Stretch ceilings: the acme of home design.

In a not too distant past ceilings could only be plastered and painted. What should be done, however, if ceiling irregularities exceed 50 mm? Not every plasterer is able to make such a ceiling look smooth and even. This challenging job would require plenty of plaster, effort, money and time. And once you have completed the renovation, just one little flood caused by your neighbours above can easily ruin your new beautiful ceiling that makes you so happy and proud. Will you start all over again? Or dare to try something new?

Stretch ceilings, one of the most exciting renovation methods that have appeared on the Estonian market in the recent decade, will help you forget about these problems and achieve a unique aesthetic effect. Their ideal geometry really boggles the imagination, while the colours and textures will complement any interior ranging from classical to the most modern.

History of stretch ceilings

Ancient Romans were the first to drape ceilings with fabric. They tried to choose cloth that would match the walls of the room. When the cloth became dusty, bleached and sagged, they replaced it and the ceiling looked like new again. Another analogue – textile ceilings in Armenia, where coarse calico soaked in chalk and stretched on a frame began to be used in the 17th century. Upon drying, the textile shrank and gave an ideally even surface. Because chalk is not a very durable coating, Armenians now use water-dispersion paints.

The invention of modern polymer foils made of PVC marked a new era in ceiling design. Nowadays this plastic material is extensively used and rightfully so. It is durable, elastic, meets all ecologic and fire safety requirements, and is used in construction for the production of interior design elements, windows, doors and utility networks. Depending on the required characteristics of a product, the properties of the plastic are changed by adding various modifying and filling agents. When in the 1960s a display window was designed for the French company Barrisol, specializing in the production of aluminium structural shapes, one of its employees suggested stretching PVC foil between the shapes. His colleagues found this idea very interesting and having great potential for ceiling design. Later specialists developed foils of various colours and textures as well as reliable and aesthetic ways to connect and fix them. By the end of the 1980s, this type ceiling had become extremely popular in Europe. The technology keeps developing, offering new foils, textures, structural designs, accessories and opportunities. After 2005, plants producing stretch ceilings also appeared in Estonia.

The structure.

A stretch ceiling is a finished product consisting of separate strips of PVC foil sewn together into a single canvas and cut to fit the dimensions of the room taking into account all its peculiarities. The design for the pattern should be done by a professional designer because the production of a stretch ceiling involves all kinds of nuances that have to be taken care of. The area of the canvas is determined by the sagging of the foil. If the room measures 5x6 meters, the centre of the foil may be 4 cm lower than its ends. That is why additional frames and several canvases are used for larger spaces. Holes for lamps, pipes, air grids, fire detectors, etc. are cut in the foil and reinforced by holding elements. The canvas is fixed to a plastic frame located on the walls close to the ceiling. You can use both traditional chandeliers and all kinds of built-in and decorative lamps, which should not overheat the canvas and thus have a limited capacity. Powerful lamps would require the preparation of special installation diagrams.