Wallpaper or stretch ceilings: what is better to do first? Life hack: what to do first, wallpaper or stretch ceiling Stretch the ceiling or glue the wallpaper.

Stretch ceilings are increasingly gaining a place in our apartments and for good reason. Made of non-toxic substances, they serve us for a long time and faithfully without replacement for more than one five years. And the procedure for their installation is quick and hassle-free. In addition, they can be dust-free.

Stretch ceilings - a thin film of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or fabric, which is stretched over a certain frame under the ceiling. Subsequently, it looks like a perfectly native surface. The colors of the canvas can be any - it all depends on your design idea and on the combination of the color of the ceiling and wallpaper. Films can be monochromatic with patterns, ceiling lights, but it is also possible to imitate marble or any other material.

A little about the methods of installing stretch ceilings

If the entire room is being renovated, the question often arises, what comes first: wallpaper or stretch ceiling? Opinions differ on this point. Therefore, let's first consider the structure of and. There are two of them:

  • Harpoon method. The room is measured in advance for the manufacture of a certain size of the canvas, then the installers of your chosen company install a frame (in other words, a baguette), which is installed on special nails driven into the walls. Such a construction will “steal” no more than 4 centimeters of the wall height. Then a special canvas is heated with a heat gun, stretched over the entire area of ​​the ceiling and snapped into place. Although, if you wish, you can make a stretch ceiling with a recess for the curtain, or even stretch it only over part of the room. When dry, it becomes harder, but at the same time remains perfectly flat.
  • Harpoon-free method - the canvas is clamped like a fabric on a hoop. This method is considered to be simpler (in terms of price and quality) since it does not require preliminary measurement and fabrication of the canvas. However, sagging is also possible.

Also stretch ceilings are made of fabric. In the case of the tissue option, the risk of sagging is reduced, because the fabric is denser. Installation of such a product is carried out without heating it. The material is suitable for art painting and even self-painting.

And yet: what comes first?

Now that you know everything or almost everything about stretch ceilings, it's time to come to our main question. What comes first: to stretch the ceiling or to glue the wallpaper?

First of all, the answer lies in the frequency of your wallpaper re-pasting. If the previous wallpaper has not changed for ten years, then before attaching the baguette for PVC, you can safely glue the wallpaper, over which the canvas will subsequently be stretched. You should not worry about their damage during the installation of the ceiling - real professionals will do everything as neatly and cleanly as possible - when pulling, no dirt or debris remains in the room.

If you are a follower frequent repairs and like to refresh the room with new wallpaper, it will make sense to glue the wallpaper from the bottom of the plastic edge along the edge of the stretch ceiling - thus, when gluing new wallpaper, you can easily remove the old one as you did with a regular ceiling, without touching the tension structures.

If you decide to install a stretch ceiling, you should also not forget about the preliminary leveling of the walls. This should be done strictly before stretching the canvas. Otherwise, the ceiling will stretch unevenly and the appearance of uneven walls will spoil the impression of the interior renovation.

Video: preparing the room for installation

(1 estimates, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Discussion:

    Alexey said:

    It's not entirely clear how to level the walls without removing the wallpaper? This to this:

    If you decide to install a stretch ceiling, you should also not forget about the preliminary leveling of the walls. This should be done strictly before stretching the canvas.

    Sveta said:

    We first made stretch ceilings, and the price is much more profitable. And then they pasted ceiling skirting boards, which were also painted to look not like styrofoam. There were gaps between the skirting boards and the walls, which were sealed with white putty, and only after that the wallpaper was glued. The wallpaper sat down perfectly, and when we do the next repair, we will simply remove the wallpaper and glue the new ones, and leave the ceiling plinths, they are beautiful and matte, everything looks great.

    Deniz said:

    Zdrastvuyte, U menya zakioncilsya remont.Dovolьno dorogoy I sovkusom.No problema v nerovnim potolke na kuxne.Pri dnevnom svete eto ne vidno, daje vsyo ideal'no rovno.No kak temneet elukbento ujas, oselyll oni porabotali, no rezultate net. Predlagayut pozvat drugix malyarov, ctob viravnivali potolk, no ya ustala, ne xocu snova grazi, pili. za ranee blagodaryu.

One of the eternal disputes among builders-finishers on the topic: "What first, gluing wallpaper or making a stretch ceiling?" somewhat similar to the rhetorical question "What comes first, a chicken or an egg?" This issue has been discussed since the appearance of stretch ceilings on the construction market, and there are plenty of supporters of both methods. Therefore, the situation requires an impartial examination.

