DIY ceiling repair

In detail: do-it-yourself ceiling repairs from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

How does the renovation of any room begin? Of course, with the repair of the ceiling. How to repair the ceiling in an apartment with your own hands will be discussed in this article.

The ceiling needs to be repaired every 10 years, since during this time more than one layer of water-based paint or lime accumulates on it. Over time, it begins to fall off, and small cracks appear. Also, repairs may be required if you find that the joints of the ceiling tiles are uneven or the seams are too visible.

Many people mistakenly believe that it is easier to make the ceiling hinged, then repair work will not be needed. In fact, it is better to continue whitening it or wallpapering it, so it will breathe, dust will not accumulate on it, and this finishing method is much cheaper than any other.
Any renovation begins with the need to remove everything from the premises. Ceiling renovations are no exception.

Next, you need to remove the previous coatings. This can be: lime, paint, wallpaper, and so on. This work is simple, but laborious and requires additional means of protection.

You can remove previous coatings in different ways, depending on their composition.

The paint is washed off with special means, lime - with water, wallpaper - first torn off, then soaked with water.
Foam tiles from the ceiling can be easily removed with a metal trowel. In order for the ceiling to be repaired well, it must be cleaned to the ground.

It is important to understand that there are cheap paints and high quality expensive ones.

To remove cheap water-based paint, just soak it with water.

Video (click to play).

Algorithm of actions:

Wet the paint 1 time with hot water at a temperature of 60-80 degrees. To do this, you can use a regular paint roller with a long bristle, a paintbrush or a brush;
Wait 10-15 minutes;
Re-wet the paint with hot water of the same temperature;
Using a steel trowel, remove the soggy layer of water-based paint.

In the process of performing such work, small scratches may appear on the ceiling, therefore, after removing the old paint, the ceiling will need to be putty.
To do this, use a ready-made, fine putty, which is usually sold in buckets. It is easy to apply to the ceiling in a small layer and to sand.
Also carefully inspect the condition of all seams. Cover them with plaster if necessary. More on this below.

1.painting roller;
2.maklovitsa brush

It is important to know that high-quality expensive water-based paints are not afraid of water. Therefore, such paint can be removed only with sandpaper and it will be difficult to do this. She skins very badly.

In such a situation, it is recommended to apply a good primer, and in a day a new coat of paint. Of course, this option can be considered in the case of cosmetic repairs, when there is no serious damage to the ceiling.

It is always recommended to use a coat of primer after cleaning the ceiling.

Any type of use is allowed in the apartments. The main function of the primer is to create a reinforcing protective layer through deep penetration into the treated surface. This saves any subsequent material applied over it.
Most primers are versatile and suitable for both adhesive and limestone materials. When buying, you can always consult the seller.

How cleaning and priming the ceiling looks like in practice, see the video:

Further, repair work is built on the basis of what you need. If you plan to level the ceiling, then do it with a plaster mixture or plaster. But before leveling, be sure to prime the ceiling, as mentioned earlier. This will provide better grip.
To level the ceiling, you will need a bag of plaster and putty.
Material consumption depends on the area of your ceiling. Arriving at the store, choose the appropriate amount of packaging. If in doubt, check with the sellers how much plaster and putty you need for your area.

Take your choice of tools seriously. It is not worth saving, but it is better to purchase high-quality spatulas and trowels, because the final result of your work will depend on this.

1.trowel;
2. spatula;
3.Plastering trowel 350 mm

Dilute the dry plaster mixture with water according to the instructions on the package and mix well. For a more thorough mixing, you can use a slow-speed drill with a mixer attachment.

After applying each layer, the surface is left to dry for a day.
This completes the rough alignment of the ceiling and you can start working with the putty. It will help smooth out all small irregularities.The putty is used for finishing the ceiling. It is used after rough leveling of large cracks, irregularities, depressions and surface drops with plaster. The same rule works here as with plaster - after applying each layer, a day must pass before applying the next one.After the filler has dried, the ceiling can be sanded to a perfect shine.Types of putty according to the degree of readiness:

There are dry putties. They are sold packaged in bags. They must first be diluted with water and mixed;

Ready-made putties, which are usually sold in buckets. As mentioned earlier, we recommend using ready-made putties, because they are easy to use.

