Armstrong suspended ceiling: the pros and cons

Armstrong suspended ceilings are versatile, suitable for both offices and shops, as well as for residential premises. This ceiling looks beautiful, mounted quickly, is relatively inexpensive. I would like to say right away that manufacturers often say that Armstrong is a new design word, but this is not so.

Cassette (plate-cellular) ceilings were widely used in the Soviet Union, but not in residential, but in industrial premises. Under such ceilings, you can successfully hide any communications — wiring, ventilation..

Consider in detail the characteristics of Armstrong ceilings.

Special features

Armstrong suspended ceilings can be divided into five main classes. To understand what materials you will be dealing with, ask the seller for a manufacturer certificate. It must contain all the technical characteristics of the ceiling tiles.

Such coatings are divided into the following types:

  • Economy class. As plates, mineral-organic plates are used, which do not have such advantages as moisture resistance or thermal insulation. True, they cost a bit. Most models of economy class have a large color range and look neat and beautiful. The main thing is not to use them in damp rooms.
  • Ceilings class "Prima". Excellent technical characteristics - moisture resistance, durability, durability, combined with a variety of colors and reliefs. Such plates are made of metal, plastic, acrylic and other durable materials. For similar products manufacturers give a guarantee of at least 10 years.
  • Acoustic. Such ceilings with slab thickness up to 22 mm are needed where noise reduction is necessary. These are reliable strong ceilings with long service life.
  • Hygienic. Made from special moisture-resistant materials with antibacterial properties.
  • Special category - designer ceilings. Can be very different and from materials with a variety of textures.

Armstrong ceiling tiles are also distinguished by the way they are installed: the classic way,when the plate is embedded inside the frame and the modern version, when the plates are installed outside (they snap into the frame with a slight pressure).

Advantages and disadvantages

The Armstrong ceiling has many advantages:

    • a huge variety of panels for suspended ceilings allows you to choose the appropriate color, texture, thickness and size for any room;
    • this finish is perfect for a large room;
    • the ceiling will cope well with the insulation of the room, since light insulation can be laid in the space between the main ceiling and the suspended ceiling;
    • The moisture resistance of the ceiling depends on the quality of the tiles. Most Prima class ceilings are not afraid of moisture;
    • if your ceiling is not perfect and has cracks, seams, height drops and other defects, then Armstrong trim will be an excellent solution to the problem;
    • wiring, ventilation and other communications are easiest to hide in an Armstrong ceiling design;
    • installation of a suspended ceiling can be done by yourself;
    • if one of the tiles turns out to be damaged, then you will be able to replace the element yourself;
    • finishing materials used in the design of the Armstrong ceiling, in the vast majority are easy to clean and even wash;
    • tiled panels are environmentally friendly and safe for humans.Neither plastic nor mineral panels emit harmful substances, do not smell and are not destroyed by heat or sunlight;
    • the design does not exert excessive pressure on the ceiling;
    • Armstrong ceiling has good sound insulation properties.

    Of course, this finish has some drawbacks:

      • the style is not always suitable for decoration of an apartment or a private house, as it looks "office";
      • the use of cheap materials will lead to the fact that the panels will not last long. They are easily scratched or damaged by any accidental impact;
      • the ceiling design will inevitably "eat" part of the height of the room.

      Device

      The ceiling device is a suspension system consisting of a frame, suspension system and tiles. The frame is made of light alloys, the total weight will depend on the area of ​​the room (the larger the area, the heavier the structure), but in general the load on the floor is very small.

      The design can be mounted on almost any ceiling.

      A large role is played by the height of the room.

      remember, that Armstrong ceiling will eat at least 15 centimeters high. Designers recommend using suspended ceilings in rooms with a height of at least 2.5 m. If in a small low room they are a necessity (hide wiring or ventilation), then be sure to consider using mirrored panels. Mirror panels visually increase the height of the room.

      The technical characteristics of the suspension frame elements are as follows:

        • bearing profiles of type T15 and T24, length according to GOST 3.6 meters;
        • transverse profiles of type T15 and T24, length according to GOST 0.6 and 1.2 meters;
        • wall corner profile 19 \ 24.