The essence of the dispute lies in the fact that there is a real possibility to damage the coverings that were installed earlier, and therefore each of the parties is trying to prove that, according to their technology, such damage will be less. Offered two ways to solve the problem:

  1. Installation of the stretch ceiling is carried out after the completion of all finishing works in the room, including after wallpapering.
  2. The finishing of the walls with wallpaper is carried out after the installation of the stretch ceiling.

Both of these methods can be considered correct from a technological point of view, it all depends on the specific conditions of the repair. It is worth saying that professional editing, with proper preparation of the performers, will be performed at a high level in both cases. But, unfortunately, real finishing work can still present unexpected difficulties.

There is another method that installers are reluctant to take, because work is required in several stages, and customers do not want to use it due to the need to incur additional costs. Using this technology, a stretch ceiling baguette is mounted on the walls prepared for gluing. After that, the wallpaper is glued, and only the final stage will be the installation of the ceiling sheet itself.

Stretch ceiling after wallpaper

This method is recommended due to the fact that when performing finishing work, the mounted stretch ceiling can be contaminated various compositions(glue, paint, all kinds of solvents). However, some of them can lead to the formation of indelible stains and damage to the texture of the canvas. Therefore, if wallpaper is supposed in the interior with their subsequent painting, then the stretch ceiling should be installed last.

The disadvantages (which can be easily eliminated with the right approach to business) of this method include the following factors:

  • When installing a baguette, holes are drilled in the wall for fasteners, while their number is quite large. This leads to increased dust formation and contamination of the wallpaper.

Damage can be minimized by using a perforator with a vacuum cleaner, although the effectiveness of this method is not great, but it removes at least part of the dust. It is best to pre-coat the wallpaper with a special protective film.

  • At installation of PVC the canvas requires heating the room up to 60 degrees, in some cases this can lead to the wallpaper peeling off. This situation most often arises due to the rush in which repairs are being done. Installation of the ceiling using a heat gun should be carried out only after the wall coverings have completely dried. Usually, wallpaper becomes immune to such processing no earlier than 4-6 days after pasting (this is at normal room temperature).

Usually, such a scheme for ordering stretch ceilings is practiced, when the measurer comes to take measurements from an already finished room (the walls are aligned), this allows you to cut out the most accurate canvas. The production of the ceiling material takes on average at least a week, so the pasted wallpaper has time to dry and become resistant to temperature. That is, we can say that the occurrence of such problems in almost all cases is associated with a violation of the technology of pasting walls, or with the use of low-quality materials.

  • Installing the canvas can damage the wallpaper. As already mentioned, in this case it all depends on the professionalism of the performers; in order to ensure protection, the walls are also covered with a film.
  • Another disadvantage is considered the difficulties that arise when it is necessary to re-glue the wallpaper in the future, since they are pressed against the installed baguette. Most likely, these difficulties are far-fetched, cutting the wallpaper is quite simple. In addition, no one bothers to beat off the level of the baguette installation around the perimeter of the room, and glue the wallpaper, starting from it, even in the case of small differences, they will be easily hidden by a decorating tape or insert.

Stretch ceiling to wallpaper

If this installation method is chosen, it should be borne in mind that the preparation of the walls for gluing wallpaper must be performed in any case. Installing a baguette on an uneven wall will not differ in beauty, and no decor will help to hide defects. The wall must be leveled and filled.

It should also be borne in mind that if the walls can be protected from damage, then the ceiling is unlikely to be closed, so the probability of its contamination and damage is very high.

The advantages of this installation method most often include:

  1. The safety of the wall covering, the implementation of thermal effects until the end of the finish
  2. Possibility of replacing wallpaper in the future.

But do not forget about the negative aspects:

  1. Stretch ceiling material is equally susceptible to damage and pollution. Considering the significant cost of this material and the fact that in some cases it will not be possible to clean the surface, as well as to bring it to its normal form, it is worth thinking about the advisability of using this technology.
  2. After installing the technological decorative tape, it is quite difficult to trim the wallpaper without the proper skills. There is a possibility of damage to the belt (at best) or the web (at worst).

Which of these two ways to choose is up to the customer, based on the conditions and stage of repair in the apartment. But it should be said that the installation of a stretch ceiling on already finished walls is more traditional.