It is advisable to use a polymer putty for painting. She has the longest "life time", i.e. after application, it can be stretched for a longer time, which means that it is possible to work out and level the entire surface thoroughly before the composition begins to dry. It also has a very fine grind, which will have a positive effect on finishing surface cleaning.The putty is chosen relative to the base on which it will be applied. Consultants of hardware stores will also help you in the selection.

Ceiling surface cleaning

After cleaning, priming is performed. This process promotes better adhesion. Before priming, you need to check the surface for joints and seams. All holes are sealed with cement mortar. A roller or brush is used to apply the primer. When the primed layer dries out, the following work is performed.

The do-it-yourself ceiling includes these works. Which alignment option is preferred depends on the skill of the specialist. Plaster will reduce the height of the ceiling by a couple of centimeters and has a significant mass.

The putty is characterized by high shrinkage and is characterized by the application of multiple layers. When plastering, it is recommended to use a gauze bandage or respirator.

Plastering is done correctly in the following way:

using a painter's thread, markings are made for the guide;
holes are drilled for fasteners;
guides are mounted with self-tapping screws. They must be located horizontally and in the same plane;
after setting the guides, they are fixed with a layer of plaster;
the gaps are filled with plaster mixture.

Plastering process

After drying, putty and topcoat are applied to the floors.

The filling is done in a certain way:

several layers of putty are applied on an uneven surface. A wide spatula is used to remove excess mortar;
when a coarse putty is applied, then a special mesh is placed on top;
after the material has dried, finishing filling must be done;
special floats are used to create a leveled surface.

Also, to level the ceiling surface in the apartment, plasterboard panels are finished.

Leveling the ceiling with plasterboard

Performing euro renovation of the ceiling surface of rooms, you can meet many problems. One of the most common is the elimination of irregularities. Stretch ceilings are a good method to eliminate such shortcomings. Large holes and seams are removed with polyurethane foam and mortar. The leaks in the apartment are repaired when the floors are well dry.

You can independently eliminate the consequences after a leak in the following way:

wetted areas are brown. They are clearly visible against a white background. If the spot is small, then the defect is eliminated locally;

The consequences of a leak

dismantle the old layer of cladding. The surface is leveled and primed. In this case, the surface is primed twice;
the place of leakage is putty;

Leakage putty

after the putty has dried, it is worth determining whether dark spots remain. If they are visible, then you need to walk on them with matte paint;
after some time, the area of the leak is painted over with a roller. The entire overlapping area is treated with a layer of paint.

Painting the leak

While painting the surface, hold the roller in the selected direction.

When choosing a material, it is worth considering all its pros and cons.

Stretch is a fabric made of vinyl chloride film, which is welded using a special technology. Repair of such a structure involves the correction of defects and damage.

In order not to have to redo the euro ceiling, you must follow some rules:

It is forbidden to warm the stretch ceiling in the room to a temperature of more than 65 degrees. After heating, ruptures may appear;
the temperature of rooms with such a design should not fall below zero. Since the canvas may burst;
repairs need to be made if the modern ceiling has been damaged by sharp details;
tension structures can easily withstand a lot of cold water, but not hot. When hit with cold water, the material is simply dried.

Stretch ceiling leak

After just damage, the stretch ceiling can be repaired:

if there was a cut in the canvas, then in some cases the material can be glued. The cuts are sealed with pieces of cloth tape or fiberglass. Then the area is painted with paint of the same color;
after a leak in the apartment, you need to drain the accumulated water. For this, one corner is dismantled and the liquid is drained. Then the tensioning structures are dried;

Draining water from stretch ceilings

if the stretch ceiling is sag, then the web is stretched.

For gaps of up to 20 mm, regular tape is recommended. If patches are used, they must be of the same texture and color as the main euro ceiling. After damaging the web along the seam, it will not be possible to make simple repairs. In this case, the euro structure changes.

Often, when repairing a ceiling in a room, surface painting is used. A similar method is suitable for a kitchen or bathroom, as well as for rooms with euro renovation. Painting is carried out after high-quality leveling. To create a beautiful coating, paint of the desired color is selected. Painting is done with a roller or brush. This can be seen in the photo.

