How to make do-it-yourself plasterboard ceilings with lighting

A great way to give the interior a special flavor is to use different lighting effects. For example, lighting built into the ceiling significantly raises it and gives the room depth. Most often, such lighting is used in conjunction with drywall constructions, which allows you to create original forms and visual effects. Let's try to figure out how to make a plasterboard ceiling with lighting with your own hands.

Illuminated plasterboard ceiling design

To begin with, it should be noted that the lighting in plasterboard ceiling structures can be implemented in two ways:

open. This is the easiest option for self-assembly, in which a hole is made in the plasterboard structure, into which the lighting fixture is inserted. In this case, it is imperative to take into account the mass of the device (it should not be more than 10 kg).
closed. This method involves hiding lighting fixtures in a specially prepared niche located between the layers of the first and second levels of the plasterboard ceiling. Moreover, the light is directed in this case not to the floor, but to the ceiling surface. Due to its reflection from the surface of the ceiling, it is easy to achieve a beautiful effect of diffused lighting.

The following is a diagram of a box for highlighting a plasterboard structure.

To create a niche for lighting, you need to use two types of profiles:

PN (UD) - guide ceiling profile. It must be fixed to the surface of the walls, ceiling, to the center of the frame and to the side (if any).
PP (CD) - carrier profile. It is more rigid, due to which racks and lintels for fastening the plasterboard are made from this profile.

If the backlight box turns out to be too wide, the supporting profiles must be strengthened with hangers. They can be attached both to the main ceiling and to the first profiles.

Plasterboard ceiling does not always have only straight edges. Very beautiful suspended ceilings are obtained if the backlight is used in ceilings of various shapes. It can be wavy lines, a circle or an ellipse in the center, and other interesting options.

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Types of fixtures for plasterboard ceiling

You can decorate your plasterboard ceiling with various types of lighting:

Spot lights. Such lamps are used as an addition to the main lighting. They will perfectly fulfill the task of zoning a room, highlighting its individual parts, or will become a replacement for a night light. Also, these lamps are often used as emergency lighting. This type of fixture is easy to mount in a drywall sheet on your own.
Chandelier (normal or LED). The choice of chandeliers for lighting a room in specialized stores is huge. You can easily choose the option that suits the interior of your apartment. In this case, you won’t have to change the wiring, but you need to take into account that the chandelier lamp will be mounted on the ceiling itself and slightly reduce the height of the room.

Daylight lamps. One of the most affordable and easy to install lighting option. Such lamps have significant advantages, such as being economical to use and having a long service life.

Fluorescent lamps give a cold light, so they are not recommended for use in living rooms.

Fiber optic lamps. With the help of fiber optic luminaires, the most interesting lighting effects are achieved, such as starry sky landscapes or space simulation. But this lighting option is more suitable for apartments with high ceilings.Installation of fiber-optic lamps is carried out only by specialists - it will be very difficult to do it yourself without the necessary skills and knowledge.

LED strips. The use of LED strips is the most popular way to illuminate a multi-level ceiling structure. They are very easy to install, have a long service life, and are economical and not too expensive. In addition, an LED strip installed around the perimeter of the ceiling will illuminate the room evenly and brightly, so such lighting is more effective than conventional chandeliers.
Neon tubes or neon cords. Neon tubes provide illumination due to the mixture of inert and luminous gases contained in their cavities. They, like spotlights, are used in combination with the main light sources and serve mainly to illuminate individual sections of the ceiling and highlight zones.

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When choosing a ceiling light, it is worth considering not only their power, but also the color. When combined with the main lighting, the backlight may well differ in a bright, unusual shade, depending on the interior and purpose of the room.

Making a ceiling from GKL with do-it-yourself lighting

Now let's deal with the question of how to do plasterboard ceiling with lighting on one's own.

Frame for the top level

Installation of a multi-level plasterboard ceiling with lighting begins with the installation of the initial frame:

A line is drawn along the perimeter of the ceiling with an indent from the walls of 10 centimeters.
The starting profile is fixed along the intended line.
A carrier profile is inserted into it and fixed with suspensions. The distance between the fasteners should be about 40 centimeters.
To make this design more rigid, jumpers must be installed between rigid (bearing) profiles, which are made from a rigid profile.

The frame is sheathed with plasterboard. The first level of the flow structure is completed. At this stage, it is already possible to mount the open ceiling lighting.

Light box installation

For hidden lighting, a special niche is mounted:

At the first level, the boundaries of the second level of the ceiling structure should be drawn.
The guide profile is fixed according to the markup.

Those profiles that are attached to the ceiling should be directed with shelves down, and at the walls - with shelves towards the opposite wall.

Suspension racks are made from the carrier profile. Their number is determined by the size of the ceiling: for every 100 centimeters, 2 suspensions must be used.
The racks are inserted into the guide with the untouched side and tightly fixed with self-tapping screws.
The next step is to make jumpers from ceiling profiles. Their length is equal to the length of the lower part of the niche, and the number must match the number of suspension racks.
Jumpers are inserted shelves up into the guide against the wall and secured with self-tapping screws. The suspension stand and the second end of the workpiece must also be fastened together and form a right angle.
The protruding segments are muffled by the cut off parts of the ceiling profile inserted inside. Thus, you should get shelves for installing the backlight.

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GKL frame sheathing

The next step is to line the frame with thin plasterboard sheets:

The GKL strip is attached to the niche shelf.
The vertical part of the box is covered with sheets attached to the hanging posts and the ceiling track.
The horizontal part of the niche is sheathed.
The GKL strip is attached to the front of the box - it is behind it that the backlight will be hidden.

Installation and connection of hidden lighting

To install LED backlight, you should adhere to the following rules:

Tapes with LEDs are cut into pieces only according to the marks on them.
The tapes are connected both with LED connectors and with an ordinary soldering iron.
Fastening to metal parts should be carried out only with insulating material.
In no case should you mount the backlight under voltage.

The last step is the final finishing of the ceiling. For this, putty and primer are used. At the end, such a ceiling can be wallpapered, painted or finished with textured plaster.