Phased installation of stretch ceilings

Now let's talk about what gives step-by-step installation scheme in the following sequence:

  • Preparing the walls
  • Installation of a baguette
  • Wallpaper gluing
  • Stretch ceiling installation

In this case, a number of disadvantages that are inherent in the traditional technologies described above are eliminated, namely:

  • On the prepared wall, the baguette lays down exactly without the formation of gaps and cracks.
  • The dust generated when attaching the baguette does not harm the wall finish. After installation, it is simply removed.
  • Wallpaper is glued and painted without creating a threat of pollution and damage to the ceiling material. In addition, strips of wallpaper are much easier to fit to the baguette, small gaps are overlapped by the decor.
  • After the surface of the walls has dried (at least 4-6 days), it is covered with a protective film, which will prevent damage and reduce the effect of temperature. Therefore, the installation of the ceiling sheet can be performed when professional approach of course, without much fear.

Considering that when installing fabric ceilings, heating the room is not required, then this way can be considered the best option to preserve the surface of both walls and ceilings. Therefore, it is worth going for a slight increase in the budget, but to achieve maximum quality by reducing various risks.

If you decide to install a stretch ceiling, then first of all choose not the installation sequence, but a professional contractor who will be able to choose the most optimal option based on the existing conditions.

What are they doing forward - stretch ceilings or wallpaper? In general, in what order is it better to repair walls and ceilings? In this article we will try to tell you about the correct sequence of the main operations and about possible deviations from the master plan.

About technology

Let's start with a small lyrical digression from the directly posed question. To decide what comes first - wallpaper or stretch ceilings - it is advisable to have a clear idea of ​​the technology for fixing the ceiling.

Let's analyze the most popular solution - PVC installation canvases with a harpoon.

  1. Along the perimeter of the room, the level of fastening of the baguette (fastening profile) is marked - a line strictly aligned along the horizon.
  2. Mounting holes are drilled along the marked line with a pitch of 15-25 centimeters.

Let's clarify: they are needed only in brick, stone and panel houses.
Wooden walls allow you to fix the baguette with ordinary screws.

  1. The baguette is fastened with dowel screws.
  2. Then the canvas pre-welded from strips of plasticized polyvinyl chloride to the size of the room is heated with a heat gun and stretched over the entire area of ​​the ceiling; with a special shape, a rigid edging of the canvas - a harpoon - is inserted into the groove of the baguette with a spatula and fixed in it with a simple latch.
  3. The groove of the baguette is closed with a decorative profile.

The photo shows the installation of a decorative edging.

After the polyvinyl chloride film has cooled, the ceiling gains the necessary tension, which evens out the slightest folds on its surface.

The harpoonless mount, usually used with fabric ceilings, differs only in the way the canvas is attached to the baguette. The basic sequence remains the same: marking - baguette - fastening the canvas.

Ceiling properties

So after all: when to fix the stretch ceiling - before or after gluing the wallpaper?

Dear reader, be patient a little more.

Very little is left before enlightenment: we need to clearly understand the mechanical properties of stretch ceilings of different types.

  • The main disadvantage of vinyl is the lack of any resistance to mechanical stress. A shot cork of New Year's champagne can doom you to expensive repairs; there is no need to talk about the sharp edges of a trowel or a portable ladder: careless movement will cost you re-ordering the canvas.

However: plasticized polyvinyl chloride is waterproof, which is why it is valued.
He is quite capable of saving household appliances and books during a flood from the neighbors above.

  • In contrast, fabric ceilings are quite durable. To damage them with a blunt object, you need to try; can cut the web only with very strong pressure.

Interim findings

Based on the information received, it is already possible to draw certain conclusions about when it is worth fixing stretch ceilings - before or after wallpapering.

In general, the correct sequence looks like this:

  1. , primed and pasted over with wallpaper.
  2. After the walls are completely dry, you can proceed to the stretch ceiling: the baguette is attached over the wallpaper, masking all the inevitable flaws of their upper edge. First of all, this concerns wallpaper with a repeating pattern: when adjusting the pattern, it is very difficult to align perfectly the level of the upper edge of the stripes.

Not enough argumentation?

Here are a couple more reasons:

  • Wallpaper sticking is usually accompanied by trimming it in place at edges, corners, holes in the wall, etc.... Are you sure you are ready to wield a sharp knife near a thin blade, having a good idea of ​​the possible amount of damage in an awkward movement? Still the current price square meter PVC ceiling starts at 700 rubles, and the ceiling is quite large…
  • Remember where the wallpaper peels most often... Above, by the ceiling, right? Reliably pressed with a baguette, they simply cannot move away from the wall.