Painting is carried out on a separate area or on the entire surface. The slabs are checked for peeling of the previous finish. Damaged areas are treated with a spatula and then painted.

Whitewashing is one of the simplest ways to repair the ceiling surfaces of rooms. Overlappings are processed with a spray gun or roller. The material is made from water and quicklime solution.

If you apply the whitewash with a brush, brush strokes first perpendicular to the windows (towards the light source) and then parallel.

This finishing method is characterized by fragility.

You can repair the ceilings of rooms with wallpaper. This method is distinguished by a large selection of materials, as well as the ability to select any color. In order to paste over the ceilings, two people are needed. One will hold the canvas, and the second will glue. You will need tools such as a roller, glue tray and a knife for cutting cloths to decorate rooms.

It is better to glue wallpaper on the ceiling together

When making a euro renovation using wallpaper, the following steps are taken:

the floor surface is prepared and the adhesive mixture is diluted;
the required length of the web is cut from the roll;
the canvases are laid out on the floor with a pattern down, and then glue is applied, as shown in the photo;
then the floor surface is smeared with a solution;
the wallpaper is applied to the surface and then smoothed;
air bubbles are eliminated with a roller;
it is important to keep track of the coincidence of the picture. Wallpaper dries out for a certain time, within seven days.

Stylish euro finish is made with plastic. Processing with plastic plates is carried out by one person. To work with plastic, you will need a paint cord, a cutting knife and an assembly gun.

Ceilings are finished as follows:

Euro renovation with plastic originates from the definition of the center. Diagonals are drawn from opposite corners. The center is marked at the intersection;

Frame for plastic panels

gluing with plastic is performed from the center;
glue is applied along the edges and in the center of the panel. The canvases are mounted on the floor. In this case, the corner of the first element should be located in the corner of the intersection of the diagonals;
then the following plates are mounted;

Fastening pvc plastic panels to the ceiling profile

when working with plastic at the junction of the material with the wall, it is adjusted.

Finishing the repair of the ceiling surface of the rooms, moldings or ceiling plinths are mounted around the entire perimeter.

When making repairs to the ceiling surface of rooms, you should pay attention to drywall. The suspended ceiling made of this material is a reliable and durable surface. Plasterboard is used for the ceiling of various rooms. It is attached to the mounting profiles. The height of the cover depends on the length of the hangers to which the profiles are mounted.

After installation, the seams are putty and primed. All elements are fastened with self-tapping screws.

Fastening drywall sheets

The abundance of materials allows for functional and stylish ceiling coverings. With minimal construction skills, you can do simple DIY repairs.

If you make repairs to the ceiling in an apartment with your own hands, it’s interesting to do so, you should try to move away from whitewashing and painting, boring white wallpaper or old-fashioned polystyrene tiles. You can always pick up interesting ideas and try to put them into practice, especially since no one and nothing limits your imagination, except for the budget and time planned for apartment renovation.

The problem of repairing the ceiling in an apartment with your own hands is not only financial costs and the limited time allocated for repair work. These are, first of all, our ability to do something or repair something with our own hands, and they are far from ideal. Few of the ordinary apartment owners who are not associated with the professional activity of repairing and improving residential premises are able to assemble complex multi-level ceilings with their own hands or build a combination of tension and frame structures.

You can easily pick up some of the most interesting ideas for repairing ceilings in an apartment with your own hands, there are practically unlimited numbers of interiors and design solutions, another thing is to try to put them into practice on your own.

For creative delights and your own ceiling design options, you can use the simplest and most affordable repair methods:

Painting the ceiling surface with modern paints, creating a composition of several complex shapes and color schemes;
Pasting the ceiling with wallpaper, including graphics and photographic images;
Ceiling space decoration with overhead decor.

If you have experience with drywall, then you can collect the simplest options for two-level ceilings with lighting elements.Despite the simplified design, the results of repairing the ceiling in an apartment with your own hands, photos can make a strong impression on guests and hosts.

