stretch ceiling.

PVC

For a PVC ceiling, the location of the damage is important. A small hole no more than 1.5 cm from the fastening strips can be removed by tightening the PVC material. This option will do only for “unstretched” ceilings, allowing you to pull the hole up to the strip and secure the material. To prevent the material from tearing further, secure the edges of the hole with masking tape.

If “lifting” seems to be a complex procedure, then the fastening fixing bar closest to the hole must be removed. Next, use a regular hairdryer to heat the surface of the PVC material and stretch it so that the hole is no longer visible. Reinstall the mounting strip.

It is much more difficult to seal a hole that appears far from the wall. Experts recommend installing the device point light at the site of the defect. To do this, install a suitable size reinforcing ring under the lamp, securing it with special glue for PVC materials. Modern technologies allow you to install a lamp that can be turned on using a remote control, so wiring is not a prerequisite. You can also install a false device, that is, it will not provide light, but it will close the hole perfectly.

The next option is all kinds of decorative patches for PVC ceilings, which are made self-adhesive. One of the sides of such a patch is protected with a special film. If the application is large, it is not recommended to remove the entire protective film immediately, otherwise its edges may bend.

Defects that cannot be repaired

Unfortunately, improper cutting or over-stretching the fabric can cause the seam to rip apart. Repair will not help here; you will have to install a new canvas. True, replacing the panel will cost much less without purchasing new fasteners and fixing strips. You need to contact the company that installed your ceilings for help.

A large hole caused by water or fire will also lead to replacement of the tension element; there is no need to try to fix large-scale damage yourself. Do not forget that incorrectly or carelessly installed fastening strips can cause tears and gaps between the walls and ceiling.

Water breaks

Unfortunately, cases of flooding of our apartments by neighbors above are not so rare. A PVC stretch ceiling can withstand a large mass of water, while the stretch fabric turns into an impenetrable bag. PVC ceilings are waterproof and stretch well, so in most cases they can save your interior. To extract the water, you will have to make two neat punctures - one in the very center of the giant drop, and the other where there is no water. The easiest way to make a puncture is with an awl.

Most likely, after such a nuisance, the tension fabric will have to be replaced. However, if there was little water, the affected elastic material can be restored to good condition.

Fabric ceilings can also be damaged by water– its large volumes will simply tear it at the attachment points, since it does not stretch. In addition, after the “water attack” on fabric ceiling Most likely, unsightly stains will remain, which, however, regular painting can correct.

We pierced a suspended ceiling - what to do?

How to eliminate damage to the fabric in a suspended ceiling?

Having decided to install a stretch fabric in your apartment, you should understand that due to some accident it may partially become unusable.

Attention . Therefore, in order to avoid panic about what to do when a suspended ceiling is accidentally pierced, you should familiarize yourself in advance with the reasons for the “breakdown” and the ways to eliminate it.

Causes of punctures

Consequence of poorly executed chandelier installation

In everyday life, tension fabrics are damaged quite often for one reason or another. This happens despite the high strength qualities of the material.

There are a number of reasons associated with errors in the operation of the material that can lead to holes in the ceiling surface. These include:

1. The appearance of cuts in the canvas near the wall due to the lag of the baguette. This can happen if the profile was not installed properly during installation.
2. Tears along the length of the seam. This happens due to excessive stretching of the film or due to poor quality of the seam.
3. "A sparkling wine. At the moment of a feast, when a “champagne” drink is opened, a flying cork can make a significant hole in the stretch ceiling, since the material is not able to withstand a strong, sharp blow.
4. Toys. Children playing different games, can throw their toys up. For example, pistols, swords, arrows, darts. From contact of toys with stretch film Holes may appear in the canvas.
5. Installation of cornices. The most common reason for material damage, after which the questions inevitably arise: “What to do if the canvas is pierced tension structure?”, “What to do when a cut appears in the material?”. The film can be damaged by the pointed end of the cornice during its installation. To protect the material from this damage, it is recommended to protect the material from contact with the sharp part of the cornice by installing a gasket between them.

