Soaring stretch ceiling. Description, features, pros and cons

Features and Specifications

So, the design is backlit. Thanks to it, a floating stretch ceiling not only looks impressive, but also requires fewer lighting fixtures on the canvas itself, be it chandeliers, spotlights, spots, light lines or anything else. The backlight, and this is an LED strip, lies in a special profile. It is called Soaring and is divided into subtypes based on material and design.

Unusual designer soaring ceiling

Materials used:

• plastic
• aluminum.

Metal is more expensive. Therefore, it is taken when necessary: ​​if the client does not trust plastic and asks for aluminum, or if the ceiling is mounted using a glazing bead system. The glazing bead does not involve cutting out the film in the workshop in exact accordance with the area and geometry of the rough ceiling.

They simply bring a rectangular piece with a reserve to the site, manually pull it into the wall profile and cut off the excess. Such tension is fraught with uneven distribution of tension vectors. Where installers overdo it, the plastic profile can lead. But aluminum does not fail.

Aluminum baguette can be painted or not. The coating is usually white, matching the most popular white film. The paint is applied so that the profile merges with the ceiling canvas and eliminates the visual clue of the presence of something between the film and the walls.

Floating ceiling with colored lighting

By design, the Floating Profile can be:

1. With an inclined side. It comes almost close to the wall and covers the groove with the LED strip. This prevents it from being visible from the floor if you stand against the wall and look up. Only a delicate light is visible, but its source is not visible.
2. Straight side. This profile gives a more open and bright light. But, if you look at a right angle from the floor up, standing against the wall, you will see an LED strip.
3. With plastic plug. It is inserted into the groove with the LED strip and serves as a diffuser of its light. This helps even with a straight profile side design. The light shines more delicately. The tape is not visible. But you can see the plastic of the plug itself, which also doesn’t suit everyone.
4. Without plastic plug.

The strength of the glow depends not only on the design of the wall molding, the presence or absence of a plug in it, but also the power of the tape, the frequency of LEDs placed in it, and their color.

Color spectrum

When choosing a color palette, you need to be guided by general design rules. Light shades, especially at the top, increase the volume of the room and visually create a feeling of airiness and spaciousness. Dark tones have the opposite effect: they reduce space, but in exceptional cases they are also appropriate, as they can add notes of mystery, comfort and luxury.

Remember! Lighting helps set a certain mood. Power supplies are multifunctional: they not only regulate the intensity, but can also change the shades of lighting and the speed of their switching.

Light lines can be either a separate self-sufficient system or an integral part of an ensemble with other lamps or sconces.

Kinds

A floating profile for suspended ceilings is not the only reason for classification. Consumers are often interested in dividing according to the location of the baguette, since not many people are familiar with the details of its structure.

Single-level floating ceiling

By location, a floating ceiling can be:

• Along the entire perimeter of the room
• Or zoning, partial

In the latter case, the floating suspended ceilings in the photo illuminate only the area above the bed, near one of the walls, or extend along 2-3 walls. The rest of the perimeter is mounted on a regular profile without lighting.

A floating stretch ceiling with lighting around the perimeter of the entire room is more expensive, since the main cost is included in a special baguette, LED strip and power supplies for it.

The tape, by the way, is also a reason for classifying soaring ceilings. They come with:

1. Colored backlight.
2. White backlight.

It is worth considering that colored LEDs appear dimmer. The white tape looks brighter, as does the final lighting of the room.

Floating stretch ceiling with white lighting

Do you need floating coatings?

Floating structures:

1. Fabulously attractive. However, their advantage over suspended ceilings tied to walls is mostly purely aesthetic. Therefore, each owner decides for himself whether to invest more money in beauty.
2. They illusorily expand the space. The absence of corners visually raises the ceiling, making the vault light and, one might say, frivolous. Sometimes it seems that the fabric will hang a little and fly away with the wind, leaving behind the endless sky. However, this effect is only possible with a properly designed and installed system.

Do not forget that the floating effect is achieved thanks to lighting, therefore it appears only in the dark, and during the day these will be ordinary tension structures.

To expand, reduce or adjust the room, alternative techniques will be needed.