Of course, the most difficult stage is the choice of style and general composition of what should appear in the ceiling space, methods and methods of implementing the idea. You have to think over and plan the repair of the ceiling in the apartment with your own hands in stages, up to each technological operation separately.

In order to achieve a high quality repair, first of all, you will need to carry out a very competent rough preparation of the ceiling surface.

The stages of rough preparation for different options for repairing and finishing the ceiling in an apartment are in many cases very similar in terms of the materials used and technological methods. Conditionally preparatory activities can be divided into two main types:

Leveling and grinding the surface of the ceiling slab in the apartment in order to improve the quality of the base for the future decorative coating;
Installation of a suspended frame system for fastening the false ceiling cladding. It turns out a perfectly flat surface, but the height of the apartment is reduced by 8-10%.

There is another, third option for repairing the ceiling space of an apartment, this is the laying of decorative panels on a wooden crate. Traditionally, such solutions are used for kitchens, balconies, loggias, baths and lavatories, those rooms where the functionality and practicality of decorative ceiling decoration is of paramount importance.

For small rooms, for example, a one-room apartment, it is impractical to use a suspension system. This repair option is not very popular, since even a slight decrease in the height of the ceilings has an extremely negative effect on the overall perception of the space.

If the owners of the apartment do not want to lose in the height of the room, then the most suitable method for a rough repair would be to level the surface with gypsum plaster.

The preparation technology is practically no different from plastering walls:

The ceiling surface is cleaned from whitewash and mortar residues to concrete, the inter-slab seams are thoroughly cleaned from the old filling;
The surface is primed with deep penetration acrylic adhesive;
Using a hydraulic or laser level, the horizon line is determined, along which horizontal marking cords or thick fishing line are pulled;
Every 50-60 cm, longitudinal aluminum strips of beacons are attached to the ceiling surface with alabaster mortar;
Leveling mixtures of gypsum plaster are sequentially laid on the surface of the ceilings of the apartment, after which the laid mass is stretched as a rule and dried for 24 hours.

Since the gypsum mass on the ceiling surface is retained much worse than on vertical walls, the rough repair is carried out in several thin layers, no more than 5-12 mm thick. For the last layer, fine-grained finishing and superfinishing mixtures are used.

After the final drying of the gypsum mass, the preparation of the ceiling for repair is completed by grinding the surface with a plaster mesh with an emery grain. As a result, the apartment acquires a ceiling surface, the quality of which is practically not inferior to drywall.

Everything from wallpaper to tiles and heavy plaster moldings can be glued to the ceiling in the apartment. One of the options for rough repair of the ceiling in the apartment with your own hands is shown in the video