Methods for repairing a cut

There are several variations in the fight against cuts on ceiling material. Each of the options is an answer to the questions that arise: “What to do if the stretch ceiling is torn?”, “What to do if the fabric of the tension structure is cut?” and “Is it possible to fix the “breakage”?”

Do-it-yourself option for eliminating a cut

Before you start self-repair stretch ceiling. it will be necessary to protect the material from increasing the gap. As a temporary measure to prevent the gap from spreading, you can use electrical tape or adhesive tape. They should be used to cover the cut so that it does not expand.

Advice: If the length of the cut exceeds twenty millimeters, then you should seek help from specialists. If the cut does not exceed two centimeters, then you can eliminate it yourself in one of two ways:

1. The tear in the canvas is located far from one of the walls. To eliminate it, you will need to install a small patch, which is cut from the same material that was used to install the stretch ceiling. One side of the cut piece is opened with glue or transparent sealant. After this, the adhesive tape or tape is removed from the crack (they were previously glued so that the gap does not increase in size) and a patch is installed in its place. The installed workpiece should be kept pressed to the ceiling for some time in order for the glue to “grab” better. After this, you need to wipe off any remaining glue from the ceiling film that may protrude from under the patch.
2. You can seal a hole on the ceiling surface located not far from the wall by pulling the ceiling, hiding it in the groove of the profile. To do this, you will need to use a cable up to ten millimeters long, which is glued to the edge of the cut, and glue. The cable, opened on one side with glue, is pressed over the edge of the cut and held until the glue dries. After this, you need to warm up the area where the glue is drying with a hairdryer. Next, the cable is pulled to the profile groove and tucked into it. If small folds appear on the ceiling, they will need to be eliminated in a similar way (at certain intervals, stick the cable and tuck it into a baguette).

Professional cut removal

Extreme case - replacement of the canvas

If the gap is large or you don’t know what to do when you pierce the tension fabric, you should use the help of specialists. Professional repairmen use three methods to eliminate cracks.

The first method is to install a patch on the canvas. It is similar in an independent way installing the patch, however, is done with better quality.

The second method is based on shrinking the harpoon on the ceiling. This method is applicable if the resulting gap is located in the corner of the room. Its essence is as follows. The damaged area of ​​the material is dismantled. The harpoon is attached to the wall, after which the canvas is heated. The heated material is stretched and tucked into a baguette. This method is characterized by the fact that after its use no traces of repair remain on the ceiling.

If the fabric is torn and the cut reaches large sizes, then some experts prefer to change the entire tension film. But to avoid this, a false ventilation grill or other object is installed on the ceiling, over the hole.

Everyone who has a suspended ceiling is interested in how to care for it. And, in particular, what will happen if you pierce a suspended ceiling, how likely is this and what to do then, is it possible to seal it.

First, let's figure out whether it is possible to pierce a stretch ceiling or tear it. Theoretically, yes. In practice, you have to try.

It is quite difficult to damage fabric (especially fabric) - a flying champagne cork or a child's pyramid thrown high will not be able to punch a hole in it. A more realistic situation is when the fabric or film is damaged by the corner of the cabinet when rearranged or by a screwdriver, for example, when replacing a chandelier or built-in lamp.

What to do if you pierced a stretch ceiling, what to seal it with?

Let’s make a reservation right away that the procedure depends on the nature of the damage and the size of the scratches or cuts. Let's roughly divide them into:

• small up to 0.5 cm;
• medium – 4 – 6 cm;
• and large - more than 6 cm.

We will also take into account their location: next to the wall, far from the wall, near the chandelier.

1. What to do with a small cut? It is sealed with a piece of canvas in color (if you look from the floor, this will not even be noticeable). If the puncture is literally a millimeter wide, it is enough to treat it with special glue. The canvas will not tear further, and the trouble can be safely forgotten. It's easy to do it yourself.
2. Medium cuts can be fixed without damaging the appearance if the cut is close to the wall. You can try to re-draw the ceiling again (but it’s difficult to do it yourself, it’s better to invite a professional). Another way is to decorate the hole with stars, butterflies, flowers and other appliqués (stickers can be used to disguise them anywhere). If the cut is located next to the chandelier, you can purchase another lighting fixture with a larger diameter base to cover the defect. This place can also be hidden with a polyurethane plate.
3. With large cuts, the situation is worst - in this case, you will not be able to repair the ceiling with your own hands without damaging the appearance. Call the master! An experienced specialist will examine the canvas on site and decide what to do with it.

