Fiberglass is a finishing material for leveling and strengthening surfaces, it is a thin translucent fabric made of organic resins and fiberglass threads. Gluing fiberglass to the ceiling with your own hands is quite difficult, since the material can tear if handled carelessly. However, if all the stages of work are carried out correctly, an excellent reinforcing layer is formed on the ceiling, and a perfectly flat surface will please the eye with an impeccable look for at least ten years.
Performance characteristics of fiberglass
Fiberglass threads that form the basis of a non-woven fabric, or "spider webs", are produced by melting glass, which includes quartz sand, lime, soda, dolomite.
Do not confuse reinforcing fiberglass with cullet, representing a decorative finishing material.
The ceiling, pasted over with a "cobweb", can be periodically painted; chips and microcracks do not form on its surface, which over time can turn into wide long cracks. violating the integrity and aesthetics of the finish layer. On the surface pasted over with cobwebs, decorative plaster holds perfectly.
Important! Fiberglass has a front and back side, which is undesirable to confuse. The front side, usually located on the inside of the roll, is smooth. The wrong side has a fleecy surface.
Tools, materials
For work you will need:
- ladder or building goats;
- protective glasses;
- gloves;
- respirator;
- detergents or solvents to remove the old coloring layer;
- putty;
- deep penetration primer;
- ruler;
- crayon or simple pencil;
- fiberglass roll;
- scissors;
- construction knife;
- sharp metal and plastic wallpaper spatulas;
- container for glue;
- glue;
- wide flat or round brush;
- sickle or mounting tape.
Preparatory stage
Fiberglass lays on any surface - plaster, drywall, extruded polystyrene foam used for noise and heat insulation of the ceiling, foam, wood, fiberboard, MDF, chipboard and even PVC panels. Before pasting, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory work:
- Remove the old coating - whitewash, plaster, wallpaper, paint layer. With a sufficiently strong adhesion, special liquids for removing paint, solvents can be used. It is recommended to remove a thick layer of plaster with a sharp metal spatula, then rinse with warm water and detergents. Read more about how to remove different coatings. here.
- Potholes and chips formed after the removal of the old layer should be puttied and primed.
- After the putty and primer have dried in the cracks, putty, and then prime the entire ceiling with a deep penetration compound to improve the adhesion of the cobweb to the surface.
- When gluing drywall with cobwebs, it is necessary putty the joints and recessesin which self-tapping screws are recessed. Dried surfaces can be primed or a thick layer of gossamer glue can be applied instead of a primer so that it is partially absorbed into the drywall, creating a reliable base for further finishing.
- A painted ceiling with a durable coloring layer should be treated with coarse-grained sandpaper for better adhesion and primed before gluing with a cobweb.
- Old PVC panels should also be sanded to create a rougher surface.
Tip: When starting to work directly with fiberglass, it is advisable to wear goggles, gloves and a respirator, since the material is showered with small villi that fall on the mucous membrane and enter the respiratory tract.
Adhesives
For gluing fiberglass, special adhesive mixtures are used, which are sold in hardware stores in the form of powder in packs or ready-made in containers. The dry mixture must be diluted with water in the proportions indicated in the instructions.
- For puttied concrete and plasterboard walls, you can use PVA with the addition of a primer.
- Fiberglass (not a cobweb, with a larger relief) is glued to polystyrene and foamoistorol on special mastics with high adhesion to PVC and polystyrene or on glue for ceiling foam tiles, diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1.
- To sheet material from wood waste, fiberglass is attached to PVA or Bustilat.
- When gluing fiberglass on old PVC panels, acrylic sealant diluted with water (1: 1), adhesives for polymeric materials are used.
- On a ceiling painted with oil paint, which is difficult to remove, fiberglass is glued with the same compounds as for plastic panels, after making the surface rougher with sandpaper.
How to stick fiberglass
The gluing process is recommended to be carried out in a room protected from drafts and intense direct sunlight, at a temperature of +18 to +25 °C. The stages of work can be seen in the photo and video.
Advice. In the corners and joints of the ceiling with the walls, before pasting with a cobweb, it is advisable to stick a sickle so that voids do not form.
To achieve a good result, you need to do the following:
- Measure and divide the ceiling into fragments, marking the boundaries with a small or simple pencil.
- Cut the fiberglass roll into pieces on a clean, flat surface - on a table or on the floor. It is convenient to paste over the ceiling from a stepladder or construction goat, equipped with stands and shelves for placing materials, tools and containers with glue.
- With a wide brush, apply a thick layer of glue to a fragment of the ceiling, stick a piece of fiberglass, carefully level it with a wallpaper plastic spatula from the center to the edges.
Experienced finishers recommend not cutting the fiberglass into strips in advance, but applying the entire roll to the ceiling and rolling it over the surface to the wall, then cutting it off with a knife. Using this method simplifies the gluing process and helps to avoid bubbles.
- Consistently paste over the ceiling over the entire area.
- Fragments of fiberglass are glued overlapping, after which the excess parts are carefully removed with a wallpaper knife. Too much pressure can tear the fabric.
- To create a strong reinforcing surface, evenly apply the remaining glue to the ceiling pasted over with cobwebs.
- Carry out wet cleaning in the room to remove particles of crumbled cobwebs from the surface of the walls and floor.
It is possible to proceed with further finishing of the ceiling only after the complete and uniform drying of the reinforcing layer - after about 24-48 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity of the air in the room. It is not recommended to use additional technical means for drying.
Finishing
Usually, fiberglass is pasted over a ceiling intended for painting or decorative plaster. And if the surface can not be treated in any way before applying the plaster composition, the fiberglass should be prepared before painting. If this is not done, the material will eagerly absorb the paint, which will lead to its very large overrun.
Preparation methods:
- Putty and sanding. The best option, allows you to get a high-quality smooth base for painting.
- Padding. The composition must be taken from the same manufacturer as the paint that is planned to be applied to the ceiling. It is advisable to prime several times.
- Applying diluted paint. A more liquid composition will act as a primer layer.
For coloring, you can use water-based, water-dispersion or acrylic interior compositions, both snow-white and with color.