        Suspension system consists of:

          1. Spring-loaded knitting needles (strings) to support the profiles, with which you can adjust the height of the frame. The standard knitting needle (strings) of two kinds - knitting needles with eyelet at the end and knitting needles with hook at the end.
          2. spring butterflies with 4 holes.

          After installing the frame and the suspension system, you can mount the most important part - the plate (finish). Plates can be of different sizes, but the most common are standard square ones of 1 m².

          Mount

          The ceiling consists of a set of elements (profiles and panels) that are easy to connect to each other. Therefore, for such a ceiling the size does not matter, difficulties can arise only with non-linear forms of the premises.Proper fastening of aluminum or galvanized profiles to walls and ceilings is a guarantee of durability of the whole structure. There is nothing complicated here, but it is worth dwelling on some details.

          The set of tools you may need is small: pliers, perforation drill, metal shears, dowels and hammer. Profile length usually does not exceed 4 meters. By the way, if you need profiles of smaller (or greater) length, then almost always you can order them from the seller or the manufacturer, in this case you will not have to mess around with cutting or building up.

          It is important to understand that different materials of the base ceiling dictate to us and the choice of different parts fasteners.

          So, stone surfaces or silicate blocks require the use of dowels at least 50 mm. 40-mm dowels with a diameter of 6 mm are suitable for concrete or brick floors. It is simpler with wooden floors - the suspension frame for such a ceiling can also be fixed with the help of screws.

          Fastening the plates is not difficult, even for a novice master. Before installation it is recommended to check all the angles between the guides (they must be exactly 90 degrees). After that, the panels are installed, leading them into the hole "edge". Next, we give the panels a horizontal position and carefully lower them to the profile.

          note that if the edges of the plates were visible, then this indicates errors when installing the frame. Unfortunately, it often happens that the plates need to be cut.

          Installation of such plates must be done at the final stage of work, when all the others are already in cassettes. Keep the wall edge smooth, and if necessary, use the ceiling plinth. It will give completeness and accuracy of the whole structure.

          Frame assembly and assembly

          Most often, the installation is carried out by firms selling suspended ceilings, since they include this service in the cost of the whole structure. Nevertheless, many home masters take up the installation of the Armstrong ceiling with their own hands.

          We offer you step-by-step instructions for installing a suspended ceiling, which will help you to easily master the technology of preparation and quickly assemble the structure:

            • Before starting the installation of the ceiling it is necessary to complete all the work on laying communications.
            • Start the installation with markup, defining the starting point.To do this, from the lowest angle down mark the distance corresponding to the height of the suspension structure. The minimum indent is 15 cm. It all depends on the size and number of communications that will be hidden inside the suspended structure.
            • Now you need to install an L-shaped profile with a section of 24X19 along the perimeter of the walls. To do this, we make the markup using a tipping cord. It is easy to do it yourself - you need to smear the cord with a special coloring element (you can use regular graphite), attach it to the marks in the corners and “beat off”. Now we can see the level of our new ceiling.
            • The starting profile (corner) is attached to the wall with dowels, which must be selected depending on the material in which they are installed - concrete, brick, wood or stone. The distance between the dowels is usually 500 mm. In the corners we trim the profile with a hacksaw.
            • The next step is to determine the center of the room. The easiest way is to stretch the ropes from opposite corners. The intersection will be the center of the room.
            • From the center we lay 1.2 meters in each direction - carrier profiles will be installed in these places.
            • Fastening of supporting profiles of section T24 or T15 to the ceiling is carried out using suspensions. The length of the supporting profiles is standard - 3.6 meters, but if this length is not enough, then the profiles can be connected using special locks.
            • After the carrier profiles are fixed, we begin to install the transverse. For this, there are special slots in the supporting profiles, where you must insert the transverse ones. By the way, they can be either short (0.6 m) or long (1.2 m).

            The frame structure in the form of cells with cells is ready, you can install the tile. The technology of installation of tiles as a whole is simple and is described above, features are only available for the installation scheme of ceilings of ceilings of the closed type. For such ceilings, special profiles are used (with a hole in the lower shelf of the profile).