Everything is clear with the cuts. Let's move on to the flood.

Filled suspended ceiling: what to do?

The neighbor above flooded the suspended ceilings - a common situation. Much more common than a screwdriver puncture. What should I do?

Holders quality ceilings There is no need to be afraid - good PVC sheets capable of holding up to 100 liters of water per 1 square meter within 7 days.

However, there is no need to tempt fate: a suspended ceiling does not protect you 100% from flooding. If water continues to flow, streaks will appear along the walls, through the holes for lighting fixtures. Therefore, the water must be drained! And as quickly as possible.

Draining a stretch ceiling is a popular service, and all installation companies provide it. Just call the company that did the installation and describe the problem. The master will promptly arrive at your place, at a time convenient for you, on a convenient date. Better - sooner.

Water is drained from the suspended ceiling through the hole for the lamp (the room is first de-energized and the lighting fixture is unscrewed). If there are no built-in lamps, the water is carefully pumped out with a hose.

What to do if stains appear on the stretch ceiling?

Stains on a suspended ceiling usually form in two cases:

• from soot and grease (in the kitchen);
• as a result of flooding from above (dirty water).

In the first case, everything is extremely simple - dilute in warm water detergent for dishes or prepare a bottle of glass cleaning liquid and a clean cloth or sponge. Contaminants of this kind can be easily washed off with a soap solution (the main thing is to do this in a timely manner - if the stain is two years old, there may be problems with it).

If the suspended ceilings are flooded with water and it’s not very clean, call a professional. Pollution from inside You can't just delete it. To do this, you will have to carefully dismantle the canvas, clean it and reinstall it (fabric ones are not mounted a second time, only film ones).

PVC ceiling melted?

The film may melt slightly if the power of the built-in lamps exceeds the permissible value (more than 40 W). The ceilings, of course, are not on fire, but appearance may spoil, so be careful.

• Order lamps along with ceiling installation.
• If you change, do not forget about the permissible power.

Read more about caring for a suspended ceiling (what, how and how often to wash it) in

You have a suspended ceiling installed, and now it’s time to install the chandelier and attach the cornice under the curtains.

It’s good if specialists in their field do this, but there are times when various reasons You need to install a chandelier or cornice much later, but you don’t have time to turn to the help of specialists, and you want to do it yourself.

It is very easy to do this kind of work yourself. Fastening is carried out using self-tapping screws, which are attached through the stretch ceiling fabric to pre-installed platforms.

But there is a mandatory rule here: if you are screwing screws into a suspended ceiling, then the place of screwing must be glued with a piece of stretch ceiling material or use reinforced tape. Repair pieces are included with each ceiling PVC material, which can be glued to the ceiling using cyanoacrylic glue, for example “Second”, “Cosmofen”.

This rule applies only to PVC ceilings. If you do not adhere to this rule, then after some time, the canvas at the place where the screw is screwed in will begin to collapse, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of your ceiling. Flooding with water will cause a particular problem for such a ceiling. An unglued fabric will not be able to withstand water flooding for a long time and will instantly tear across the entire area of ​​the room.

You can screw self-tapping screws into it without gluing, since the fabric is very durable and resistant to damage.

/ How to repair a suspended ceiling after a puncture or cut?

How to repair a suspended ceiling after a puncture or cut?

Tension coverings, with all their positive qualities, have one small drawback - they are not very resistant to mechanical damage. But, despite the opinion of many, the repair of suspended ceilings does not always end with their complete replacement. Even more, some types of damage can be repaired yourself.

Types and causes of damage

Most often, punctures and cuts appear on such coatings. They can arise from careless handling of the ceiling covering and violations of the rules of its operation.