For the most complex repair options, a rough preparation of the ceiling based on a suspended rack system and sheet plasterboard is usually chosen. The main advantage of this scheme is to obtain an absolutely flat surface with an underlayer of pressed paper, on which the most complex decor options made of plastic and polymer film can be easily glued.The base of the draft ceiling is a frame made of a galvanized sheet profile, assembled on the ceiling slab using dowels and self-tapping screws. Metal profiled slats are initially fastened along the perimeter of the walls of the room, after which the plane is sewn up with a crate made of a U-shaped profile.Sheets of drywall are attached to the assembled frame with self-tapping screws, after which the joints between the laid plates are putty and sanded with a mesh. If you start repairing the ceiling on a suspension system, then it would be correct to at least try to make a two-level option with your own hands.The easiest way is to make side boxes above the windows and above the entrance to the room. Usually a box-shaped "appendage" is used as a screen behind which curtains or horizontal blinds are hidden.Collecting boxes during the repair process is no more difficult than installing the ceiling itself; you just need to install two additional rows of suspensions for each pencil case, which are sheathed with plasterboard strips, just like the entire ceiling field.So that after repairs on the decorative ceilings of the apartment, the lines of joints and black heads of fasteners do not shine through, the plasterboard surface is primed with acrylic paint in the color of the future decoration of the room.After the rough repair of the apartment ceilings has been completed, you can proceed to the most crucial stage - the choice of the method of applying decorative coating. In the simplest case, the ceiling can be simply painted with acrylic paints, dividing the room into several color zones. Such solutions are very popular for modern small-sized apartments - studios, children's rooms and small rooms with large window openings.The most traditional and simplest way to repair ceilings involves pasting a leveled and sanded ceiling base with regular textured wallpaper.Today, instead of roses on paper or vinyl silk-screen printing, more modern materials based on plant fibers are used for the ceiling. Such a repair has one very important advantage - a fabric or wallpaper covering very well hides surface defects and dampens noise in the apartment.At the same time, it is not necessary to copy the laying of panels on the walls of the apartment during the repair process; you can come up with and lay out an original pattern, as in the photo.A canvas of bamboo fibers is laid simultaneously on the wall and on the ceiling, such solutions are already recognized by designers as the standard for apartments with an attic layout.Ceilings decorated with large volumetric flowers or a field of dandelions look very unusual. Of course, repairs of this level require a serious investment of time and effort, but the implementation of such an idea is quite affordable for the average person.One of the most effective ways to decorate the ceiling during renovation in an apartment involves the use of graphic images. For example, in the simplest case, drawings can be applied to a ceiling surface painted with acrylic paint with your own hand using a stencil or a marking template.Graphics of any type, applied to the ceilings of an apartment by the hand of a professional, greatly enliven and saturate the interior with emotions. It can be just the outlines of animal figures, stylization of parts of plants, buildings, just geometric shapes, the main thing is that the drawing is done at a professional level.During the renovation process, the selected pattern for the ceiling is printed on a large-format printer, cut into sectors and glued to the ceiling of the apartment.The maximum saturation of the interior of the apartment is provided by full-fledged photo images. Usually, before renovating an apartment, the owners choose wallpaper for the ceiling of a certain orientation. It can be nature, fantastic scenes, just an image of the sky, or even individual details from your own photo archive.This is not to say that ceiling repair using plasterboard cladding is the easiest and most affordable of all the options available. Despite the sophisticated assembly technology, finishing the ceiling space with suspended panels remains one of the most time consuming and costly of all the options available. But often it is simply impossible to repair the ceilings in an apartment in another way, for example, if the floor slabs are laid with a slope that gives a difference in height from 5 to 10 cm.If you already had a chance to use plasterboard ceilings in an apartment, you should try to make them as effective as possible.Joint use of plasterboard box ceilings and photowall-paper. The box located along the perimeter of the room is perceived as a picture frame, and the central sector is filled with a picture or photo wallpaper.This can be a projection of the starry sky or images of branches and tops of trees that create the impression of an open space in an apartment.

During the renovation process, the ceiling can be divided by straight lines diverging in a cross, this creates the illusion of a transparent roof, window or skylight.Overhaul of the apartment makes it possible to try a lot of options for images on photo wallpapers, from sea pebbles, chamomile fields and water whirlpools to 3D images of butterflies, birds, fish and animals.Repairing a plasterboard ceiling allows you to use a very interesting technique - an image floating in the center of the ceiling space, often flowers or a composition of flowers.The floral panel is cut from thick plasterboard and hung in the center of the ceiling on hidden hangers. A flower arrangement cut out of photo wallpaper is glued to the panel. Such solutions go very well with the bright interior of the room, especially if the base is made in light colors and colors.The purpose of renovation is not always to create an ultra-modern bright interior of an apartment. Often, the owners give preference to more conservative forms, for example, the ceiling during the renovation can be decorated with stucco and friezes.Stucco molding around the central chandelier or lamps in the apartment allows you to revive the space around the light source, especially if the chandelier is multi-track with curved shades, and the ceiling surface is simply painted white or covered with white wallpaper.Repair with full-size stucco molding is much more difficult than conventional painting or wallpapering on the ceiling of the room. It will take a significant amount of time and effort to mark and properly adhere the extruded foam parts.It makes sense to repair the ceiling space for a full-fledged decoration with friezes when the entire interior of the room is decorated in a classic style, with a lot of lacquered wood and heavy wallpaper with a pattern typical of the Victorian era.Repairing the ceiling in an apartment can be more attributed to a creative occupation that requires the skills of a designer and artist. To understand what the space should look like after renovation indoors, you will need to make more than a dozen sketches and sketches. You may have to look for your own solution, but it is best to simply adapt the already finished design of the ceiling field.