            The edges of the panels are inserted into it until a characteristic click. Plates can be moved along profiles.

            If you need to install lamps in a suspended ceiling, then you should determine the need to install lamps of that particular type (rotary or fixed), their power and general style of the room. If you decide to use swivel lamps, then all wiring and lighting devices themselves are recommended to be “assembled” before installing the plates. However, Today there is a large selection of built-in lighting devices - they replace a number of panels. Installation of ready-made recessed fixtures is simple and generally similar to the installation of tiled trim.

            Calculation of materials

            Begin by calculating the length of the wall corner. We fold all the lengths of the walls where the corner will be fastened. Do not forget to add on the projecting parts and niches. The amount must be divided by the length of one corner. For example, if the perimeter of the room is 25 m, and the length of one profile is 3 meters, then the number of corners we need will be equal to 8.33333 ... The number is rounded up. The result - we need 9 corners.

            Great help in the calculations has a drawing guides (main and transverse) - you can see the direct arrangement of the elements.

            It is good if the suspension frame holds an integer number of cells, but this rarely happens. Sometimes designers use a “trick” with components of different sizes, with, for example, large identical panels in the center of a room, and small-sized panels along the perimeter of the walls. But if you are engaged in the suspension of the structure yourself, then you have to simply arrange the trimmed elements in one or both ends of the room.

            In order to make a decision about where you will have “incomplete” cells, you need to divide the ceiling area into squares right on the diagram. Standard cells - 60 square meters. cm. Count the number of squares you got, including “incomplete cells”. Subtract the number of panels in place of which the fixtures will be installed.

            Now you can calculate the number of guides that will be located across the room, starting from the wall. If you see that the length of the room is not divided into an even number of guides and you have a small piece, then it is necessary to try to place "incomplete cells" on the side where they will not be evident.

            If working with a drawing causes difficulties, a simple formula will help. It is necessary to calculate the area of ​​the ceiling (multiply the length by the width).

            For each element of the ceiling, we will need an individual coefficient.

            The coefficient for tile is 2.78. For the main profile - 0.23, and for the cross - 1.4. Suspension ratio - 0.7. So, if the area of ​​the room is 30 meters, then the tiles will need 84 pieces, while the thickness of its role does not play.

            According to the size of the entire ceiling, count the number of lamps. Standard - one per 5 square meters.

            Accommodation options

            Armstrong ceiling construction is universal and suitable for placement in public buildings and in private homes and apartments.

            Offices and shopping centers with large areas, hospitals and schools - Armstrong ceiling will serve faithfully in these premises for many years. Placing plates is usually standard - they are all the same and alternate only with lighting elements. Sometimes you can find a chess or linear combination of matte and mirror surfaces.

            Placing finishing plates in residential premises allows you to experiment with textures, colors and sizes. In the modern interiors of kitchens and bathrooms popular finish plates of contrasting colorsFor example, black and white, blue and orange, yellow and brown. Combinations of gray and white also do not go out of fashion. Placing tiles in Armstrong's design can be any - “chess”, chaotic color spots, lighter plates around lamps, lighter tiles in the center and darker at the edges - the complexity of the overall tiled pattern is limited,perhaps only the size of the room.

            For bedrooms and halls suitable combination of mirror and ordinary tiles. Acrylic tiles backlit from the inside will look spectacular..

            Useful recommendations

            • when installing the plates in the cassettes, do all the work in clean cloth gloves, since stains on the plates may remain stained by hands;
            • a crooked or unevenly lying slab must be raised and re-laid, but it is impossible to press the slabs to the suspension elements - the finishing material may break;
            • heavy fixtures are best installed on their own suspension systems;
            • as soon as the luminaire is installed, it is necessary to immediately connect the wiring to it;
            • Built-in lights require an increase in the number of conventional suspensions;
            • if the finished fasteners are too large, then they can be replaced with homemade ones;
            • in kitchens it is preferable to install a washable ceiling;
            • Armstrong ceiling is perfectly combined with the insulation of the house, for which between the ceiling-based and suspended laid any light insulation.

            You can see the installation of the Armstrong suspended ceiling in this video.

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            Information provided for reference purposes. For construction issues, always consult a specialist.

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