To be fair, this sequence of operations also has costs. When drilling the mounting holes, textured wallpaper will collect some dust and will need a close acquaintance with a vacuum cleaner or rag. Actually, dust and paint drips are the main reason that repairs are usually done from the top down - from the ceiling to the walls and from the walls to the floor.

Note: In the case of fabric wallpaper, the first of these reasons loses some weight. As mentioned, it is not easy to accidentally damage a polyester-reinforced canvas.

Workarounds

As in the general case, stretch ceilings are attached - before or after the wallpaper - we seem to have figured out. However, in some cases, the correct sequence of repairs creates purely organizational inconveniences: for example, the ceilings are already ready, the installation time has been agreed, and the ordered wallpaper has not yet been delivered.

Is it possible to somehow save the situation when the issue of priority - a stretch ceiling or wallpaper - is simply not in front of you?

Installation in two steps

The installation of the ceiling, divided into two stages, will help to solve the problem:

  1. On the first run, a team of installers marks and fixes the baguette.
  2. The second visit comes down to just stretching the canvas. In order to carry out this work, one person with a heat gun is enough. Of course, in this version, the installation will cost more than the standard one, but the difference will not seem ruinous.

What comes first - wallpaper or stretch ceiling?

The sequence of work performed during the renovation of the premises plays an important role, both in quality and in the cost of finishing work. And in order to decide what to do first - wallpaper or stretch ceiling - you need to understand how these works are performed, what materials are involved and how one work is interconnected with another.

The relationship between the two types of finishing work is that one of the processes can, to some extent, have a negative impact on the completed finish. Alternatively, a completed finish may interfere with other finishing work. That is, in order to understand in what order stretch ceilings need to be installed - before or after wallpaper - you need to study the influence of these works on each other.

Pasting wallpaper on the wall

  • So how is wallpaper glued to the wall? First of all, you need to prepare the surface of this wall, that is, to make it even.
  • As a rule, either drywall, or putty, or plaster is used to level the walls (see). Aligning the walls is out of the question if a stretch ceiling is installed, since the solution will certainly stain the vinyl film, and it is difficult to "stretch" the wall to the top if contact with the ceiling is not allowed. In this situation, the question "Do you install stretch ceilings before you start gluing wallpaper, or after?" clearly says that you need to make the walls first.
  • In the same way, it makes no sense to start leveling the walls with plasterboard if the stretch ceiling is already installed... The CD profile, on which the plasterboard sheets are attached, is framed around the perimeter with a UD profile, which, in turn, is fixed to the hard surface of the floor, walls and ceiling. Even if you do without the ceiling UD, you still need a rigid connection at the mating corner, which is impossible with soft vinyl.
  • But maybe it is possible to mount a stretch ceiling after leveling the walls? Well, for the installation of a profile fastening baguette, a flat wall is just needed and everything seems to be smooth on this side, but the wallpaper has not yet been glued (see).
  • We continue to argue further, what comes first - a stretch ceiling or wallpaper? To stick wallpaper on a flat wall, you need to prime the surface, since the dust that settles during any repair will turn adhesion into cohesion and the glued strips will simply fall off. The walls must be primed close to the ceiling and if it cannot be stained, then masking tape is glued.
  • Now let's move on to finishing the walls and consider when to glue the wallpaper, before or after installation false ceiling... To fix the strip on the wall, it must be smeared with glue. The wallpaper itself can also be glued dry - it all depends on their structure.
  • In order to smear the wall, you will again have to contact the ceiling, since the surface must be covered with glue close to the ceiling, which will again cause unwanted contact. Of course, the ceiling can be protected with masking tape.
  • Wallpaper can be glued, immediately aligning the top line, but this only applies to a single-color coating. If there is a pattern on them, then the glued strip is cut off a few centimeters longer than the required length in order to join them according to the pattern, and then the top and bottom are cut with a knife.

Installation of stretch ceilings

  • The installation of stretch ceilings has two points of intersection with the walls - this is the installation of the fastening baguette and the heating of the canvas and, of course, the room itself. And in order to judge how to do it first - a stretch ceiling or wallpaper - consider these points of contact (see).

  • For mounting aluminum or plastic profile you need to drill holes in the wall, which does not in any way affect the finish, since the spoiled place is covered with a baguette. And if we talk about the fact that first - stretch ceilings or wallpaper - the beginning, of course, will be behind the wallpaper.