Advantages and disadvantages

The pros and cons of a floating stretch ceiling stem from its spare parts. Film, for example, is attractive due to its price, ease of installation and maintenance, lack of cracking over the years and the need to renew, tint, etc. But, in terms of fire resistance to film, there are questions.

Canvases with fire safety classes KS1 and KS2 are more expensive. Therefore, film without fire retardants is widely used. There is also a lack of trust in the environmental friendliness and safety of ceiling materials.

And the quality certificate does not reassure everyone, because there is an understanding that they can show you a document from another batch of goods. And how can an ordinary consumer check? As for the profile, the advantages depend on its subtype.

It was said above that a painted or plastic baguette merges with the white film, but unpainted aluminum is slightly visible between the canvas and the wall. The price of a floating stretch ceiling also largely depends on the profile and, for most, is a disadvantage, since a specialized molding is much more expensive than a regular one.

Two-level floating stretch ceiling

The pros and cons of the LED strip were also briefly touched upon. This light source:

• Requires the use of a power supply, or several units, if the footage of the tape and its power are substantial. This is a plus to the price of the ceiling, and the block must be chosen carefully. Yes, there are blocks with a fan. At home, its noise is audible and irritates many clients.
• LEDs on the strip may burn out, which requires maintenance and replacement. These are additional costs. On the other hand, the floating profile tape is easy to remove, even from under the plastic plug. It is simply dismantled and put back after replacing the lighting source.
• A strip with LEDs may not provide enough light if it is low-power or colored. And clients rarely think to discuss this point when ordering a ceiling. In order to save money, installers may be inclined to purchase a low-power type. But, the ribbon can be taken in any shade and even multi-colored, which expands the design possibilities.
• The light falling from the tape emphasizes the unevenness of the walls. Therefore, they should either be leveled to match the egg, or decorated with decorative plaster and other coatings, the relief of which is favorably emphasized by light.

All this should be taken into account when planning soaring suspended ceilings in a bedroom , living room, or other room.

Soaring multi-level stretch ceiling

Required materials and tools for installation

From what was said earlier, it follows that to install a floating stretch ceiling you will need: a special profile, an LED strip and a power supply for it, and the stretch fabric itself. In addition, installers will stock up on:

1. Fastening: dowels (if the walls are concrete, brick), self-tapping screws.
2. Hammer and screwdriver.
3. A vacuum cleaner for the hammer drill, ensuring as clean an installation as possible.
4. Suspensions for platforms, to which lighting fixtures are then attached.
5. The platforms themselves for lamps and other ceiling structures, for example, fire detectors.
6. A block for bypassing wardrobes, stoves (if necessary) and as mortgages for ceiling cornices for curtains.
7. Masking tape. It will cover the gap of a regular baguette. It is used if the soaring does not pass along all the walls.
8. Wires connected to light sources, in addition to the LED strip.

Plus pipe bypasses. They come in handy if there are risers that go into the ceiling, and glue with which these bypasses are attached to the film. The arsenal is also always replenished with a stationery knife and a cannon used for stringing. The heat from the gun gives the material elasticity, allowing installers to force it into the profile.

Designer floating stretch ceiling

Stretch the film, which was pre-soldered taking into account shrinkage, so that it does not begin to sag during operation. You may also need additional types of special baguette. Moreover, they are not necessarily used on walls.

Let's remember floating lines for suspended ceilings . It is more correct to call them light. This is also a profile with LEDs inserted inside. The film is attached to it on all sides. This means that the baguette can be placed at any point.

Don't forget about the separating profile. It connects the edges of the canvas behind columns, chimneys, etc. that are located away from the walls. To put the film on them, it has to be cut on one side. Choose a place where there is less footage to the wall.

Ceiling lighting “Soaring lines” for suspended ceilings

In addition to the main lighting line, recessed linear or LED lamps are often used in the design of a suspended floating ceiling. To achieve the effect of floating lines, you have to use another row of LEDs or install lamps built into the canvas.

The result is the effect of a double frame of the contour. The technique, at first glance, is not particularly tricky or complex, but with its help it is possible to achieve a very interesting result - visually the height of the ceilings increases. Especially if the color of the floating lines matches the pattern applied to the vinyl decor.

Installation process

The installation of a floating stretch ceiling also depends on factors such as the presence of elements remote from the walls, built-in furniture, curtains, hatches planned on the ceiling, and so on. A typical work scheme starts with level shooting. You need to determine the line along which the baguette will be attached.