The film itself is very thin, and can be easily cut or torn. If you install the lamp carelessly, you can touch the area with a sharp tool near the installation site; a cabinet brought into the room will easily make a hole in the coating with its edge during installation; even a child playing carelessly in the room, throwing a toy with sharp edges to the ceiling, can accidentally damage it.

Another common cause of defects on such a ceiling can be a too powerful lamp, the heat from which can easily melt a thin film. And this applies not only to built-in models, but also pendant chandeliers that were not installed correctly. The distance from the lamp to the ceiling plane should not be less than 10 centimeters.

Manufacturing defects can also cause gaps. Sometimes, for production stretch fabrics low-quality and cheap raw materials are used. The result is a material that cannot withstand tension and breaks. Most often, the stretched fabric may tear at the connecting seam.

The harpoon with which the film is attached to mounting element, can also come off. This will either be a manufacturing defect, or the reason lies in the covering being too tightly stretched, which will be an installation error.

What you can do with your own hands

Some types of damage can be repaired without calling a repairman. For example, repairing a stretch ceiling that has a small cut can be done without involving a specialist.

To do this, its size should not be more than 10 centimeters. This defect can be eliminated by sealing the cut area with ordinary construction tape. It will hold the edges of the cut, however, after sealing it, it is still better to invite a specialist who will completely eliminate the defect.

If there is a rupture or similar defect not exceeding 2 centimeters in length, you can simply seal the resulting hole with a small piece of material left over when installing the ceiling.

Punctures can also be repaired independently. True, you will need to buy special glue for such operations, but such a composition is available in some construction stores. The main thing is that the diameter of the puncture does not exceed 2 millimeters, otherwise it will not be possible to seal it without the involvement of a specialist.

In other cases, when the size of the repaired area is larger than those specified above, you will have to call a specialist who will help deal with the problems that have arisen, or advise you to completely change the canvas. In what cases the ceiling cannot be repaired, but requires its complete replacement, we will consider further.

What can be repaired?

The most common case when film or fabric cannot be repaired is a tear along weld seam. The scale of such a rupture makes its repair impractical. If there is a small gap, the master may be able to repair it, but if the seam has come apart on large plot, the entire canvas will have to be changed.

Places where melting occurred from lamps or fixtures can most often be masked and strengthened. If this happens around a built-in lamp, the melted area around it is sealed with a special heat-resistant ring, which will mask the damaged area and strengthen it.

If a tear or cut occurs near the edge, no further than 15 centimeters from the baguette, you can simply remove it. To do this, the stretched material is removed from the baguette securing it and cut along its entire length, capturing the area with the cut. After this, the canvas is stretched again and tucked into the baguette.

Relatively small defects that are located far enough from the edge can also be masked. Where a hole or puncture appears, you can embed another lamp or ventilation grille. In general, it makes no difference what to install, as long as the break point is completely hidden installed device or a decorative element.

At incorrect installation tension covering, another type of damage may occur - separation of the harpoon with which the fabric is secured in the baguette. This defect cannot be eliminated on your own - you will need to call a technician, who in most cases will fix the problem in a short time.

It is much worse when this happened due to too much tension in the fabric. It could have been cut incorrectly, in which case the entire fabric would need to be replaced.

When flooded by neighbors above, the stretched film will almost inevitably sag. It can be re-stretched, although it will require the arrival of a specialist with a heat gun. If the tension is not PVC film, and the fabric, then after flooding, unsightly stains appear on it, which, unfortunately, cannot be completely removed. This coating needs to be replaced.

To better understand how a stretch ceiling is repaired when, for example, a cut occurs, you can watch the video presented below.

Here you can just see how a small tear in the stretched fabric is eliminated, near the fastening baguette. A complete replacement was not required - it was done by pulling on one side and moving the fastening element to a new location.

Conclusion

Not always, the occurrence of damage to the tensioned material will lead to its complete replacement. Some types of defects can be repaired, saving a significant amount. However, if the tear or cut is large enough, it will be more economical to replace the entire fabric.