  • It is believed that when working with a heat gun, which is used to heat the PVC cloth, the wall decoration can be damaged. Yes this is true. But it can be damaged simply by bringing furniture into the room - it all depends on the accuracy of the master. Even the most delicate wallpaper does not deform from the temperature required to heat vinyl, which is 70⁰-80⁰C, and this is not a threat if you do not direct the flame directly to the wall.

Recommendations. The choice of order in the question of what used to be a stretch ceiling or wallpaper, of course, will be yours, but if you carefully consider all the pros and cons, then the decision, of course, will be unambiguous. The first number in the order of renovation, of course, is the wallpaper.

The harm that you can cause to wallpaper when installing a stretch ceiling is negligible in comparison with the inconvenience that will arise in the opposite case. You, probably, yourself understand what the repairmen are doing ahead - definitely, they glue the wallpaper on the wall.

Conclusion

So, we found out that first they glue the wallpaper, and then they mount the stretch ceilings, but this only applies to those situations when the fastening baguette is fixed on the wall, and not on the drywall islands. figured ceiling... But the order applies not only to wallpaper - stretch ceilings, as a rule, are the final chord of all repairs in an apartment, with the exception, perhaps, of minor imperfections. This view is justified by the very minimum room debris that occurs when installing vinyl in comparison with other repair work.

A well-thought-out repair scheme allows you to significantly save family budget, to avoid possible damage to already fixed materials and to reduce the time of work. The material below, prepared taking into account the manipulation algorithm that professional builders adhere to, gives an exhaustive answer to the question, do the floor or ceiling first.

Briefly about the sequence of works

At overhaul the entire apartment (house), experts advise to start finishing the rooms farthest from the entrance to the living quarters. The last one to put in order is the corridor (entrance hall). Compliance with this recommendation will allow you to protect already repaired areas from accidental damage.

The elimination of old structures is carried out from top to bottom. After removing (cleaning) equipment, elements of engineering systems, furniture and cleaning the premises from debris, you can proceed directly to the repair.

Do the wiring first. Then heating, water supply and air conditioning are carried out.

Sequence list further action as follows:

  1. Preparing the subfloor.
  2. Aligning the walls.
  3. Carrying out all work on the repair of the ceiling.
  4. Pasting of wallpaper, painting of partitions.
  5. Installation of a finished floor.
  6. Installation of doors, thresholds, floor skirting boards, accessories.

If necessary, individual items from the list should be deleted.

After the completion of the work, the tidied up room must be closed, the front side of the door must be covered with a thick film (to prevent the penetration of dust and small fractions of building materials from other rooms).

Each rule has its own exceptions

Corrections in the above algorithm are made when installing tension structures, laminate.

Nuances of repairing upper floors

Opinions about what is done first - the walls or the ceiling - differ, but most experts still recommend mounting the canvas after gluing the wallpaper.

The refusal to comply with the classic top-down repair rule is due to two important reasons:

  • work with a tension structure at the end of the finishing of partitions to avoid possible negative impact glue, primers, paints, damage from cutting tools;
  • high temperature regime, necessary for installing PVC materials on a plane, can provoke wallpaper peeling.

The installation of the ceiling should be started after the glue applied to the walls has dried (the process takes 3 to 4 days). You can minimize the ingress of dust on the wallpaper by attaching protective film using an industrial vacuum cleaner during work.

Some craftsmen are not faced with a choice - stretch ceiling or walls. Experts solve the problem that has arisen by the method of alternating the process of installing coatings. Installation of materials based on the above principle consists of 4 stages:

  • Preparing the walls
  • Fixation of the frame elements required for the installation of the ceiling structure.
  • Wallpaper gluing (painting).
  • Ceiling mounting.

The described sequence of works minimizes the ingress of cement dust on the walls, paint (glue) on the tensioning materials.

Arguments in favor of violating the "Walls - finished floor" work scheme

Experienced builders advise against adhering to the classic instructions when laying flooring... Compliance with the "First laminate, then wallpaper" algorithm is technically permissible, but not desirable: the outer layer of the material can be damaged by glue (paint when painting walls).

If finishing the partitions were not completed before the installation of the floor, the latter must be protected from the effects of aggressive substances with a film, wide sheets of cardboard.

It should be remembered: it is necessary to strictly adhere to the "Top - Down" rule only when carrying out a traditional type of repair. Usage modern materials requires a thorough analysis of the upcoming work and making changes to the considered scheme. In the absence of proper experience, it is recommended to invite professional builders.

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