The second stage is to mark points for platforms for cornices, chandeliers, and other elements. Then, in fact, the platforms and the Soaring baguette are installed. The tape is inserted into the suspended ceiling after. All that remains is to stretch the film.

Popular manufacturers

Shadow ceilings are a relatively new type of tension structures. Therefore, the companies that were the first to offer their products are still the most popular.

The imported profile has a high cost, therefore, today domestic manufacturers are leading the market:

AstamGroup (Moscow)

The company produces EuroCrab profiles. The set includes corner joining elements, “walking” connecting elements for straight or corner joining;

FlexiPro (Republic of Belarus)

The company began production of EuroFlexi profiles almost immediately after Astam, in 2006.

The baguette from both companies has similar shapes and sizes. For installers, it makes no fundamental difference which one to work with (although here there may be certain habits and preferences).

Price and owner reviews

The price is calculated using the formula: the cost of a regular ceiling + the cost of each linear meter of the soaring set. This is a baguette and a ribbon. Suppose you order a room with an area of ​​25 m2. from a simple white film and the company charges 400 rubles for each square of a typical ceiling. It turns out that the price of 25 m2 is 10,000 rubles, taking into account that:

• there will be no additional structures such as cornices, chandeliers
• there will be no aspects that complicate the work, such as covering the walls with porcelain stoneware that is difficult to pass through, or a large number of corners in the room, especially rounded ones.

Now we add the footage of the special baguette. Suppose it will run along only one side of the hall, 6 m long. The company estimates each meter of the soaring ceiling at 1,000 rubles. This means that you need to add another 6,000 rubles to the basic 10,000. The total check is 16,000 rubles.

For the client, an accurate calculation is a difficult task, since there is rarely knowledge of all the aspects that complicate and reduce the cost of the work, or an accurate vision of the design of the future ceiling.

Calculating the required number of lamps so that it does not end up being too bright or, on the contrary, dark, is also not an easy task. Therefore, the most accurate numbers are obtained by measurement. It is carried out by a master in the presence of the client. He not only calculates the cost, but also explains all the nuances of choosing film, baguette, light sources, and location.

Exclusive multi-level soaring ceiling

Reviews about floating ceilings can be negative precisely because of a lack of information, that is, insufficient consultation. Whose fault it was is worth understanding individually in each specific case.

But the result is the same. Consumers complain that they did not expect such dim light, burnout of the tape, or a visible gap in the profile. The incompatibility of a floating structure with non-ideal walls also becomes a surprise if the measurer has not previously clarified this nuance.

If at the measurement stage all the points are explained, competent advice is given on choosing a room and the exact price is named, customer reviews are usually positive. The soaring ceiling pleases the eye and remains relevant, in contrast to fleeting trends in film with perforation, soldering, and photo printing.

There is also a fashion for contour ceilings, which some confuse with floating ones. But, in the contour LEDs are located under the film. This gives the glow line a clear outline. Hence the name of the design. It is losing relevance because it is problematic to maintain. If the tape burns out, you can install a new one only by dismantling the film.

Which room is best to do it in?

The choice of premises is determined more by subjective than objective reasons. And also, there is a dependence on the style of the setting. For example, in one of the rooms the interior was thought out to create a feeling of weightlessness, some kind of mystery, a soaring ceiling just begs to be there.

Soaring ceiling in the hall

Considering its price, it is logical to place it in the most trafficked areas and enjoy film vaping to the maximum. Therefore, the choice of many falls on the hall. Its soaring stretch ceilings

A floating suspended ceiling in the bathroom , on the contrary, does not turn on often. But it saves energy, extends the life of the tape and, at the same time, allows you to feel relaxation while taking a shower or showing off in front of the mirror. In the corridor, lighting allows the home to make a pleasant impression literally from the threshold. And in the dressing room, a floating baguette will be the owners’ little secret.

But there are also technical issues. It is logical to install a floating ceiling closer to the place where it is convenient to mount power supplies. It was also said that the light from the profile does not work well with all wall coverings and is picky about curved walls. Accordingly, rooms are selected that are leveled like a testicle, with decorative plasters, etc.