The material from which stretch ceilings are made is quite durable and, with careful handling, can last for decades. But life is an endless movement. Rearranging or installing large-sized furniture, children's games and pranks, malfunctioning lighting fixtures or leaking pipes from neighbors from above can cause damage to the ceiling sheet. In this case, repair of stretch ceilings may be required.
Types of damage to the tensile structure
In fact, a stretch ceiling is a canvas made of polyvinyl chloride or fabric stretched and fixed on a frame. When installing such a structure, a space is formed between the building floor and its canvas. Due to this, it becomes very sensitive to mechanical stress.
The most common damage to the tensile structure are:
- puncture, cut, tear;
- stretching due to flooding;
- melting of the ceiling cloth;
- sagging.
The set of repair work will depend on what damage the stretch ceiling received.
Repairing a cut, puncture, or tear
Cuts and punctures are the most common damage to tensile structures. When such a misfortune happens, the question arises before the owner: how to close a hole in a stretch ceiling at minimal cost? It all depends on what material the canvas is made of and what dimensions the “wound” has.
fabric ceiling
In the event of a cut on the fabric, you can repair the stretch ceiling with your own hands. After damage is detected, it must be sealed with a piece of glass fiber or a particle of material left after installation. The patch is glued on the reverse side of the coating with transparent glue. Cyanoacrylate-based glue is ideal for this. The place of repair should be painted over with a paint of a suitable tone.
Tip: if the cut is very small, it can be sewn up with nylon threads to match the ceiling.
PVC fabric
It is good if a cut or puncture of the PVC film structure occurred next to the wall (up to 15 cm). In this case, the web is dismantled from the side of the cut, the damaged material is cut off along the entire length, the film is stretched again and tucked into the profile. The appearance of the surface during such repairs does not change.
If the damage is located at a more distant distance from the wall, it is not worth dragging the ceiling - this will damage the entire coating. In this case, you can resort to small tricks:
- in place of a small cut, install an additional lamp or ventilation grille;
- a large cut can be sealed with a colored appliqué or panel.
A puncture on a PVC ceiling measuring 1–2 mm can simply be treated with special glue. He will not allow the canvas to disperse further and will be almost invisible. With a large puncture, you need to act in the same way as with a cut.
Important! If the material breaks along the seam, it is unlikely that it will be possible to glue it. Such damage most often occurs due to poor-quality film. The canvas will have to be completely changed.
It must be remembered that if the ceiling sheet was mounted by specialists, it is better to resort to their help to repair it, and not to think about how to close a hole in the stretch ceiling on your own. In the event of an unsuccessful self-repair, the warranty on the structure will be lost and all actions to eliminate the negative consequences will have to be paid. To avoid this, the hole should be sealed with adhesive tape, call a team from the installer and calmly wait for their arrival.
Ceiling repair after flooding
Repair of stretch ceilings after flooding should be carried out in a certain sequence:
- It is necessary to de-energize the room in order to avoid electrical short circuit.
- Eliminate the cause of the leak.
- Dismantle the chandelier or lamp to drain the water through the hole formed. If they are absent, dismantle the part of the ceiling that is close to the accumulation of water or make a small puncture.
- Drain water carefully.
- Dry the canvas naturally or with a hair dryer.
- Fix the canvas, mount the chandeliers and lamps, after checking their serviceability.
- In case of formation of folds and wrinkles on the surface, warm the canvas with a heat gun or a building hair dryer, the defects should disappear.
The described actions are relevant in case of PVC ceiling flooding with cold water. If very hot water gets on the film, the likelihood of repair is very small, since under the influence of high temperatures the PVC material can be permanently deformed.
In the event of flooding of the fabric ceiling, it is unlikely that it will be able to return to its former appearance. This type of material absorbs water well and, after drying, stains and stains remain on it. Most likely, after such an incident, the fabric will have to be replaced.
Elimination of the consequences of melting of the stretch fabric
The material of stretch ceilings under the influence of high temperatures begins to melt. The reasons for melting can be an incorrectly installed lighting device, the use of a light bulb that is larger than expected, power, contact of the canvas with sparks or fire.
In case of melting of the canvas near the lamps, the procedure will be as follows:
- you need to dismantle the lighting device;
- check the correctness of the electrical wiring;
- stick a protective thermal ring of a larger diameter;
- return the lamp to its place and select a light bulb of suitable power.
Tip: in case of melting from contact with sparks or an open flame, you need to act according to the same scenario as when repairing cuts.
Fight against sagging
Another problem that can befall stretch ceilings is sagging.
If the stretch ceiling sags in the center by 1% relative to the perimeter level, then this is considered normal. If the sagging is greater than this indicator, you need to find out the cause of such an ailment. There may be several of them:
- Violation of the tightness of the profile to the wall. The stretch ceiling sags when a gap between the wall and the profile is more than five centimeters. In this case, it is necessary to dismantle the ceiling sheet in the place where the profile lags, strengthen the frame and fix the sheet in place.
- Hit on the canvas of the ceiling of foreign objects: plaster, insulation, drywall, fallen off the base ceiling. In this case, you need to dismantle part of the ceiling canvas and remove the "culprits" of sagging.
- Defects in the building ceiling. If there are cracks and holes in it, air enters the space between the stretch ceiling and the ceiling. Due to its movement, the ceiling "comes to life" and can sag. To eliminate such sagging, it is necessary to eliminate the shortcomings of the building floor by sealing it.
- Poor quality ceiling material. In this case, the sagging will have to be eliminated by completely replacing the blade.
- Flooding.
Dismantling the stretch fabric
There are times when it becomes necessary to repair the ceiling or electrical wiring. Then the question arises before the owner: how to remove the stretch ceiling without damaging it?
The procedure for dismantling the ceiling canvas is not particularly difficult, but requires utmost care. First you need to remove the decorative plug or baseboard. Next, you need to act depending on what type the ceiling belongs to:
- Before removing the PVC stretch ceiling, its canvas should be heated with a heat gun. This will make it elastic and help protect it from tearing. The dismantling of such a ceiling must begin from the corners, moving towards the middle of the wall. The sheet from the profiles must be removed carefully, without applying excessive force.
- To dismantle the fabric stretch ceiling, heating the canvas is not required. In this case, the ceiling covering should be removed from the profiles, starting from the middle of the wall, moving towards the corners.
In both cases, the main thing is not to rush, act confidently and accurately. Then the structure can be mounted back without problems.
